Making Your Move a Fresh Start, Not a Stress-Fest.

Surprising exactly no one, moving is among one of the most stressful life events. There's a lot to love about a move - a new home, a fresh start - but it is hella stressful to manage all the tiny details!

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make your physical move and settling in process go a little smoother and get you to the Thrilled With Your Home phase more quickly!

If there's any way to hire professional movers, it is 100% worth putting it in the budget. You can only ask your friends and family so many times, and the pros can do your move much faster than you'll be able to do on your own! I would recommend packing yourself, however - I can attest that professional moving companies can be extremely thorough but extremely random packers! It's the most cost-efficient and easiest to pack yourself and then have the movers do the physical moving.

FUN FACT: The award for Least Efficient Packing Job goes to my client Ralph (name changed) who was relocated by his work. While unpacking his condo, we found a lot of crazy things - and an excess of packing paper - but my favorite was a coffee mug with 2 coupons and a keychain, all encased in 5 sheets of packing paper. Ha!

When you're prepping for the move, take extra time to declutter as you pack. It's worth selling and donating items you know you don't need pre-move, rather than moving everything with the expectation that you'll take time to declutter once you're into your new home. The reality is that you will just put it into storage and it will be a problem down the road - so don't put it off!

When you're packing, take the time to put like with like. You'll notice this is a theme in many of my blog posts - while circumstances and clients change, the founding principles of organization are the same! If you sort as you pack and thoughtfully categorize, it will make the unpacking process much easier.

Lastly, consider hiring a professional organizer either right as you move in or a month or so after you move in. It can be really nice to get an outside perspective on where to put things for ease of use, as well as an expert opinion on how to use the space you have. It can be really tough to reconfigure to a new home with new storage and new oddities (like totally custom cabinets that don't fit any standard organizers or vents right where you'd want to put a bin - the kind of thing you don't realize is annoying until you've lived there a while).

People are in survival mode during a move, and if you have kids or any extra stress it can be tempting to just put things ANYWHERE and assume you'll go back and fix it when you have time. But then 6 months or a year goes by and you haven't had time to fix what you started, and all of a sudden you're stuck in a home that isn't being used to it's full potential. This does not need to be your fate, friends! Your home - and your joy - are worth more than that.

What are your best tips for a successful move?