May 17th, 2023

5 Ways to Embrace Your Empty Nest

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Your adult children have all moved out, and now, you and your spouse are wondering what your next chapter will bring. Becoming an empty nester is a big adjustment, but this phase of your life opens new opportunities. For instance, if you’re ready to renovate your home, get in touch with Decluttered Life first so you can clean out each room! Here are a few other ways to spend your time as an empty nester, like digitizing important documents, going back to school, or even opening a business.
 
Declutter and Digitize Paperwork

This is the perfect opportunity to declutter your home. Remember, before you throw out, sell, or donate any items that belonged to your children, get in touch with them and ask if they’d like to keep certain belongings!
 
As you’re decluttering, you’ll probably end up digging through stacks of paperwork. You can free up lots of space by digitizing essential documents. You can digitize everything from birth certificates and passports to medical records and education transcripts. You’ll be able to access key files from anywhere while getting rid of clutter! Additionally, you can simplify things further by combining several documents into one file with an online tool that adds pages to PDFs.
 
To tackle this process efficiently, PC Mag recommends choosing a convenient scanning app and a cloud storage solution with security features you can trust. That way, you can rest assured that no one will be able to access your documents if you don’t want them to.
 
Earn a New Degree Online
As an empty nester, you have more time for yourself now than you have in years. If you’ve ever thought about going back to school, now is the perfect time! By earning a degree online, you can improve your job prospects and move forward in your career path. You can enroll in a program that includes industry certification exams that you can add to your resume - this is a good option to consider. For instance, if you’d like to land a job in IT, obtaining a degree combined with certifications can make you a more attractive candidate.
 
Start a Business
If you’re spending your newfound free time advancing your education, you might be inspired to channel your new knowledge and skills into entrepreneurship. Should you decide to launch a business, you’ll want to create a detailed plan first to boost your chances of success! In your business plan, make sure to include information about your sales strategy, business structure, funding needs, budget, and financial projections.
 
Consider Renovations or Additions
Maybe you’re interested in downsizing in the future - or perhaps you’d like to renovate your home! You can transform your extra bedrooms into a home office, gym, yoga studio, cozy library, or even a home theater. If you don’t feel totally confident in your DIY skills, you’ll want to start looking for local contractors who can take on the projects you have in mind. You can ask friends in your area for recommendations.
 
Re-organize Your Home
Whether you want to invest in a renovation, addition, or simply put some effort into decluttering, you’ll need to re-organize your house when your project is done. To get organized, The Container Store recommends maximizing your vertical storage space with shelves and cubbies, hanging storage pockets over doors, and utilizing the space under beds for additional storage.
 
At first, having an empty nest might feel quiet and lonely. But with more time and space to yourself, you can make big lifestyle changes! From digitizing your paperwork to taking online classes to become an entrepreneur, the sky’s the limit for empty nesters.
 
Does your home feel cluttered now that you have an empty nest? Decluttered Life will help you organize! Call us today at 713-828-7133 to learn more about our services.

Ms. Jackie Waters wishes to feed her family as much fresh and home-grown food as possible. Jackie runs hyper-tidy.com, providing advice on being...Hyper Tidy!