Master a Stress-Free Move: Say Goodbye to Moving Guilt
Feeling Guilt about having to Move?
When it comes to moving and relocating your home and family, guilt is not a word we want to use. Most, if not all of us, want to have excellent moves.
Guilt over whether you did something correctly or not is counterproductive. Any move on any level is hard enough without adding words like: “I wish.” “I should.” “I could just kick myself for not doing better.”
In almost every blog, we mention “planning.” If you fail to do this well, once your move has occurred, you will need to pick up the pieces and plan how to proceed.
Also, understand that planning involves different phases and levels. You don’t have to have all your bases covered to make a great move, but you need to think through some crucial steps to succeed.
Rule One: Don’t Get Emotionally Hooked!
Recently, we checked back on one client, who had moved and was almost unpacked. Halfway into the process of moving items into her new home, she felt overwhelmed and knew that not everything was going to fit, and she was right!
She had gotten emotionally hooked by many of the items she had collected. She thought, “Surely, there will be room. There will be wall space for all the artwork!” You can change many things about your move, but the one thing you can’t immediately change is your square footage.
Our client had a lingering problem: the sunporch! It was where her overflow boxes and furniture had landed. Things that did not immediately fit were taken there until they were packed to the point that some windows were hidden.
The Move Goes On!
As moving team members walked in furniture, boxes had to shift. They were labeled for specific rooms, but she had packed even more after her relocation team had advised her to stop.
Most of us know how this relocation story goes: you move two boxes around in a room, and one is left over. So, it goes to the hallway and another room until you can unpack it. In this case, extra boxes were taken to the sun porch.
Soon, box after box had been relocated to the sunporch, filling up quickly. When she entered that room, she was surrounded by a maze of boxes and didn’t know how she would merge the contents into her new home.
Plan and stick with a plan before your move works. We help clients learn how to be realistic about the space they have now and the space they will have in their new location.
People downsize to all extremes. One lady downsized from a 7,000-foot home to 4,000 feet. She kept saying that she did not know what she would do with all the furniture stored in her three-car garage!
Things you need to do before and after your move: Click here for more information!
Your Move Needs to be an Adventure. Look for ways to make this move work and be fun! Enjoy your move!
Be realistic about the space you are moving into. You may not be downsizing, but you are moving into a larger home instead. Did you plan correctly? Does your furniture seem lost? Many relocation companies can teach you how to plan so your move goes well and there are no surprises.
Refuse to become Anxious! Worrying changes nothing! Problems can be solved. If you have boxes that contain items you cannot use, don’t panic. Take your time unpacking and set aside a storage area for your extra items.
Sunporches and extra garage space work for a season. Just be sure that once your move is complete and pictures are up on the walls, you double back through every item and ask yourself if you need it or can donate it.
Chances are, if you are not missing the stored items, then they may not be necessary. So, you can donate them or give them to friends and family members.
Take time for yourself! After the move is over and everything is inside the doors, take a few minutes for yourself. Go out to eat, have dinner delivered, or relax. Many people push even harder after the move, but the best advice you can heed is to take time for yourself and think through your move.
If needed, reorganize packed boxes and give yourself a couple of weeks to unpack. It may take longer, and that’s okay. If you are a goal setter, set a reasonable goal to be unpacked and permit yourself to take breaks along the way. This part of life is not a sprint. It is a marathon.
Be Balanced: Work through your move but also enjoy your new home. One of the most fun things you can do is plant flowers outside your front door. This says: This is home, and I’m happy to be here! Even if there are boxes not unloaded. Enjoy!
One client told her relocation team he could not wait to purchase a new grill: “It will be the perfect addition to the patio!”
Don’t rush to make huge changes. You may paint the walls of your new home before you move in, but you don’t have to do everything at once. Some things are better done before the moving truck arrives, such as having your floors polished or replaced and carpets cleaned.
When it comes to window treatments, you may live with blinds or curtains left over from the previous owner. That’s okay; let them stay up for a few weeks or longer.
Some people love the current window treatments and leave them as is. That’s an exciting thought and one that is financially smart. If the previous owner installed custom cottage shutters, you can enjoy these without feeling like you must rush to replace everything.
Time is truly something that you can use to your advantage.
Unpack Essentials First. Bedrooms, kitchens, and places to rest are essential. You may not get everything unpacked for these areas, but you can certainly have bath soap in the dish, a coffee maker on the counter, and sheets on the bed!
Once these are in place, other items will fall into place, too.
Unpack, Declutter, Unpack. Yes, it is always better to declutter first, but remember, this is a guilt-free blog post! You did your best to get where you need to be; now it is time for an excellent ending to your relocation story.
So, ideally, before you pack a single box, do a merciless purge of unused or unnecessary items. You’ll have less to pack, move, and unpack—and start life in your new space with a clean slate.
Because clutter can be overwhelming, immediately take items that you bought along with you, thinking that somehow you would “fit them in,” to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or Habit for Humanity. Don’t let clutter linger. Move it out, and you will be grateful you did!
Lambert Moving Systems will get you there! When moving to Alabama, West Georgia, or the panhandle of Florida, finding the right moving company services can make all the difference. You want a company that provides reliable and efficient moving solutions and prioritizes the highest quality of service. Look no further than Alabama’s Authorized northAmerican Mover —Lambert Moving Systems, the leading name in the industry.
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