Make Your Move Smoother

This week I'm sharing what was extremely helpful in packing up, driving 1200 miles and unloading my mom's home in a week. I don't suggest doing it on your own at that pace, but if you have the right crew, here are some helpful tips to get you through the tough bits:

1. Declutter before the move: Generally, you don't decide to move overnight. There is always some lead time and most people think they will just "deal with it" when the move happens. Save yourself some stress by purging everything you know you no longer need, use or are inspired by as soon as you know you want to move. This is a trick I've used with people I've worked with who weren't even planning on moving, they just knew the current space wasn't "home". Strong signals go out when we stir up the stagnant energy in our homes, I've had many a client who ended up moving before we finished our work together. It's all about intent. Don't let not knowing where to bring your unused stuff be an excuse to not do it, shoot me an email if you really have no idea how to get the stuff out of your house and I'll share my favorite donation and pick-up services. Check out the info below about how the Container Store is helping folks declutter over the last 2 weekends of April.

2.  Plan a day to pack the kitchen: Back in January, I helped my mom take 3 carloads of stuff from her kitchen to Goodwill. I would have needed 2 days to pack the kitchen had we not taken this step 10 weeks prior to the move. We never would have had the time to bring anything else to Goodwill if we waited. I started packing the kitchen at 9:30 am and finished about 12 hours later, and I was working at a good pace. I learned my lesson the hard way 8 years ago when we moved. I thought that packing up the kitchen last was a smart idea, keep using the kitchen up until the end. Wrong. We ended up exhausted, not able to finish in the wee hours of the morning of the move and ran out of good boxes. The result? Almost all of my wedding gifts were destroyed in the move. While it may seem inconvenient to "close the kitchen", the alternative is much, much worse.

3. Use small boxes and label each box: Get your boxes from the liquor store. They are free, they are sturdy and if you pack them with heavy items, no one throws out their back. Create codes for the outside of each box and write it on each side of the box. K for kitchen, LR for living room, you get the idea. This is helpful not only for you while unpacking, but whoever is helping you move, doesn't have to ask where you want everything. You just explain the codes before they bring the boxes in. I do take the extra step and write a few keywords of the contents of the box as well so I can find the important stuff without having to deal with miscellany.

Moving is filled with emotional and physical stress. With these 3 simple steps, you can make make your move a bit easier.