Successfully (and Sanely) Preparing For a Move
Many who are moving have been in their homes for many, many years. Typically this means that they have acquired a lot of things. If I’ve observed anything from owning my own home it’s this: We hang on to useless items IF we have the space to store them. Why is this? Because then we don’t have to make decisions and process the hard choices. (It’s really not necessary to find the tattered coffee table book a good home.) We succumb to fear. (Wow, that’s a strong statement.) Let me explain by stating some of the more common fears: Trying to process through these fears can cause overwhelming feelings, which leads to avoidance and getting stuck. Few occasions bring on a purge like a move. It provides a natural opportunity to assess our belongings and deal with our fears. Many are downsizing to a simpler lifestyle, which requires living in a smaller space with less “stuff.” We must process through our own belongings and potentially other family members’ belongings. Trust me, you don’t want to box up that volleyball set you haven’t used in five years. But you are tempted to do just that because then you don’t have to make a decision. Getting Unstuck: How to Prepare for a Smooth TransitionMoving is an overwhelming task, even if you consider yourself an organized person. If you take a little time to plan what lies ahead, you’ll be more prepared and less stressed through the process. Here are recommendations to help you prepare: Tackling the Process of Packing It will also let you spend the time to correctly assess your items before the chaos of packing begins. During the packing process, you will likely come across additional items. And that’s okay.
The Power of Moving
Moving can be an intense time. If you’re buying and selling a home, it can be an emotional roller coaster. I say this from experience having moved in the last year after being in one place for 22 years. Regardless of why you are moving, you have an opportunity in front of you. The opportunity is to decide. Decision-making is powerful. Oftentimes clutter is indecision. You have had the space to store it, so it’s lived in a closet or room. You may have tried to declutter before but the process brings up hard feelings so you stop. You try to avoid the pain of decisions but you are really just kicking the “decision can” down the road. Once it’s down the road there are many more decisions and they can stack up on you. Now is the time. Embrace the opportunity and mentally prepare to clear some clutter. I talk to people who have moved their items and regret it. They’re surrounded by boxes at their new place and overwhelmed. It may be uncomfortable. That’s ok. It’s an invitation to grow. Moving provides opportunities to declutter at various points. Don’t think because you missed one that another one isn’t around the corner. Here are some decluttering opportunities in the moving process: 1) Staging your home. People look in your closets and drawers. Sorry, it’s true. It feels invasive but I’ve done it when looking at homes too. When your house is cluttered, it’s harder for prospective buyers to see themselves in the space. When a house has less, it looks bigger and creates positive emotions for the buyer which is what you want. 2) Packing for your move. Don’t leave all the packing until the week before you move. Try to allow plenty of time to pack before your move. This will allow you the brain space to make decisions. If you are frenzied, you won’t be able to ask questions of yourself and decide. This will inhibit your ability to be real and part with things. Usually, you can pack items that are not regularly used well before your move. For example, basement storage rooms or closets that have less used items is a great place to start, décor is another. 3) Unpacking your items in your new home. Invariably, once you are in your new space you will find things that worked in the old home but now don’t work in the new space. That’s ok. Pass them on. Sometimes clarity and readiness come later. As I mentioned, I recently moved. I have decluttered at each of these phases. It has felt wonderful to enter this new space with less stuff. To have really decided on items and make sure I still choose them is powerful. My items need to serve me, not the other way around. So let’s talk about “decision fatigue”. Often times when I’m working with clients I’m running up and downstairs, bending, stooping, climbing, reaching – you get the idea, I’m movin’. My clients are more in one spot making decisions. By the time the session is over they’re usually more tired than I am even though I may have run in a marathon in one room. Why? Because their brain was working hard. This is particularly true if you have been avoiding making decisions about your items up until this point. The reason I’m bringing this up is firstly, to validate your experience and secondly to make sure you give your brain a break. Go do something that is right brain, creative, for 5-10 minutes every hour so that you don’t wear out. Thirdly, start the decluttering tasks well in advance of your move so you’re not overwhelmed. Some Additional Tips and Encouragement Decision-making is uncomfortable at first. Start with the easy items. Encourage yourself. Say out loud, “I can do this.” Repeat as necessary (which is often). Don’t partner with one of the biggest stuff lies known to man: I might need this someday. Instead, say, I’m not using this these days so I’ll let someone else use it who needs it. Thanks and goodbye. The pit of “I might need this someday” is endless. Don’t fall in. Decluttering is not a “one and done”. We all have to be regularly evaluating our items. All you have to do is wake up in the morning and bam! you acquire something. You have to be intentional about getting rid of them. There are various stages of life and sometimes we have items laying around from a previous stage. They hide in the back of the closet, garage, and basement. No one is spending their days looking for items to declutter. Not even me. Let’s not kick ourselves for having clutter. Instead let’s congratulate ourselves for being powerful, deciding, and letting go. You got this.
