Rightsizing Your Life: Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most

by Ciji Ware, Gail Sheehy (Foreword)

A practical, down-to earth guide for streamlining your possessions and making time for the things that matter.

Whether it's going from the multi-bedroom suburban house to the city condo, or from a country and city house to one cozy cottage, millions of Americans in the coming years will face the task of planning a shift to smaller or more practical quarters, paring down a lifetime of possessions and furnishing their new lives with things that have meaning. This simplification of surroundings and "stuff" will liberate people in mid-life to pursue their passions such as travel or hobbies without the responsibilities of a big house weighing them down.

Rightsizing will be more than a handbook about the process of planning a new environment, jettisoning a lifetime's worth fo surplus household items, and moving painlessly into a more suitable space. It will also be the first comprehensive guide to the emotional passage that this winnowing process entails, providing a prescription for the internal hurdles that can easily sabotage sensible decision making.

Genres: Nonfiction, Personal Development, Unfinished, Self Help

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 4, 2007

About the author

CIJI WARE is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling novelist, an Emmy-award winning television producer, reporter, writer, lecturer, and host. Her latest work, THE SPY WORE LONG WHITE GLOVES (Book 4, American Spy Sisters series), published October 14, 2025 , was inspired by the exceptional American women who volunteered as "Churchill's Angles"--secret agents during WW II, fighting enemy infiltration within Britain, as well as parachuting into occupied France to fight the Nazis. As with her other novels, author Ware invites her readers to view her research photos at www.pinterest.com/cijiware/the-spy-wo...

Ware's Four Seasons Quartet "THAT..." series includes stand-alone titles set in CORNWALL, EDINBURGH, VENICE and PARIS that were released betweeen 2013-2017. A novella "The Ring of Kerry Hannigan," part of the RING OF TRUTH anthology with novelists Diana Dempsey and Kate Moore, was released as a single title in the spring of 2015.

Ware has won numerous awards for her 15 works of fiction, including the Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence; the 'Golden Quill' award for Historical Fiction; 'Best Fictionalized Biography' for her 18th c. historical novel, ISLAND OF THE SWANS. For the latter work, she was bestowed in Edinburgh the honor of FSA Scot, of which she is exceedingly proud. Another historical novel, A RACE TO SPLENDOR, debuted in April, 2011 on the 105th anniversary of the devastating 1905 San Francisco Earthquake and Firestorm and was short-listed for the WILLA (Cather) Literary Award in 2012.

In 2015, Ware was named to the Martha's Vineyard Writers-in-Residence program where she began a long-term project: REINVENTING...ME, a memoir of her years in all aspects of media. Currently, she is working on the second of two novels in her Spy Sisters series set in WWII based on the lives of several American women secret agents in the armed conflict.

Ware's most recent nonfiction, RIGHTSIZING YOUR LIFE: Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most, was named by the Wall Street Journal as "One of the Top 5 Books on Retirement Issues." She is at work on a sequel, SIMPLIFYING FOR SENIORS: Decluttering, Divesting, and Downsizing. She continues to lecture extensively on the subject of domestic downsizing for people age 50+ as she relates her own journey from 4000sq. feet of living space in Beverly Hills and Santa Barbara, down to a "cottage by the sea" of around 1000 square feet in the San Francisco Bay Area--and loving it! She is also the author of JOINT CUSTODY: Making Shared Parenting Work.

For eighteen years, Ware was heard daily as a commentator on ABC Radio & TV in Los Angeles. During her noted career as a broadcaster, she has worked as a reporter or anchor for PBS and all three major network affiliates, covering a wide range of topics in the areas of health, consumer, lifestyle and women's issues.

Ciji Ware is also a sought-after event speaker, print journalist, (AARP, Travel & Leisure and other national magazines) and has the distinction of being elected as the first woman graduate of Harvard College to serve as President of the Harvard Alumni Association, Worldwide. The author is married four decades+ to Internet marketing executive, Tony Cook. The "Cook-Wares" have a son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Visit Ciji's website at www.cijiware.com; her Facebook page: Ciji Ware, Novelist
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ciji-Wa... and her Pinterest page at http://pinterest.com/cijiware/

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Ciji Ware's clear, easy writing style, as well as her insight into why people hold onto all their "stuff." She had some excellent ideas about how to purge your house of stuff that's been outgrown in some way, especially when a family is involved. Her "Resource Directory" at the end of the book is especially useful.

FUTURE READERS BEWARE:
Although I did receive some valuable information and insight from this book, I was also frustrated after I received it (bought online). Ware's book is targeted primarily at people who are retiring and perhaps downsizing, moving from a large home to a smaller one or a condo; or at relatively wealthy people looking for a change and rightsizing their home(s). She does not directly address the needs of younger or middle-aged people who are looking to "[simplify their] surroundings while keeping what matters most".

