Moving can be one of life’s most stressful events – but a well-considered approach will be your secret weapon to tackling the overwhelming job at hand.
It’s all about some careful planning and focusing on reducing what you take with you to lighten the load. Leave behind what you don’t want (or need) and give yourself a fresh, new start.
By applying three simple actions – clear, sort and dispose – you’ll ensure every item has a need and a place in your new home.
Over the 10-plus years I’ve helped people organise their lives, I’ve discovered most homemakers want to pack up and move out asap.
It’s only natural to want to bypass the ‘clear, sort, dispose’ process to what can often be experienced as a mild form of trauma.
Visualising your new space and having clear ideas about how you want it to look can be helpful. Tools like Pinterest and Instagram are great tools when starting to create ideas and imagining your new home.
This process is also useful to help steer decisions around what to get rid of before it ends up packed in a box.
Here are five tips to get you started.
1. Declutter on one space at a time
By just focussing on getting one area done at a time you’ll avoid becoming overwhelmed. This may be one room, one cupboard or even one drawer. Start in the space or room that you use the least.
2. Sort items you don’t use regularly
If you still have any stored boxes that are full, start with these and donate, dispose and recycle.
We often keep items that we never use (or need) and hide them away. Pull them out and get started there.
3. Keep what you love … or what’s useful
Long before the actual move date, start deciding what comes with you and what gets tossed using the ‘clear, sort and dispose’ actions.
Still struggling? Just remember you’re paying people to carry only the items you need, love and want.
4. Treasure your treasures
Be sure to keep the items you love safe and separate from other boxes so they don’t get damaged or lost. You could consider creating a keepsake box for each member of the family.
This will keep all their special items that we love and want to look back on all in one place.
5. Sort through clothes
Pull together all of those bags of too-small, decades-old clothes and items to pass onto family and friends.
Diarise an afternoon to deliver them or drop them into the charity bins. This will feel great.
Congratulations, you’ve done it! Be sure to toast your efforts and your new start.
https://www.realestate.com.au/lifestyle/5-organising-tips-to-consider-before-moving/