Dos and Don'ts to Get You Through Your First Move

It’s human nature to underestimate just how much stuff you own and have to pack up. You don’t generally see or interact with all of your belongings on a day-to-day basis, and many things are probably both out of sight and out of mind. That is until you start packing and realize that you actually have about ten times the amount of things to pack up than you had anticipated. Leave yourself wiggle room for this inevitability by giving yourself plenty of time to get everything done. Seriously—give yourself more time than you could ever imagine needing. Because what seems like a two-day job is usually more like a week-long job, and if you’ve never moved before, you’re going to need to devote a lot more time to sorting and organizing than you might otherwise. Here’s how to avoid it: · Break it down Stop looking at it as one massive impossible task and break it down into nice bite-sized pieces. · Don’t wait for motivation. The thing with motivation is that you can’t rely on it. It’s super helpful when motivation does strike, but chances are it’ll only hit you at 3 am in the morning or when you’re in the middle of doing something else and won’t actually help you get anything done. What you can rely on is that if you just start something, motivation will come. Not the other way round. So start that tiny bit of work, and you’ll find yourself getting it all done before you know it. · Reward yourself for getting it done early Try to give yourself rewards for getting things done early. It doesn’t have to be anything big, but even going out with your mates. · Break the habit of smashing it out Once you’ve broken down your tasks, just focus on getting through them one by one, rather than having to smash them all out at once. Just because you can’t get everything done in a couple of hours doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least have a crack at getting a little bit of it finished. · Good enough is good enough. It’s hard to ignore the voice that says you haven’t done enough. You need to trust that good enough really is good enough. Satisfaction and appreciation are the two best motivations. High expectations are fine until they stress us out to the point where we’re not doing anything. 

Moving is a process stressful and mentally draining. Setting your expectations is the first step in minimizing stress during a move. Accept from the get-go that stress during a move is natural, understandable, and pretty much unavoidable. It is okay if your fuse gets a little shorter or if you feel anxious about getting everything done. When stress gets to be too much, it’s better to: 1. Adopt the right attitude. When moving, try to adopt a can-do attitude to help you through the tough parts. Focus on the positives, like meeting new people, exploring a new area, and finding fun activities to do in your new place. Even if it’s just one little thing, like being close to an interesting restaurant, keeping that positivity in your mind can help you to mitigate your stress. 2. Make a checklist • Getting enough boxes or other storage for your items. • Making any down payments or security deposits that are required for your new location. • Making a travel plan, including the best routes, potential stops along the way, and how many trips you will need to take. • Packing everything! Preferably at least a few days or weeks in advance of your move. • Putting things into a storage unit or taking them out, depending on whether you’re downsizing or upsizing. 4. Declutter and organize By decluttering your home long before the big move rolls around, you can make it a lot easier for yourself on moving day. Also, when packing, organize and label you boxes so when the moves come, the have easy direct access to your items when loading the truck. The movers will also know where to unload your boxes easier and quicker. 5. Start early. As with almost anything, leaving all of your packing, cleaning, and moving until the last minute will likely multiply your stress considerably. Some parts of your move, like decluttering, can be done weeks or even months before you move. Others, like packing, can be done slowly over a few days or weeks, leaving only the essential items until the last minute. 6. Accept help. The most important thing to remember about moving is that It’s okay to enlist the help of friends when it comes to packing, moving your heavier things, or even just bringing food on your busy moving day. Just remember to pay back the favor. Buying drinks or a meal for your helpers is a common way to thank them for all they’ve done. Keep in mind to hire professional movers if the job is too big for your friends to tackle alone. 7. Say goodbye. Saying goodbye to your friends, your favorite places, and your old home can be difficult, but it’s also an important step in moving on. If you’re moving far away and it’s possible that you won’t see a lot of these people or places again, take the time to give an earnest goodbye. Let your last memories of your old home be good ones.