Moving, it’s a bitch…

Moving, we all have to do it at some point. One of the main reasons moving is so stressful is all the stuff we “need” to keep, pack and then unpack with every new place we call home. It’s an overwhelming feeling, looking at all your belongings then looking at all of the boxes, thinking to yourself,  “How is that all going to fit?!”.  After 7 different apartments in NYC I’ve developed a few tips/practices to help keep moving as stress free as possible.

 

PURGE

This may seem like a no brainer but you should always purge while packing. It is a great opportunity to get rid of clothes, linens, dishes, and old USB’s  sprawled out randomly in your desk drawers! As you’re packing, inspect each item, take the extra few seconds to decide if it really is worth the move. If within those few seconds you have to try and justify keeping it, it’s probably not worth keeping.  And if you don’t feel like trekking to Goodwill, most moving companies will take your extra bags of discarded items for a small fee.

 

MAKE A LIST

We all have that one random box with items just thrown in and not labeled. To prevent the headache of the mystery boxes implement a labeling system. For example, say you have 4 kitchen boxes.  You label each box K (for kitchen) 1-4. Then on a sheet of paper you write out K 1-4 and what is in each of those boxes. This will go a long way when you’re moving and helps ensure you know each item is accounted for.

 

EACH BOX HAS A HOME

“You can just drop all the boxes in the living room!” is a sentence we often find ourselves saying when the movers enter our new home. This will only create more work for you in the long run!  Whether it’s your friends, family or professional movers, don’t hesitate to ask them to put boxes in the rooms they belong. And since you labeled them for each room, it shouldn’t be too hard for them to understand.

 

DRINK

When all else fails, drink! Whether it’s alcohol or your fave green juice. Take a moment to breathe. Moving is draining and stressful so don’t be afraid to have a moment to decompress… Then get back to work!

 

More to Read