What EXACTLY does a Professional Organizer do?
The Organizing industry is truly a hidden gem. I couldn’t believe I didn’t know the industry existed until a couple years ago. Of course, I was actively avoiding places like The Container Store. I knew if I set foot in there it would be all over. Poverty would follow. I knew I would love it and I’d go broke in 6 months. Truly. I had never been in the store until after I decided to go into this profession. And yes, I love it. In the crazy world we live in, there are endless ways to help our clients. Most folks are at full, or over, capacity trying to keep all the plates spinning with their day-to-day lives. How can they keep up? How can they learn all the processes and tricks to manage their lives more efficiently and reduce their stress? How do they know how to declutter a closet efficiently and thoroughly? Enter the organizing profession. You may have wondered how I ended up in this industry. The Business Analyst role did not entirely fit me. The analytical aspect as well as creating order was suitable. Mostly I was motivated with activities such as improving processes, streamlining and documenting procedures, and organizing online data. Then I had a conversation with a friend. We were talking about projects around the house and I was saying that I was doing some organizing and said something to the effect of, “I wish I could do this for a living! ” She said, “You can. That profession exists.” WHAT??!!!! (mind blown) And life has never been the same. During my research, I discovered there are several different national and international organizations that exist to support this industry. Who knew? One of their primary missions of these organizations is to get the word out that this industry exists and how our expertise changes lives. My research initially landed me at the NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) website. Here, as you can imagine, I relished every word and thought I discovered the “mother ship” for my people. Believe it or not, this is worldwide phenomenon. Other countries have national organizations as well like Canada, the UK – even if they spell it “organise”, and of course Japan (as many of us are familiar with Marie Kondo and her book about tidying – which really just means organizing.) There is an organization that supports organizers who are helping clients that are challenged with chronic disorganization. There is even an organization that seeks to unite the various national organizations worldwide called the International Federation of Professional Organizing Associations (IFPOA). Who knew, right? When I decided to become a Professional Organizer, I really didn’t understand the depth of the industry I was jumping into. My decision was based on my business-world skills, my natural bent (thanks Mom & Dad!), and life experiences of figuring stuff out while I managed my life and household. The industry thrilled me but I had to learn exactly what all is involved in helping others with their challenges. I found that there is A LOT more to this career than that meets the eye. The reach of our industry knows no bounds. It reminds me of physicians and how they have many specialties. Many organizers are generalists, but most also have specialties as well: hoarding, closet installs, garages, moves, residential, photos, ADHD/OCD, transition, time management, kitchens, eco-friendly, new moms….the list goes on and on. It’s funny that when you have an aptitude for something, you originally think that everyone must think like you do. I distinctly remember an experience of organizing with someone before I “turned pro”. I was thoroughly enjoying myself feeling pumped as I was getting more organized. I passed them in the hall and said, “Isn’t this fun?” to which they snarled, “No, it’s torture!” What? You may be thinking the same thing as you’re reading this. I get it. You don’t think organizing is fun. You hate it and find any excuse to do something different. We are all created differently. Thank goodness! When I have to do things involving say money, I look for all the distractions I can find. Squirrel! What Do Organizers Do?Some people think Organizers just put things away –like somebody’s mom (sorry I just had to). Others think we are administrative assistants, some think we plan events. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word organize as “to arrange or order things so that they can be found or used easily and quickly : to put things into a particular arrangement or order”. That just barely touches on the industry. Currently, there are two main types of Organizers: Residential & Business. Business organizing focuses on positively impacting businesses. Taking on goals such as gaining efficiencies, streamlining workflow, improving paper and electronic files, and coaching are typical offerings. Residential focuses on the home. For the purposes of this blog, we’re focusing on residential organizing. I recently read an article about getting organized that basically told people the key is, “Things need to go where they need to go.” Well yes, but this doesn’t address the challenge many have in setting up an effective system of where things go. It doesn’t address busy lifestyles, multiple people in the same space, special needs, feelings of being overwhelmed or stuck. I could go on and on. I was really saddened by this person’s lack of understanding and compassion for the challenges of getting organized and staying organized. It reminds me of my bitmoji (app where the avatar looks like you). This brings up a basic philosophy in this industry: No judgment. Compassion and understanding are the tenants on which our industry is built. Most Organizers number one goal is to help. Does a personal trainer look down on someone 20 lbs overweight who wants to get healthier? Of course not or you wouldn’t hire them. Organizing is the same way. We exist to bring about desired change, to help our clients achieve their goals, to watch the excitement as their world expands and the fog lifts.