This is a guest article by Hazel Burton of The Home Reset
It is widely accepted that ‘Moving House’ is in the top 5 most stressful life events that we can experience.
In this blog I want to focus on the top 10 ways we can try reduce this stress.
1) DECLUTTER, Declutter, Declutter! Prior to even beginning to pack up your belongings (even if you are moving to a larger home) you should aim to reduce what you have or at a minimum ensure what remains are things you;
a. LOVE
b. NEED
c. USE
d. HAVE SPACE FOR…
2) RESEARCH – if you know you have a large number of items to donate, recycle, sell – spend time on the exit plans for these items so that they don’t remain in the home and maybe start to sneak back in – do the declutter and include the removal of items in the timeframe you have set.
3) Start with small areas that are achievable in a short space of time – don’t set unrealistic targets. For example, start with the towels and linens – do you need to bring them all to the new home – will you have the same size and number of beds, are all the towels in good condition?
4) Sentimental items are without doubt the most difficult category to reduce – every item will spark a memory and parting with them can be difficult – but its not about throwing everything out. The aim is as per step 1 – do you love, need, use and have space for it? Maybe we don’t have room for every single piece of artwork our children bring home – can we pick some special ones and add to one folder, rather than multiple folders. Can you go digital with items – there are some fantastic options available on the market now to help reduce the paper in our homes.
5) Once you have decluttered and removed the items that are NOT coming to the new home then you can start to make the PLAN for boxing everything up and getting prepped for MOVING DAY. Ensure you have enough boxes and bubble wrap/paper for delicate items.
6) Start with boxing up the items you won’t need between now and the move date – get ahead of it – usually attic items are seasonal so having that space all boxed up first makes sense. Seeing some progress will be motivation to keep going.
7) BE SPECIFIC when labelling boxes – instead of KITCHEN label with DELPH or MUGS it will help so much with the unpack, you can more easily prioritise where to begin.
8) Clothing packing hack – leave on the hangers and using big black bags from below pull the bag up and over a selection of items, leave the hanger exposed and tie a knot in the bag. This allows you to transport clothing and when you arrive in the new home just hang in the wardrobe and remove the bag – a huge time saver.
9) MOVING DAY essentials kit pack the items you will need asap in your new home
a. Tea bags/coffee
b. Kettle
c. Couple of mugs/plates
d. €50 for a takeaway – we’re organised but not enough to have a meal prepped on day 1 😊
e. Wine (glasses if you’re feeling it – but celebratory wine from a mug is good too)
10) Get the professionals in– having an independent person/team to help organise the project will be a huge weight off your shoulders. It will allow you to focus on other aspects of the move. Whether it's keeping routines as normal as possible, sorting the utilities pre move, or the complex legal steps involved in those manic last few days. Professional organisers will ensure maintainable systems are in place from day one. Imagine arriving and all food decanted and organised, all of your clothes hanging in your wardrobes, all bedding folded and stored…..PRICELESS. Take a look at the slideshow of pictures below showing a recent moving project from emptying boxes to fully stocked wardrobe.
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