[Caro Lyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Misleading title. Should have been Rightsizing Your Life: how to reduce, pack, and move for your transition into retirement. The author targeted this book for people in their mid-50s or beyond who are looking to reduce the amount of time working or retire. I found it difficult to get past the initial anecdotes, which seemed to be about people who have tons of money and downsize into second homes. For me, the resource directory at the end (although no endorsement was made or implied) was the most valuable part of the book.

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I'm not the baby boomer retiree downsizer target market for this book (which I did not realize was the target when picking it up at the library). Even still, I was able to glean some helpful information on really how to properly pare down my stuff. There wasn't a ton of new information, but it was enough of a motivator to me to get 4 bags of stuff out the door and onto the porch for the Lupus Foundation to pickup tomorrow. :)

For someone who is downsizing after many years in the same house, this book would be really great though.

[Chade66 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is aimed for people selling million dollar homes and moving into smaller homes, like 3000 sq feet or so. It has some interesting advice, but I found it to be unrealistic for anyone who doesn't have a six figure income.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading a lot of decluttering and downsizing books and articles, this book still had some gems and unique ways to look at things. I'll read it again before the next time I move.

[Pug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry, but substantial. Thought-provoking and inspiring advice on downsizing while you still have plenty of time.

[Barbara Schulze · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but is a bit unnecessarily long. The author gives good examples.

[Donna May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful and worthwhile if you're trying to downsize, but nothing revelatory

[Jill Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know what to expect going in, this is a really good and helpful book!! From looking at the other reviews, it seems that there is some confusion as to the subject of this book. It's about helping people in mid-life "rightsize" and trim down their belongings and/or living space to suit the new phase in their life. But actually, I would think it could be helpful to people of all ages. It would help younger people realize that they might not want to keep everything that comes into their life because of the monumental task of sorting through it all later in life. It would help people in their 40's & 50's to start the ardurous process of trimming down the amount of their belongings. And, it would help older folks to start sorting through their things so that when they die they don't leave such a monumental task for their family members. I enjoyed the book!

[Phobean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always looking to reduce my stuff. Although I did a huge clutter clear-out when I left 21 Quint, I'm due for another. I like some of the tips in this book that I've read so far.

8/9
Finished the book. It was well worth the read -not boring or tedious in the least, even funny at times. It's geared towards the baby boomer set, and talks a lot about post-retired life, but I found a lot of value in the 'quizes' and exercises. I recommend this book to anyone who as already put some effort into reducing her/his material possesions and needs a new approach.

[Darby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the book I was wanting. From the description I read on the back, I thought it was a book on organizing your home. But this book is geared towards baby-boomers or those about to retire -- moving into smaller retirement homes and need to downsize their lives. Of course there are some good tips that are universal - but the focus is more for those retiring and I am not at that point in my life yet.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not really even near this stage in my life yet, but I read this book anyway because I have parents who have a LOT of stuff. (Well actually Dad does, not so much Mom.) I don't think they're ready for downsizing yet either, but I wanted to be prepared to help whenever they were. I think this book gives a good summary of the things and emotions you will face. Some of the activities were a bit... structured, but overall I found this to be useful information.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not what I expected from the brief description on the back. The book is geared towards those who are ready to retire and figure out how to downsize their lives. Some of the principles are universal but most of it just doesn't apply to my life stage.

[Alayne]

This book was not what I thought it was going to be. It's geared toward people over 50 who are retiring or making some sort of late life change. Oh well... Someday I'll probably want to read it! :o)

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't great. It's targeted for mid-life people getting ready to notably change their location and or situation in life. It looks at what you should do to downsize your home, pursue your hobbies, and move past emotional issues tied to objects in your home.

[Beth Yeh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Focused on the over 50 set (figures that I would be picking out these books), but I got a few good tips

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's never to early to start to declutter that which is non-essential

[Desiree]

oops. this book is for those past the age of 50. my library sticker kind of hid the "baby boomer" part of the description on the back.

not so much.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't read unless you are at baby boomer stage of life. I tried getting through it all thinking there might be something relevant for me, but alas, there was not.

[Lynn Lerch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very helpful book on getting rid of clutter both the material kind and the mental type.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always need help with this....

[Darla · Rating 2 out of 5]

not much new

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm, maybe I have more common sense than I thought - nothing too enlightening found in here for me - but I can see where it would prove to be relatively useful for others.

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mostly skimmed this book for the parts that were pertinent to me. I got a few good tips from it.