Few organizing tasks are as stressful as packing and prepping for a move. Having your entire home in disarray makes even the simplest of tasks much more difficult, not to mention the time and effort involved with boxing everything up and putting it away in your new place. Here are some tips for staying organized throughout the process that will help get your home - and your life! - back to normal as quickly as possible. 1. Declutter before you pack – As with any organizing project, the fewer things you have to deal with, the easier the task will be, and this is especially true when moving. Block out time before you start packing to go through your belongings and get rid of the things you don’t use or love. Don’t wait to do this until you are boxing things up! By then you will be overwhelmed and unable to make tough decisions about what to keep and what to toss. 2. If it doesn’t have a place, don’t bring it – If you’re able to access the place you are moving to, measure your furniture and block those items out in your new home. Don’t bother bringing that big sectional sofa or armoire if there is nowhere to put it. Instead, take the time to sell or give away items that won’t fit to lighten your moving load. 3. Use color coding – Assign each room a color and mark your boxes accordingly. You can purchase colored stickers to do this or make your own with basic white mailing labels and some magic markers. This ingenious moving tape is another option. Make it easy on your movers by taping up a sign in each room with its assigned color so they know where to put everything. This will save you a lot of time shuffling boxes from room to room when you get to your new place. 4. Identify the essentials – Write “open first” on the boxes containing the things you’ll need right away (typically some kitchen and bathroom essentials), and let your movers know those things should be loaded on the truck last so they will be brought in first. This will save you the hassle of searching for utensils for that first meal or tracking down everyone’s toothbrush that night when you’re exhausted. 5. Stock up on supplies – Plan ahead for your move by purchasing supplies in advance. Boxes are most important, but a few other items can make the process easier. Instead of using newspaper to wrap items, purchase some clean packing paper that won’t require you to wash all your dishes when you get there. I also love this cling wrap on a roll for securing rolled up rugs, furniture drawers and doors, lamp cords, and lots more!
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Make it fab!
Carrie