Preparing to Move

Jun 18

2013_0618_preparing I hate moving. I really do. No matter where I'm moving too or how excited I am about the new place- I always dread the moving process. Honestly though- am I unique in that? Who likes to pack up their world so they can move it to another location?My least favorite thing about moving is that state of disarray - where my things are not easy for me to reach and use. I get antsy and agitated when I feel like something I need is taped up in a box yet to be opened. I hate pulling everything out of my cabinets and closets and taping them up in boxes.In fact last time I moved my husband sent me away for a little spa session with my mother while he packed up our apartment into the moving truck with the men in our families and our generous male friends. Then I when I got back from my wonderful spa day I felt that panic rise back up in my throat as I walked into my old apartment and saw nothing but a place that needed a clean down. My mother and I then spent two days in a mad dash to clean the old apartment and organize the new one. The less time my world is packed up in a box- the less panic and stress I feel.Here's the thing- I'm feeling like maybe my mad dash to ease my panic when I moved last time left me little time to really examine what my world looked like. I have too much stuff. We have too much stuff. I'm starting to look at my little world in my apartment and realize that I have stuffed it full stuff and have begun to realize that I have this huge opportunity with this new move to a new place that we will own and make our own. So I have decided that for the next couple months while we navigate through the process of buying a home- I am going to simplify my life (remember my goals for the year?) so that I don't have to pack up anymore items than I have too.So I have a bit of a game plan in my head for making my impending move smoother and simplifying my life in tandem. I'm going to try to do it in stages... so I can say to myself "don't worry about that right now... you will get to it after this one is done." So I've broken up my tasks into five steps...

ONE | Organize my bathrooms.

I have OLD stuff in there and TOO much stuff- there is no way I want to bring all that stuff with me to my new place. I need to either be using it consistently or get rid of it. Plus there is probably a ton of stuff in there that is expired or just way past its prime.Deadline : June 25 (I've already started- so hopefully this won't be so hard.)

TWO | Organize my closet.

Sigh... same story friends. I have way to much clothes. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time getting rid of clothes. I like feeling like I have a lot of beautiful items when I walk in my closet, but the reality is that I just have a few things I love and a lot of things that I just have because I just have them.Deadline : July 2 (This one is flexible- we'll see what happens)

THREE | Organize my office.

Heavens- this is the room where I just throw things when I don't know what to do with them. For example, I have lamps in there that I kind of still like- but don't match anything anymore. I have thrown my unused exercise equipment in there along with all my mail (which actually belongs in there...). Most of it I just need to take the dive and get ride of the stuff I don't need anymore.Deadline : July 9 (again flexible)

FOUR | Organize the bedroom & living room.

These guys are smaller individually- so I can tackle them in the same chunk. I generally try to keep these two rooms clutter free. For the most part cause they are more 'public' in a way... people see them more. I just have few things I want to do to make everything streamlined and cleaned and fully decluttered. Deadline : July 16 (again flexible)

FIVE | Organize my kitchen.

Okay friends- this is the big one. This is the one I'm dreading with all my being- but I need to do it sooooo badly. It is a scary place. My cabinets are super deep which is a bad thing for me. I'm sure I have some stuff in that kitchen that haven't been touched since we first moved in. It needs a good examination with the stuff we have. I mean we have three different ways to make coffee and enough casserole pans to start a catering business... I want to streamline that room more than any other room, but I really need to work up to it.Deadline : July 23 (again flexible)What do you think?