If you’re among the many Americans who are moving to a new home, you’re most likely very excited…and stressed! With the promise of every new home comes the often monumental task of packing up your current home and moving. Home tidying expert, Marie Kondo, brings her unique method of organization and simplifying to moving with these steps:
First, tidy up. Kondo advises thoroughly tidying your home before you even think about moving. This will not only help in the sale of your current home, it will ease the process of transitioning to your new home.
Visualize. Once you’ve chosen a new home, well before you move in, spend time visualizing what it will be like to live there. This will help connect you to your new living space so that you can determine how you will arrange your furniture, which art you will put on the walls and how you’ll organize the kitchen.
Set limits. Once you’ve thoroughly visualized living in your new home, you’ll be able to make decisions about what to bring with you…and what to part with. Be aware of exactly how much space you’ll have and say goodbye to items that won’t fit in your new home. Kondo says to resist the urge to put them in storage—instead, donate or sell furniture and accessories that you won’t be bringing with you.
Categorize. Pack by category so that you can see all of your belongings at once: clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items and sentimental items. This will allow you to get rid of duplicates and items that no longer “spark joy.”
Nest boxes. Instead of tossing a jumble of items into one big box, collect similar items within smaller boxes first then nest those boxes within larger boxes. Don’t forget to label each box as to its contents.
Avoid getting take-out. The hectic pace of packing to move makes ordering in a natural inclination. Resist this urge and try to use up what’s in your fridge, freezer and pantry instead. This will help minimize food waste and give you less to clean out in the kitchen.
Say a proper goodbye. Before you close the door for the last time, take a few moments to walk through your home with gratitude, remembering the good times you spent there and properly bidding it farewell.
And a proper hello. Before rushing in with boxes, take time to intentionally greet your new home. Instead of rushing to buy new things, live sparingly over the coming weeks, getting used to the home and its various nuances. This will help guide you toward the best decisions about what you need to add and where.