Moving from one house to another isn't something you do every other day, so it's only natural that you feel panic at the mere thought of gathering all your stuff and transporting it to another location. Fortunately, moving out gives you a great opportunity to declutter your space and bring with you things that you really need. Here are 6 essential tips to help you declutter your house and create a new comfortable space.
1. Start as early as possible
Let's get one thing clear – getting started is often the hardest part of packing. One way to deal with the process is using your new space as a guide. Knowing what you've got to fill will reduce the stress associated with moving. Don't expect yourself to do everything over the weekend. Use your time to plan the future space and pack only objects that you know will fit there.
Just think about it like this: so, you've 4 shelves for plates. Pack them tonight, and donate all that doesn’t make the cut. Do that every evening and after a couple of weeks you'll have two piles of things – those going to your fill your new space and those that will get donated.
2. Use the opportunity to become a minimalist
It's pointless to move stuff that you don't need anyway. Sometimes sending it might cost much more than replacing it. Adopt a minimalistic approach and be ready to get rid of all possessions that compromise your freedom. Prepare a list of things that you'll be selling, but need to keep until the moment you leave – like furniture and large electronics. Circulate it around friends who live in the area to get the word out.
The truth is that you can start selling some items months before the move. You don't want to enter a new space and instantly clutter it with old objects. Be consistent about it and set yourself a deadline for getting rid of things ranging from old toys to clothing. If you know you won't be using something anymore, it's not worth keeping it. This way, when it's finally time to for professional and secure packing you won't have be overwhelmed by the number of things you need to move.
3. Organize your paperwork
Moving to a new home can become an organizational nightmare and you might lose hold of your most important documents. Before the move, make sure to get a concertina folder and place all the essential documents like passports, birth certificates etc in it. Keep them all together – this way they won't be lost.
If you've got piles of old photos occupying your drawers, it's best to address this problem before you move as well. Sort them out, put your favourite ones in photo albums and get rid of all the ones which are blurred or simply boring. If you come across stuff left from your kids' schoolwork, you can transform it into a great gift – put all school reports, photos and keepsakes in a shoebox that will become a wonderful memory box.
4. Use the bottom third rule
People tend to leave packing to the last minute by simply underestimating the amount of stuff they need to deal with when moving. Facing a short deadline, it's natural that you want to cut corners and pack everything, instead of decluttering and packing only things you need. You end up with hundreds of boxes which later only occupy space and accumulate dust in a garage for months or years.
If you need to pack ASAP, here's a smart technique. When you've got a stack of objects, those you never use usually fall to the bottom – just think of a t-shirt drawer where stuff you wear lands on top because you're constantly cleaning it. If taking out that entire drawer is too much work, try to sort through the bottom of this stack. Most items you find here will end up in your 'Donate' pile.
5. Pack room by room
Moving and decluttering your space is a lengthy process and if you want to make the most from it, you should be systematic about it. This essentially means that decluttering works best if you attack your space room by room. Allow each family member to deal with their respective bedrooms – those are their private spaces (and often filled with lots of junk), so they'll know best what to keep and what to throw away or donate.
6. Deal with emotional attachments
When moving you'll inevitably feel sentimental about objects that bring back lots of memories. Even if you're emotionally connected to them, you must realize that this connection alone doesn’t mean that you should keep them. If you do, every decluttering effort you make will be useless. Let go and embrace the future instead.
Moving to a new home offers an excellent opportunity for decluttering your space. Even if it seems that the pile of things to go through isn't getting any smaller, don't give up and enter your new space free from objects cluttering your life.
