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Beating procrastination can be hard. We do well for a few days, but then old habits set back in, or we get frustrated with our lack of apparent progress. Nothing goes fast enough. If you face a small setback at this point, it may be enough to stop working on what you wanted to accomplish in the first place. Thankfully there’s something you can do to greatly improve your chances of success. Accountability.
Procrastinating is a habit and you can get out of it and turn yourself into the motivated and productive version of yourself you want to be. Share on X
Track Your Progress
Start by tracking what you do. You can do this via a simple habit tracker. Use a box for each day of the week and check it off or fill it in when you do the thing you told yourself you would do. Keep tracking until it becomes a habit or until the project is done.
For larger projects that you may or may not work on a daily basis, it helps to write down your goal and then break it into milestones. Record your progress and how much closer you’re inching to each of your goals.
Make Daily To-Do Lists
Write out a list of everything you want to get done for the day. I find it helpful to do this the day before. Play around with how many items you put on that list. You don’t want it to overwhelm you, but you do want to challenge yourself to get more done. The list holds you accountable because you can see in black and white if you procrastinated or not.
Tell Someone About Your Plans
If there’s something you’ve been struggling to get done, tell someone else about your plans to finally tackle it. Call a friend, tell your spouse, or announce it on social media. Encourage the people you’re sharing with to check back with you on how you did. It may be the little extra push you need to stop procrastinating.
Find An Accountability Buddy
Last but not least, find someone else who’s procrastinating and start holding each other accountable. This could be as simple as checking in once in the morning to declare what you each want to get done, and then again at the end of the day to see what happened. Knowing someone else is right there with you can be super motivating.
Give each of these procrastination beating strategies a try and see which ones give you the best results. Like anything else, procrastinating is a habit and you can get out of it and turn yourself into the motivated and productive version of yourself you want to be.
Need help being accountable? Set up a complimentary 30-minute virtual appointment to help you stop procrastinating
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter in your, home, office, mind and time. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
You wake up in the morning motivated and ready to tackle whatever it is you’ve been procrastinating on. Or maybe you’re excited about a new project. You drink your coffee, get dressed, and get ready to get to work. Then something happens.
Maybe you open your email, or worse Facebook and get sucked into spending the next few hours on your computer. Or maybe a good friend calls and asks you to go shopping. Or you get an alert that your favourite TV show dropped on Netflix. It doesn’t matter what it is, the point is that there are people and things that will try to distract you into procrastinating. If you let them. 
Strategy – plan the night before
There’s a simple strategy you can use to keep this from happening. It’s to make the important project you’ve been procrastinating on a priority and work on it first thing every morning. The whole process starts the night before. Before you call it a day, sit down and make a simple plan for what you want to get done the next day. Identify the three most important tasks. These will be things that start to move the needle. Maybe they are all focused on one main project, or maybe it’s several things you know you should be getting done.
Write 3 things down
Write these three things down. They don’t have to be anything big. In fact, I find it helpful if they are all items I can take care of in an hour or less. When you get up in the morning or get to your office, look at your list and work on these three most important tasks before you do anything else. Don’t look at the email. Don’t start playing on your phone. If possible don’t even answer the phone or attend meetings before these three tasks are taken care of. Make them your number one priority.
Don’t leave it to the end of the day
This alone will make a huge difference in how your day goes, how productive you are, and it of course keeps you from procrastinating on those projects. Putting them off until the end of the day when you’re too tired to do anything is no longer an option. Stop procrastinating: strategize, write 3 tasks down, complete them first thing in the morning and beware of things that derail your plan. Share on X
Pinpoint what caused you to procrastinate
Aside from that, simply being more aware of what things, devices, and people tempt you to procrastinate is helpful. When you find yourself putting something off, look back and see if you can pinpoint what caused it. Then take action to prevent it from happening in the future.
