They say the top three most stressful things a person can go through in their life are: the death of a loved one, getting married, and moving to a new place. At first glance, moving to a new place doesn’t look stressful at all. You take your possessions to a new place and carry on with life as you did, just in a different location, right? Maybe, but not quite.
Most of the stress that comes out of moving stems from the fact that it involves a lot of disorganization, then reorganization, then more disorganization, and the cycle continues.
However, there are ways to make a move less intimidating than it already seems. Preparing weeks before your move can make things a breeze when moving day finally comes along. There are a lot of things you can prepare ahead of time to make your move not as chaotic.
If you’re currently in the middle of a move or if you’re planning to, here are a few things you can do over the time leading up to your move so the transition to your new home won’t be too hectic.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless House?
First thing’s first, as the new homeowner it’s now officially your job to take care of the place. Imagine this scenario: it’s moving day and you’re excited to finally make your new place a home. As you swing your front door open, to your disappointment, the place isn’t as clean as it could be. So, you spend the first few hours in your new home cleaning.
Not so ideal? Setting aside a few weekends or days to wipe down windows, sweep floors, and change toilet seats, among others, will make your move more pleasant. If your new place is far or perhaps, you simply can’t find the time, maybe you can hire a deep cleaning service in your area. A fresh start requires your new place to be fresh.
Change The Locks And Put Away The Keys
This is a step often overlooked by many new homeowners. To be fair, it isn’t something that immediately comes to mind. This doesn’t apply to apartments or places that are just for rent. However, if you’re moving into a home you purchased then it’s probably worth your time to change the locks ahead of time, even before you move in.
This gives you the option of slowly, but surely, bringing some of your belongings to the place. Knowing you made sure the place is secured will put your mind at ease and give you more headspace to think of other things.
Does This Spark Joy?
An infamous author and serial organizer once said that when we’re sorting things, we must first ask whether or not the object we are holding sparks joy. Sorting your belongings and deciding which ones you’re going to keep and which ones you’re going to donate will lessen the amount of clutter you’ll be bringing to your new place. Not only that, but it’ll also help you earn money if you decide to put up some of your items for sale.
Collect All The Documents
Papers can easily get lost in all the clutter involved before a move. Before things go into complete disarray and you lose all your important files, make sure to store all of your important documents in a clear file or folder away from all the things you’re packing. The last thing you’d want is to unpack all of your boxes when you’re about to load them into the truck because you forgot where you put your new place’s contract.
Moving to a new home certainly isn’t the easiest thing to pull-off. Oftentimes, it can get too much if one attempts to get everything done in one sitting. However, taking it one step at a time and making the necessary preparations will make things more exciting than scary.
