Wise Tips For Moving Easily | The Wise Team
Celebrate, Rejoice, & Get Excited
Moving can be a fun, exciting time of your life. Sure, it takes a lot of mental tenacity, physical labor, and planning and forethought, but it doesn’t have to be negative. Regardless of the reasons for your move, it’s important to celebrate and rejoice in this transition. A few tips to keeping you joyful during a stressful time:
- Celebrate the little things: packing up a room, cleaning after a room is packed, ordering the moving truck, etc.
- Segment projects into smaller to-do’s: when getting ready to pack the living room, make a checklist of what it looks like to organize and pack the living room and celebrate after accomplishing each task.
- Host a “Farewell” party a few weeks before you move where friends and family can come and celebrate your life in this space and congratulate you on moving into the new one.
Repeating joyful moments throughout the packing and moving process will help keep you and your family motivated to move. It’s good to keep the big picture in mind, but focus on the little things and celebrate those accomplishments. You’ll find moving is more fun than not.
Declutter, Donate, & Release
When it’s time to move, you suddenly realize how much stuff has accumulated over the years. This makes moving the perfect time to declutter and minimize. As you go through packing each space, look for items to donate to your local thrift shop or gift to friends and family. Fewer things means fewer boxes. And fewer boxes means less time, sweat, and stress on moving day!
Pack Early
Whether or not you know your exact moving date we highly recommend you start packing early. The earlier the better! If you know you have 3 months to move, start packing slowly. Start packing rooms that you use infrequently, or spaces you know you won’t need. Here’s a quick rundown of areas we think of organizing and packing first:
- Garden Tools and Equipment
- Guest Bedrooms and Bathrooms
- China Cabinets and Extra Kitchenware
- Books
- Art and Art Supplies
- Toys, Gaming Systems, Games, etc.
- Office
- Storage Spaces (Closets, Under Beds, Cabinets, etc.)
With all this packed away, the last bits of the home will go much faster and with less stress.
Organize, Label, and Clean
It’s important to keep things organized from the very beginning. It helps a lot more when you’re unpacking, after the move. Stick to an area and accumulate only what belongs together. This is especially important in the living room and bedroom. And as you gather these belongings, however mish-mashed, make sure to label your boxes. Be specific. List the items within. This will make it much easier to unpack. The biggest help you can do for yourself and your family is to clean as you go. Clean the items as you pack them, and their areas from which they came. Your final clean as you move will go much quicker!
Overlap Moving Time
If you can, schedule your move-out date days or weeks after your move-in date. This way you have time to move more leisurely. You can take your boxes over several days instead of in one big trip. You can keep your furniture till the last day, or give yourself several days to clean after you move. This is especially helpful if you’re in a rental and expect your security deposit back.
Recruitment
Sometimes recruiting your friends and family to help you move can feel like a burden. As much as we dislike moving we assume they feel the same. The standard etiquette for calling upon friends for help is to offer food and drinks while they’re helping. Pizza and beer is the typical offering, but anything from sub sandwiches to a fancy meal at a restaurant is acceptable. If friends and family are unavailable, there are moving companies that will help your move. These moving companies can do everything from packing your boxes to driving the moving truck to its destination.
Move Fast or Slow – Decide and stick to it!
Some people like to get things done quickly. Others enjoy a steady, slower pace when faced with big projects. No matter which category you like to attack moving, stick to your plan. If time is not an issue, make sure to take as much of it as you want. Don’t add stress by switching up your moving schedule. If you prefer to move quickly, getting everything done in one fell swoop, then plan accordingly. A faster schedule may require more help with a tighter schedule, but can be more fun with the right crew. Regardless of your intention to move fast or slow, remember to breathe and stay centered. Don’t let stress, worry, overwhelm or other distracting emotions unsettle your progress.
Make Your Last Space Is Your First!
Our last Wise Tip for moving is to keep your favorite space, your favorite room, as the last place to pack up and move. Make this the very first place you set up in your home. This will help welcome you into your new home, stabilizing the insecure feelings we can have about a new space. Some people like to have their bedroom set up and ready first. Others need their art space ready for new inspiration after a stressful day. Some still prefer the kitchen be fully operational upon moving in. Before you start packing, tell yourself which space you want to move last and set up first. You won’t regret it.
What are some of your moving tips to consider while looking for your dream home? Let us know in the comments below so others can use your experience and wisdom when planning a big move.