If you’re having trouble changing your habits, book a complimentary 30 minute coaching appointment to discuss how to increase your productivity and reduce your procrastination.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Ready to stop procrastinating and make some progress? Try one of these seven simple hacks to motivate yourself into action. Give them each a try over the coming days and weeks and find the ones that make the biggest difference for you. Whenever you find yourself procrastinating, come back to this list and employ one or several of these hacks. Your productivity will soar. 
Tip #1: Pick Something Small
One of the big reasons we procrastinate is because something feels overwhelming. There’s too much to do, so we choose to forget about it for a little while. It’s a coping mechanism, just not a very productive one. Instead, pick one thing, something small that you can do right now to move you in the right direction. This creates momentum and forces you to take action.
Tip #2: Set A Time And Go
Another hack that works like a charm is to set a timer. Your phone has one built-in, as do most smart watches. Set it for fifteen or twenty minutes and chip away at a task you’ve been procrastinating on. This works just as well for decluttering your closet as it does for filling out those dreaded forms. If twenty minutes feels too long, start with ten and increase your time. Again, the goal is to start and do something.
Tip #3: Bribe Yourself
There’s nothing wrong with bribing yourself if that’s what motivates you. Work on a home organizing project for an hour and then watch an episode of your favourite show. Or promise yourself a walk or dinner out when you finish decluttering the living room. Come up with something that motivates you and go for it. Remind yourself of the prize at the end of the project whenever you’re tempted to put things off for another day.
Tip #4: Find An Accountability Partner
Find someone else who’s either trying to be more productive or beat procrastination themselves. Check in with each other daily. Share what you want to accomplish and what you will get done today. Knowing you have to report to someone else makes you take action. It’s also motivating to see the other person do the same. Try it.
Tip #5: Measure Your Progress
When you’re working on something long-term like organizing your entire home for example, it can be tempting to procrastinate because it doesn’t seem like you’re making much progress. Instead, prove to yourself that you are getting closer and closer by tracking or measuring it. Make a chart, use a spreadsheet, and keep a journal. Find a way to measure your progress and use it to motivate yourself to keep going.
Tip #6: Remind Yourself Of Your Why
There’s a reason you’ve decided to do that thing you keep putting off. Think about why you want to get it done. Is it so you feel less overwhelmed? So you can run around with the kids? So you can find the clothes you actually want to wear? Find out your why. Write it down and then keep it front and center. Look at it every day before you get ready to get to work.
Tip #7: Just Start
I’ve saved the best for last. It’s the easiest but also the most powerful. Hear this. Just get started. That’s right, sometimes all you have to do is just get moving in the right direction. Do something. Do anything. Even if it’s something super small. You get over that initial hump and start to build some momentum.
Comment on the hack that works best for you.
Need some help to get started? Book a 30-minute complimentary virtual appointment and let me help you get started on your mission.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Are you a procrastinator? Many of us have the tendency to put things off and no matter how often we beat ourselves up over waiting until the last minute to pack for a move, declutter our home, or file our taxes and struggle to get it all done in time, we keep doing it again and again. If you’re ready to finally beat procrastination and get ahead of the game, you’re in the right place.
Forgiveness
Over the course of seven blog posts, I’m going to share my best tips and strategies for overcoming procrastination with you and we start today with – Forgiveness. I know it seems like a strange place to start, but it’s an important first step. Here is why forgiving yourself for procrastination should always be the first step.
There’s nothing you can do about the past except learn from it. Beating yourself up about not following the plan you made for reaching a goal does you no good. Quite the opposite actually. If you stress yourself out and engage in negative self-talk, you make it worse. Those feelings of anxiety will enforce your habit of procrastinating again the next time.
Try to do better
The next time you find yourself procrastinating, tell yourself that it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. Say it out loud and then promise yourself to try to do better. Trying is the important keyword here. You’re working on mastering new skills and changing a habit. That takes practice, time, and of course, failing again and again. It’s part of the learning process.
You may feel frustrated at times about your lack of progress. It’s normal. If you can, tap into that frustration and use it to motivate you. Vow to try again and do better. Look at your mistakes. What caused you to procrastinate this time? Learn from it and you will start to do better. 
