Sometimes you find yourself faced with the prospect of having to pack up all of your belongings in a short period of time. Perhaps you broke up with your boyfriend, or you landed your dream job and it just so happens to be in another state…and you start in three weeks. In addition to the drama of your situation, the stress of packing up your life can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to help mitigate your stressors and get yourself onto the path of your new life.
1. Don’t panic. This is the number one rule when faced with a massive change. Yes, there’s a lot to do, but panicking will only complicate matters. What you need now is calm, focused energy. That is the only way to make sure that everything you need to do gets done in an orderly fashion.
2. Gather up your daily necessary items. Imagine you’re going on a 3 week vacation. What items would you put in your suitcase? Your prescriptions, your favorite clothes, shoes, your computer, phone, tablet, chargers and anything else of the sort. If you keep all of these items in one location, you’ll feel more grounded, like you have a home base, once your world begins to turn into turmoil. Having a few kitchen items set aside will help out once all your dishes, pots and pans are packed too.
3. Contact at least three moving companies to get estimates. Be honest about your time frame with them. Last minute moves can often be expensive, so let them know that you’re that you’re not just going to accept any number they throw out, that you’re getting estimates from other companies as well.
4. Gather supplies. You’ll need boxes. All sizes and shapes are welcome, you’ll be able to use them. Old newspapers, bubble wrap, and towels are great for wrapping stuff. You’ll want to have plenty of packing tape, big markers to label your boxes and scissors in each of your main rooms so you don’t have to go searching for these things.
5. Sort the junk out. This one seems obvious, but often we become blind to the junk in our lives. Now is the time to open your eyes and toss the stuff that doesn’t matter. Think of it as a fresh new beginning.
6. Begin to group items together. Search through your home for like things and gather them together. Items like dishes, glasses, etc all go in the kitchen. Books, records, decorative elements like candlesticks and picture frames go in the living room. Pillows, blankets, curtains and the like go in the bedroom. The idea is to have all similar items together so that your packing task isn’t chaotic. You have everything in front of you and you’re not just throwing things into boxes all willy nilly.
7. Pack. Put heavier items in the bottom of boxes. Don’t pack boxes too heavy, especially if you don’t have someone to help move them around in your new place. Clearly label each box with the room that the stuff belongs to. When you’re done packing, it’s a good idea to number each box and keep a list with you of the number of boxes for each room, that way you’ll know what belongs where.
8. If you’re moving to a smaller place and don’t have room for all of the stuff you want to keep, contact The Lock Up Self Storage nearest to your new pad. Once you make arrangements for your storage unit, you can then ship your packages to The Lock Up and rest assured that someone will be there to receive them for you.
Happy Moving!
