A four step process to make moving homes or apartments a pleasure
Ok, so saying that the move will be a pleasure is probably an overstatement. Millions of people move every summer, and almost no one goes through the process without a great deal of stress. Moving leaves us feeling exhausted. It’s no way to start a new life in a new home, is it?
Take this four-step-approach to moving and you’ll find yourself in a much healthier and less stressed mental state as you enjoy your new home. Preparation is key. Pat yourself on the back for reading this blog and taking a step in the right direction. You wouldn’t run a 10k without training for a few weeks, right? Take moving seriously, just as you would a difficult athletic endeavor. Prepare your mind, your body, and your gear as you ready for moving day.
Step One
Clean Up, Organize, and Minimalize
We almost all do it. We look at the years worth of junk and clutter surrounding us and we think, “I’ll do it differently in the new place.” We have the best of intentions when we make these silent little promises, but it leads to a big problem as you ready yourself and your family for the move. You have to get rid of the extra stuff now, before you move.
You won’t have the time or energy as moving day approaches. The next thing you know, you’re bringing the clutter into your new house and it’s filling up your storage before you’ve made your first monthly payment.
Now, at least two weeks ahead of your move, is the time to call the junk hauling service or to download Curb-It, the junk removal app. Get your closets and storage areas clean first, then get rid of everything throughout the house or apartment that you do no use or need. You will be surprised by the amount of junk in your home.
Tip: Keep the cardboard that’s piled up from Amazon deliveries. It’s your new packing material.
Step Two
Pack, Label, and Sort
If you know the layout of your new place, all the better for you as you enter step two. I like to sort all of the things left after Curb-It has hauled the junk away. With a clean slate –– only owning and moving the items I truly want to keep in my life –– I organize the remaining belongings by the room in which they will be put in the new home. When I unload the truck, I just read the label and drop the box in the proper room.
Before you tape together the first box, organize your belongings in their proper groups. You might not know where everything will go in the new house, and that’s OK. Just get all the books, magazines, and DVDs together, and keep the kitchen and bathroom things in their respective groups. Nothing creates chaos faster than opening a box with things that are going to belong in three different places.
Once you have things in the right groupings, label the boxes before you fill them. It’s easier to write on a flat box, but the real trick is that it’s much faster to sort items into a few prelabeled boxes at the same time than it is to try to think of what should go into an unlabelled box. It lets you turn the brain off and simply sort items.
Tip: Pace yourself. Start early, and do not rush. You will create a nice flow if you let things fall into place.
Step Three
Get a Big Rig
This one seems silly, but people make the mistake all the time. Do not try to save money by renting a smaller truck. You will make extra trips, which will cost you more in time and gas, or you will have to leave behind things that you would otherwise have brought.
Get the truck that’s one size larger than you think you need, and don’t junk that precious brain energy stressing about whether or not your stuff will fit. You have already pared your belongings down to your essentials; you deserve to bring the rest along with you.
If you have the resources, hire movers. The physical toll of moving gets harder and harder each time you do it. Save your back and your mind some stress and pain by outsourcing the labor of moving. You already have everything well labeled and organized, so it should be a quicker (and therefore cheaper) move.
Tip: Try to find truck or van rentals that do not have a mileage charge.
Step Four
Create a Cleanup Routine
While this is all fresh in your mind, and as you settle back to enjoy your new surroundings, think about how you can keep this momentum going. First thing’s first, reward yourself. When we plan, organize, and execute a successful new strategy, it’s important to reinforce that positive behavior with a reward. A cold beer or a bowl of ice cream can do. Or maybe you should splurge for that new mattress you have been thinking about. You earned a treat.
Set up a monthly or quarterly cleanup and clearout routine that help you stay organized. Many folks move annually, and if you are among them, you will reap the rewards of this preparation when you turn around to move in fifty weeks. Even if you think you’re in your “forever home,” now, these routines can help keep you less stressed and more organized in your new home.
Tip: Schedule a quarterly calendar reminder to have Curb-It do some junk hauling. Get rid of things you don’t need every few months, and you’ll feel free and organized.
Curb-It is on-demand junk removal
You snap a pic of the stuff you want gone
You get upfront prices from background-checked Providers
You select your Hauler and your stuff is gone within hours
Related Posts
