Getting Organized to Prepare for Moving Day

As you’ve been researching packing and moving companies in the Bay Area in preparation for a big move, you’ve become dismayed by just how disorganized your home or apartment is.

You wanted to de-clutter yesterday. You also want to prevent your new place from becoming overwhelmed by papers, electronics that don’t work anymore, boxes full of undefined “stuff,” etc. Trust us, you don’t want to wait until moving day to begin the organization process.

Make a List

Start by making a list of the rooms/areas of your home that need decluttered, including drawers, closets, or rooms. Start with the easiest, and when you’re done organizing one area, STOP. Give each task an estimated time needed to complete, and assign a day/time to each area of them home, and don’t try tackling your whole home or apartment at once. Take it step-by-step.

Making Choices

The first step  involves going through all of the “stuff” that comprises your clutter and making decisions about what to do with each artifact. For instance, you might come across a box of old child art. Do you want to save it? Toss it? File it somewhere? Make a decision, record the decision, and move on. Repeat that process until you have gone through everything that you believe constitutes “clutter.” You will feel much more mentally refreshed.

Take the 12-12-12 Challenge

This simple task involves choosing 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate, and 12 items to be returned to their proper place. This is a quick and easy way to eliminate 36 pieces of clutter from your living space.

De-cluttering the Closet

Oprah Winfrey loves the “Closet Hanger Experiment” to identify which clothes are worth keeping. Track those that are actually worn by hanging all of your clothes with the hangers in the reverse direction. Once you wear the item, reverse the hanger to its correct position. After a few months, you will know which pieces get worn, and which can go to the “Give” pile.

Getting It Done

Productivity guru, David Allen (author of the books “Getting Things Done” and “Making It All Work”), suggests that unprocessed “stuff” in our environments (e.g. our homes and office) can exact a surprisingly heavy psychological toll on us. This “stuff” can make us less productive, more stressed, and anxious. 

Getting Help with the Packing and Moving Process

De-cluttering shouldn’t wait til the packing process. Yes, moving gives you the opportunity to go through all of your “stuff” but don’t wait til the last minute to make a decision on what should be taken to your new home. To make your moving day quick and easy, contact Movers and Shakers for a free quote today — we are an effective, highly respected residential moving company with a BBB A+ rating, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Give us a call at 877-797-4253 or fill out our online contact form right here on our website!