Moving to a new home or workspace, even in the best of circumstances, causes stress and comes with emotional, physical and monetary costs. Oftentimes these costs are higher because people have neglected to deal with clutter. When moving time comes you either have to deal with all of the clutter all at once, move it all or pay to store it. One of the best ways to reduce the stress of moving and to declutter you spaces today is to pretend you’re moving. A move is a fantastic catalyst for downsizing and getting rid of clutter. Take advantage of this catalyst and pretend you’re moving next month. Look around your home or office.
Would you want to take all of the things you see with you? If the answer is no, use the opportunity to let go of those things. At Simply Placed we encourage clients to keep the things they love, need and use. Consider why you’re holding onto things that don’t fall into those categories. What would you do if you didn’t have those things?
What’s in your closets and cupboards? It may sound silly, but many people are surprised when they really take in the fact that during a move everything must come out of the home or office. This includes all of the hidden contents of you closets, cupboards and drawers. If it’s been awhile since you last looked in your covered storage spaces, pretend you’re moving and pull out what’s inside. The benefit of doing this in a pretend move is that you can take your time pulling out the contents of a cabinet, sorting through it, deciding what you want to keep and putting it away (either back in the cabinet or where it actually belongs). Even though you have time on your side, do make a plan for going through all of your covered storage spaces.
Pretending to move is a productive approach to down-sizing and decluttering. Pretending to move gives you a framework for comparing what you have to what you love, need and use. Letting go of clutter and down-sizing can help you better enjoy the home you live in now and prepare you for a more relaxed and easier move in the future.
