This article was originally run in Touchmark Retirement Community’s June Newsletter
Thoughtful preparation for moving is the critical first step to a stress-free transition; and we covered planning in Part I of this series.
Part II of “An Organized Move” herein covers simplifying your home and belongings prior to the big day.
As a veteran professional organizer for nearly two decades, let me share with you the best-kept secret of moving: Get organized FIRST! To truly give yourself a fresh start and move only that which you really love and use, the best strategy to take the time to “purpose” each room of your current home and determine what items really should live there and what items need to be re-homed elsewhere. Once you have clear categories of items in each room, it will be incredibly easier to move.
I never hear experts give this whole-house-organization-first advice to people who are moving, because everyone focuses solely on the transaction of the move. (And let’s face it, few people want to face the organization they’ve been putting off.) However, when it comes to a downsize, most people spend a lot of time thinking about it (and even dragging their feet) before it happens and have plenty of time to be thoughtful about ordering their belongings if they just got started. If you don’t know where to begin, hire a professional organizer!
Next, here are a few more tips to help you simplify:
- Prune back your stuff. Take every extraneous item and either donate it, toss it, or label it properly for the eventual move. Many of us feel better about letting go when we know that someone less fortunate is receiving items we can’t use; so find the local charities in your area for your cast-offs. In addition to your donation to charity, there is an economic benefit of moving fewer things. You will feel tremendous freedom being rid of the items you don’t need, use, or even think about much.
- Organize your rooms for livability and accessibility while your home is on display. Make each space look bigger by creating plenty of room for walking around. This may require that you remove a few pieces of furniture.
- Store valuables in your safe deposit box during the sales and moving process.
I hope you’re inspired to start paring down your belongings and ordering your home, whether or not you’re ready to move. You’ll certainly enjoy greater peace of mind as a result!
Related:
- Read Touchmark Retirement’s June Newsletter
- Learn more about getting hands on help for an organized move
- Read the rest of the blogs in this series “An Organized Move”
- Visit our Life Simplifying Services page for local recommendations on Moving and Hauling companies
- For more practical moving strategies, read Helping a Client Move
