Moving can be a stressful, anxious event, especially if you don’t have a plan in place to streamline your move. It doesn’t have to be that way though. Proper planning and packing strategies can reduce your stress, keep you focused, and ensure you’re ready to go on moving day. Not sure where to begin? Feeling overwhelmed? These approaches will guide you through how to best plan for your move no matter your circumstances or budget.
- The Decluttering Strategy
The decluttering strategy is great if you’ve lived in your home for a very long time and have accumulated a lot of items you don’t want to take with you to your new home. With this method, you filter through all of your stuff with three piles, trash, donate, and pack. As you gather your items, place each one in the appropriate pile.
Before you begin, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got all your packing supplies from moving boxes and trash bags to packing tape and permanent markers.
Then, begin in the room of the home that is least used. A guest room might be a great place to start. As you begin, really try to avoid making a fourth pile of things you aren’t sure about. Once you finish one room, move to the next one that makes the most sense, until you’ve been through the entire home.
As your piles approach becoming out of control, take a break to pack up the packable items, donate the donation items, and trash the trashable items. This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed through the process. - The Color-Coded Strategy
If you’re moving into a home with a very different space or floorplan, color-coded strategies can be a tremendous help. To begin, list all the rooms in your new home and make a box for each of them. Then, designate a color for each room. You can then purchase color coded moving labels or tape that you can use for each box.
As you go through your home, consider where you want each item to go in your new space, then pack it in the appropriate color-coded box.
On moving day, place a label or piece of color-coded tape (do so in a way that won’t damage the paint) above the door to each room to ensure all your helpers know where each colored box goes. - Room by Room Strategy
This strategy is focused on clearing one room at a time in your home. You focus on one room at a time, and complete everything from sorting, packing, and cleaning before you move on to the next room.
Again, starting in the room you use least, like a guest room, makes the most sense. Sort through and pack your items in that room, then once it’s clear, complete any cleaning you want to do in that room before moving out. Then, move on to the next room.
This strategy can work well in conjunction with other strategies like decluttering or color-coding. - The Friends and Family Strategy
Most of us have enlisted friends or family to help us move at one point or another, but implementing some strategies can determine how well it works out. If you don’t have a plan, your helpers can end up stressed and frustrated, and you don’t want that to happen.
Instead, sit down with a plan before packing day. List out all the tasks that you need help with along with any of the above strategies you want to use. By providing clear instructions, your helpers will be able to streamline their efforts and everyone can remain focused and stress free.
When you’re reaching out to ask for help, be sure to tell your helpers what their task will be the day they’re helping you. This helps them mentally prepare. Try to avoid delegating crucial tasks, like renting a moving van or truck to someone else. There’s nothing more stressful than someone falling through on crucial tasks on packing or moving day. - The Professional Strategy
While this may not be the most budget-friendly option, it is the least stressful. Hiring a professional moving company to pack your items and move your items requires the last amount of time and effort on your part. All you have to do is hire help to pack on one day and move you on the next day. It’s pretty straightforward.
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