TRANSITION TIMELINE WORKBOOK
Map Your Next Chapter Without Feeling Rushed
DeDe Forwood, REALTOR® | HomeSmart
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Before You Begin: A Note From DeDe
If you picked this up, something in your life is moving. Maybe you already know what. Maybe you're still catching up to it yourself. Here's the thing I want to say before anything else.
You don't owe anyone a fast decision. Not me, not your family, not a calendar you didn't choose.
People come to me because they're buying a first home, retiring, getting divorced, grieving a parent, relocating for work, downsizing, growing a family, inheriting property, or just trying to figure out what comes next.
A house is usually what brings someone through my door. It's rarely what they actually need. What they need is a clear head, a little honesty, and permission to take their time.
So here's my end of the deal. I won't tell you what you want to hear. I won't manufacture a deadline to get you moving faster. Where I don't know something, I'll say so. Where the honest answer is inconvenient, I'll give it to you anyway. That's the only kind of guidance worth having when life is already a lot.
This workbook is yours. Write in it, skip around, leave whole pages blank for six months if that's what you need. There's no due date printed anywhere in here, on purpose.
— DeDe
Two Questions, Not One
Where do you want to live? is only half the question. The real question is: how do you want to live?
Not where makes sense on paper. Not where someone else thinks you should be. And not just a location, but a shape: your mornings, your routines, what's within reach, what you're finally ready to put down, what you refuse to give up.
You don't have to answer either question today. You may not have a full answer for months. That's not a planning failure. That's the normal pace of a real decision. This workbook just gives both questions somewhere to live while you work them out.
How to Use This Workbook
There's no correct order here. Some people start with the money pages because uncertainty about numbers is what's keeping them up at night. Some start with the feelings pages because the logistics feel impossible until the feelings get some air. Both are right.
A few ground rules, from me to you:
- Nothing in here has a due date. Cross out any date field that stresses you out and leave it blank.
- "I don't know yet" is a complete and acceptable answer on every worksheet in this book.
- Fill this out in pencil, literally and figuratively. Revise it as often as you want.
- If a section brings up more feeling than you expected, that's not a sign you're doing this wrong. Put the workbook down. Come back to it later.
Part One: Telling Yourself the Truth
Transitions get harder when the information around you is murky, when you're not sure what's a fact, what's someone's opinion dressed up as a fact, and what's a fear you've carried so long it started to feel true.
Worksheet: Fact, Opinion, or Fear?
| What I believe | Fact (verify) | Opinion | Fear |
|---|---|---|---|
Checklist: Getting to the Real Information
Part Two: Making This Decision Yours
Somewhere along the way, most people going through a transition like this end up carrying a pile of other people's opinions. Carrying all of that is exhausting, and it was never actually your job.
Permission Slip
I am allowed to make this decision on my own timeline.
I am allowed to weigh other people's input without being ruled by it.
I am allowed to say "I'm not ready" without explaining myself.
This is my next chapter to write.
Part Three: Knowing the Real Numbers
Part Four: Where and How You Want to Live
How I Want My Days to Feel
Where I Want to Live
Part Five: Letting Go and Taking Root
Worksheet: What This Place Gave Me
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© 2026 DeDe Forwood, REALTOR® | HomeSmart. Equal Housing Opportunity.
