The Joyful Sort Top 5: Tips For An Organized Move

Anyone who has moved at least once as an adult knows that there’s a reason it’s considered one of the top five most stressful life events. It’s a huge transition that requires a lot of decision-making, time, and money, not to mention the emotional element of being forced to deal with all of your stuff.

The Joyful Sort team has had the fun opportunity to handle several unpack projects in recent months and while they may make us feel like kids on Christmas morning (there are few things in the organizing world that bring me more joy than helping to ease some of the stress of a move and set someone up with fabulous systems from the get-go in a new space), moving can understandably be a source of, well…panic for a lot of people. Here are a few easy ways to stay (mostly) sane, focused, and organized:

1. Start early.

Even if it’s crossing one or two things off a much bigger To Do list, forward movement is always better than no movement or last-minute movement.. Set up mail forwarding, schedule dates to turn on utilities, or even just sit down for a few minutes with a cup of coffee and do a quick brain dump of what the move process will look like, but definitely don’t wait until a week or two before the big day to try to let things figure themselves out on their own. Be sure to think about the After as well as the Before and During phases. One of the best things that we did during our move a few years ago was schedule a cleaning team to come through the day before the moving box arrived - there’s nothing like an exceptionally clean kitchen, even if it’s temporarily filled with stacks of unpacked boxes!

2. EDIT, EDIT, EDIT. And then edit some more.

One of the most stressful aspects of a move is being forced to confront and deal with your stuff, so now is the time to get as clear as you can about what deserves to come with you to your new space. Your new home is a clean slate to start fresh, not to mention the time, effort, and money spent packing, moving, and unpacking everything. If there was ever an opportunity to be intentional about your belongings, this is it.

The gold standard decluttering question of “Do I need/use/love this item?” becomes “Do I want to pack, move, unpack, and store this item in my new space?”. The less stuff you have, the less you’ll have to deal with - period!

3. Pack by room (and don’t forget the label!)

Packing by room helps cut down on the dreaded “Box of Random Sh*t” issue (although one or two of these is a-okay, more on that later). Just as with any decluttering project, breaking the packing process down into smaller bite-sized chunks makes things a little less overwhelming. And you can micro-focus on boxing up like items together, which is helpful on the unpack side of things.

Give each box at least one broad label with room and category info (“Kitchen - pots & pans). If you’re feeling really on top of your game, keep a separate inventory on Google Keep or Sheets or on an inventory app like Sortly of exactly what is packed into each box. Use masking tape or, if you’re feeling fancy, some pre-printed move labels to assign each room a color and label accordingly. On moving day, create a key to post at the entrance or outside of each room so that movers (or friends and family that you maybe bribed to help) know exactly what goes where.

Bonus tip - make sure to label both the top and the side of each box to easily see what’s what even if boxes end up stacked on top of each other.

A little moving company label humor from a recent unpack project.

4. Leave yourself a toss-it box or two.

Even the most organized moves can tend to run off the rails a bit in those final days before the truck arrives, so make sure to leave one or two “toss-it” boxes for last-minute items.

Pack a small bag or suitcase with a few days’ worth of essentials, like you were going away for a weekend, as well as a tote or bin with household essentials (chargers, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies) and keep those handy in your car. By keeping your basics readily available, you’ll be able to feel at least somewhat comfortable on your first night in the new place and maybe even actually have a chance to CELEBRATE!

5. Make a plan for unpacking.

During any unpack project that The Joyful Sort team tackles, kitchens and bathrooms are our go-to starting points. They’re the rooms of any home that are used daily and can really set the tone for the day. Just the starting point of getting items into the drawers and cabinets where they belong can make a big difference in how the space feels. Start with the rooms that make sense with your life and routine and work backwards.

And remember, it’s okay to ask for help!