Three Essential Tips on How to Stay Organized When You Move
Nowadays, there is a rising trend in lifestyle movements that promote organization within the home. Their ideas may be centered on the daily activities of people from different walks of life, but these can be extended further to special milestones such as moving into a new house or apartment. Therefore, applying the guiding principles of these movements, here are three tips on how to stay organized when you move.
Tip #1: Create a realistic timeline of activities that will not negatively affect your day-to-day life.
Setting smart goals is a basic skill that is needed in order to ensure the success of any project. This means you have taken note of the specific details that are important to the achievement of your objectives. You are also able to track your progress in terms of what you have already achieved and what is yet to be done in order to complete the task. Most importantly, you honor the due date that you have established for yourself.
Putting this into context, you have to list down first the important tasks that you need to accomplish before the actual day of moving. If a particular activity seems to be too complex, then you may break this down into small tasks that you can work on at a steady pace.
From there, you have to assign a target date for each activity. This would ensure that everything is ready to go on the actual day of the move. If you have a target date of moving already, then it is best to work back from there as you assign the due dates for every task on your list.
Check the dates you have written down against the appointments or special events that may conflict with your moving timeline. If you cannot fully commit to accomplishing a particular task, you may adjust your timeline accordingly. It is best to stick with the plan so as to prevent any last-minute hassles on your moving day.
Once you are done with the timeline, plot each item on a calendar. This should be placed in a location that you would see or pass by frequently. A more effective way of doing this, however, is to input the timeline into a calendar application or any similar task management app that is installed in your personal electronic devices. You can then set notifications for yourself that would remind you of your pending tasks ahead of time.
Tip #2: Take inventory of your personal belongings that you want to bring into your new home.
An inventory of the things you want to bring with you is necessary for staying organized during your moving day. The key element here is your decision on which items should be kept and which should be left behind. Moving into a new home is the ideal time to start afresh, so make the most of this opportunity by visualizing the changes you want in your life, and then evaluating your possessions in terms of how they could contribute to achieving your ideal lifestyle.
Purging before moving is an effective, but relatively painful trick on how to stay organized when you move. Fortunately, there are plenty of options on what you could do for the items that you cannot or do not want to bring with you. Those with great value and are still in good condition can be sold as pre-loved items. Some items may be donated to charities in order to help out those in need. If you own a piece of furniture or appliance that has been damaged or broken, then you can let others recycle it and turn it into parts or even an entirely new item.
Tip #3: Follow a system as you pack your things.
There are times when you might be tempted to simply store your possessions into whatever container you have on hand. Avoid taking shortcuts, even when you are pressed for time since it would surely cause you an unnecessary headache during and after the move.
No particular system is superior over the other. Your choice depends on what best works for you. Most people pack their things according to type, while others choose to further segregate this according to which area it would end up later on.
Whatever system you end up doing, it is important to label every container that you have used. Be as specific as you can so that you would know where to look, especially since there is no guarantee that you would be able to unpack everything in one go.
If you follow these tips on how to stay organized when you move, then you would be able to keep track of everything before, during, and after you move. There may be a point that you would feel lost or overwhelmed while moving. In such cases, refer back to your list and inventory in order to regain your focus and keep things moving smoothly.