13 Mar
Downsizing is an excellent way to simplify your life. If only your belongings could downsize too.
Moving to a smaller home requires tough decisions about which of your possessions will go with you. Sometimes it’s harder than you think.
If your goal is to have a more manageable home life, you’re probably making the right choice. Take this advice to make each step run smoothly.
Draw Out the Floorplan
One of the first things you want to do is create a floorplan of your new space. The previous owner may have one, or you might have to draw it yourself.
It’s tempting just to imagine how each room will look. If you want to be sure everything will fit, you’ll need to plan it out in detail.
Focus on flow for each room. Keep in mind that it’s better to have fewer furniture pieces, particularly in a small space.
Sort in Multiple Stages
It might seem logical to thoroughly clean, declutter and pack one room before moving to the next. But if you prefer to see big wins initially, you may want to sort in multiple stages.
Start with a quick sort of each room – an hour or two, tops. Take out the things that you know you don’t want. Remove them to another location so that you have more space for a more in-depth sort.
Plan to Get Rid of Excess Belongings
Most people plan to spend lots of time sorting through items. In the end, once they burn out of time or energy, they end up packing too much of it. You can avoid this by making a plan to eliminate anything you won’t keep.
As a general rule, you’ll have lots of things to donate or give away. You may also have a few items to sell or discard. You’ll need a bin, box, or pile for each one.
When you create your moving checklist, include periodic reminders to manage the clutter before moving day.
Re-Evaluate Stored Items
As you get closer to the move, you might realize that you’re not thinning out enough of your stuff. Instead of facing a crisis with an overloaded truck, you’re better off re-evaluating the first boxes you packed.
Boxes in the attic full of things you haven’t seen in years are good candidates to donate or toss. Similarly, the boxes you packed early because you knew you wouldn’t need anything in them may be easy to let go, too.
Sort Again While Unpacking
Once you arrive, you’ll probably notice that you have way more boxes than you planned. If it won’t all fit, you’ll need to make some quick decisions.
It’s hard to think of creative ways to declutter after moving, especially when you spent weeks doing just that. Turn it into a task you work on once or twice a day for only a few minutes.
Conversely, you could also think about the boxes that you don’t care to unpack. You might be safe donating them without sorting.
Simplify your Life and Your Move
Simplifying your life often starts by decluttering your space and finding smaller housing. To find out how a moving company can help, ask us for a price quote.
