Strategy for a minimalist moving experience

Go minimalist and avoid the hassle of moving day madness!

We share how creating a minimalist moving experience is the strategy you need when moving house.

Tripping over boxes, cramming toys into your handbag, wrapping plates in blankets, flinging clothes over car seats en route to your new home, is this stressing you out yet?! While the prospect of a new home is an exciting one, the moving process is not. There's where minimalist moving offers a solution.

Keep reading to learn how a minimalist moving experience strategy can improve moving day for you.

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Benefits Of A Minimalist Moving Experience

Minimalism can make the moving experience more manageable. The result: fewer items to pack!

Moving house is also the perfect time to make changes and shift to a more minimalist lifestyle. What better time to reassess your lifestyle than when you're moving house and starting a new life?

The benefits of a minimalist moving experience include:

Less stuff = fewer things to think about and pack. You can focus better when you have fewer things on your mind.
Making sure you have an efficient and easy packing process. You save time and money when you have fewer belongings.
A refreshing psychological reset. As you declutter your home, you declutter your mind.

How To Create A Minimalist Moving Experience Strategy

You’re selling your old home. Your new house is waiting. Now’s the time to assess your lifestyle choices and simultaneously ensure that the looming moving day is as stress-free as possible.

1: Don’t Be Governed By Your Emotions

A minimalist moving experience means you need to sort through your possessions and decide what to keep, donate, or sell. It can be an emotional process. Memories are attached to the items scattered around, whether a teddy bear, necklace, or beautiful wood drawer.

So how far should sentimentalism take you when you’re trying to be minimalistic?

Wade through your emotions and be practical.
Yes, this scarf is beautiful and was given to you by your mother, but do you ever wear it? Yes, this ornament is cute, but why is it stuffed in a box under your bed and not displayed on the dining room cabinet?
Avoid holding onto items you never think about or aren’t using.
Don't guilt-trip yourself.
If you received a gift from a friend years ago, and you don't want it, why keep it. Could you give it to someone who will use it? Donate it instead.

If your items are going to a better home, then you shouldn’t feel guilty.

2: Start With Structure

Minimalist moving involves sorting, organising, and discarding unwanted belongings. Initially, it can be daunting. Standing in the middle of your lounge, staring at the clothes on the floor, the empty boxes on the couch, toys and accessories scattered on the carpet, you might want to walk away.

Here are three tips to make the minimalist moving experience less overwhelming:

Get organised.
Take one room at a time, and start with smaller items.
Divide items and sort them according to their category.
For example, pile clothes in one corner of the room and toys on the couch. Then sort through each category.
Use labels.
Label boxes and also include a description of the objects in the box. For example, a box labelled “Kids Bedroom” might have the following description: “bedding, toys, clothes”. Be specific; you’ll thank yourself later.

planning goals and writing them down

3: Set Realistic Goals

Embracing a minimalist lifestyle doesn't happen overnight. You also don’t want to make the moving experience more stressful by placing high expectations on yourself; for example, starting to declutter a mere two days before you move house.

Set small, easily attainable goals. Something like, “I’ll sort through the kitchen, all utensils, and appliances by Saturday” or “By the end of today, I’ll have divided the bedroom’s content into clothes and decor.”
Pace yourself.
Don’t do too much in one day, or expect that you can do it alone. Moving house comes with a whole host of changes, so you’ll have more on your mind than decluttering. Account for those extra tasks. Then involve your friends or spouse when it comes to sorting through belongings.

Start the minimalist moving experience weeks before you move. Then you have time to get organised and don't have to rush.

4: Use Temporary Storage

Even if you opt for the minimalist lifestyle, some items are hard to give away because you know they'll be expensive to replace. More oversized furniture, in particular, is an example of this. You're not using that spare bed or coffee table now, but you might need it one day.

Here are three benefits of temporary storage:

Less maintenance.
When you store your belongings in boxes in your garage, they attract bugs, take up space, and you run the risk of damp contaminating them.
Yet when you buy or rent a temporary storage unit (depending on the type you choose), your belongings are protected from the elements. You can even select climate-controlled self-storage.
Portability.
Some temporary storage structures are easy to reassemble whenever you move. Storage companies will often deliver and carry them for you.
After a while, you might forget about your belongings in their temporary storage. You might realise you can live without them after all, a bonus of temporary storage: out of sight, out of mind!

Visit Seeff’s blog for more home interior tips and guidance on how to sell your home.

Author: Seeff Property Group