5 Powerful Reasons Downsizing Transforms Your Writing and Your Life
- Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
What does “downsizing” mean to you? Does it mean layoffs and pink slips?
That is one definition – for a company or business to reduce the size of its workforce.
Downsizing also means eliminating the excess in your life – getting a smaller home and reducing the amount of stuff you own. We are in the process of that kind of downsizing. We are anticipating moving from a home with almost 4,000 square feet to one half that size.
As I work at cleaning out closets in the home we’ve lived in for 44 years, it occurred to me that downsizing my stuff is not that different from the editing I am doing to keep the second edition of Communicating Nutrition to the same word count while adding updated content. When we downsize our writing, we eliminate excess that isn’t needed.
Both types of downsizing – in writing and in life – can be transformative and freeing. Let’s look at 5 powerful reasons to accomplish each type.
5 powerful reasons downsizing transforms your writing
Downsizing writing is editing. It is removing extra words that don’t add value to a message. As a result, downsized writing…
Positions the main idea prominently With fewer words, your main idea can stand out front and center. Wordy writing often hides key ideas. Don’t make readers hunt for your main point. Cut the excess.
Promotes clarity Limiting word count forces you to be clear and concise. Words are chosen carefully and anything that might confuse is eliminated.
Promotes the use of active voice Active voice is straightforward and unambiguous. Passive voice can be cumbersome and harder to comprehend quickly.
Promotes audience engagement Short sentences in short paragraphs encourage audiences to read the entire piece of writing and stay engaged from start to finish.
Preserves valuable page space Concise writing presents ideas in less space, saving printing costs as well as time.
Downsized writing is better writing. Which reason motivates your editing most?
5 powerful reasons downsizing transforms your life
Extra stuff means more to take care of, more to fix, dust, replace, and worry about. Less stuff frees your time, your money, your workload, and more. Downsizing has many benefits…
Lightens the future load from your loved ones After we cleaned out our mothers’ homes, we realized that to clean out our home was a future gift to our children.
Lightens your financial burden A smaller home may cost less in maintenance, utilities, property taxes, and more.
Living closer to loved ones Like many retired couples, we are looking to move closer to children. When we need them, or they need us, we can be there in minutes. We will also be closer to healthcare.
Less to care for This benefit will be felt daily. Less yardwork, less cleaning, handier laundry,
Lifestyle simplified and de-stressed A smaller, more efficient, and maintenance-free home allows for more time to enjoy retirement, travel, volunteer, and play.
Downsizing stuff is transformative and freeing. Which reason resonates most with you?
Check out this previous post with ideas for clearing the clutter:
“Much of what we acquire in life isn’t worth dragging to the next leg of our journey. Travel light. You will be better equipped to travel far.” ~ Gina Greenlee
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