It’s time to move, so it’s time to add an incremental amount of stress because all of your stuff must be moved too. Boxes full of things that may never see the light of day again. You’ll need furniture pads to ensure that everything makes it to the new destination without any new scratches or dents. You’ll need to get labels to keep most things relatively organized. Then there’s the packing, lifting, carrying, and then getting to the new place and doing it all again, but this time in reverse. But what about things that haven’t been used or maybe even seen in years? There must a simple solution.
One of the first things to do is plan how to organize things that can be eliminated. If, while packing, you haven’t allotted enough time to plan how to get rid of things, then you may think it will be easier to sort through things at the new place. That’s just a form of procrastination. Think about how much easier the unpacking and organizing will be if items have already been sorted, and you only have what you want and need. Take time to plan and decide.
For most situations, there will be three piles during the “purge.” There will be the Keep pile of things you’ll use or will probably use; there will be the Give pile for friends and family who might find a use for old office furniture, like the college kid or the man who needs chairs for his man cave; and you’ll also have a Donate pile. The Keep pile should only be for things that will truly be used now or in the future.
This is a chance to make the new space more attractive for current and future customers. If the file cabinets were bought from an army surplus 40 years ago, now is the chance to give it away (or throw it out). Make the new space a chance for a new beginning. Get rid of paperwork from the Roosevelt administration, and make the move and the subsequent unpacking easier.
There is no way to remove all the stress of moving, but you can help make it easier by “purging” the extra things from your life and your move. It will not only allow for more space in the new place, but also it can save someone’s back who won’t have to move it. Maybe yours.