Learn from your failings and start again
Maybe there’s a big task and you started strong, chipping away at it a little at a time. Then you missed a day and another. That’s okay. Not great, but okay. You did well for a while. It’s good practice and maybe this particular experience taught you that you can’t allow yourself to skip more than one day on an ongoing project.
There’s always something new to learn whenever we fail at something or slip back into a bad habit. At the very least we figure out that something isn’t working for us. Maybe you do better with three or fewer to-do’s per day. Maybe you need twenty-five so there’s always something to check off. You won’t know until you try.
Forgive yourself for procrastinating so you can move on and practice some more.
If you need help to get back on track with your project try a virtual organizing appointment. Virtual organizing allows me to support your organizing projects by providing planning, coaching and mentoring while both remaining safely at home.
Book a 30 minute complimentary virtual organizing appointment.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
My guest blogger this month is Bryan Styles. Bryan is a life coach and a freelance writer with a focus on improving the quality of peoples’ lives. He puts all of his efforts and energy into educating people about how to overcome hardships and live a happier life.
We all live different lives, surrounded by different people, and interacting with different things. Everything in our environment leaves a mark in the long run. While we can choose who we spend time with, not many people pay attention to the space they live in. It often becomes something we all just get used to, be it due to a lack of finances, or simply a lack of options. The importance of our living environment is immense, and even a few small changes can make a difference in our lives. With that in mind, I would like to give an answer to one question – can organizing your space impact your mental health?
How confined spaces affect our mental health?
I have had a lot of experience living in a cramped-up apartment. Just my girlfriend and me in a single room that was at the same time the living room, the bedroom, the kitchen, and a small bathroom. At first, everything was fine. I always thought about how there are people who don’t have a roof over their heads or live in much worse conditions. I went with it.
However, after some time, I noticed that I was becoming more and more nervous. The apartment had to be cleaned and organized every day, which always took a lot of time, even though it was such a small space. If you skipped one day, things would start to pile up and soon we would be in a mess that caused even more tension. Living in that apartment felt more like work.
As soon as you start decluttering your space, you will feel how the tension and stress leave your body, piece by piece.
Nevertheless, once we cleaned it up and organized our stuff, I felt like I was a free man. There was this rush of energy and good feelings of having some free space around you.
It is a fact that our environment sets our mood. Organizing your space will impact your mental health, in many good ways. However, the road from clutter to freedom is a difficult one, and it does require a bit of planning and effort.
A few tips on how to get rid of clutter
While I don’t want to turn this article into a “How to clean your apartment” guide, there are a few problems that must be addressed:
- how to deal with a lack of space
- what to do with all the stuff you need, but don’t have enough room for
- how to not go crazy while decluttering your apartment
I want to give you a couple of productive tips and best practices I used a lot.
A small apartment will always be a small apartment
Living in a small apartment is not something you can fix by decluttering. Sure, you will get more space, but the apartment will still be small. It is important to understand this because you will have to make radical changes in order to avoid decluttering your place every few weeks.
The most crucial step in this process is to do extensive research on organizing small apartments or homes. Read articles, follow interior design blogs and vlogs, browse photos online, read interior design and staging magazines, and look for tips about handling the lack of space in your home.
The more research you do, you will start noticing a specific pattern. Living in a small apartment means getting rid of bulky items, and organizing your space in a minimalistic style.
That’s all fine, but I cannot throw my wardrobe to make more space!
Well, yes and no. When I talk about getting rid of bulky items, I understand that some things like closets, the bed, and the table have to stay inside. However, there is one thing you must realize.
You are storing everything in your apartment. Clothes for summer and winter, all of your electronic equipment, everything. While that is normal for a large home, it is virtually impossible to keep a small place organized while keeping everything.
My suggestion is to rent extra storage for bulky items outside of your home. You won’t pay much, but the space you will get will make a huge difference.
People are often overburdened with everything that happens in their lives. Having an organized living space will help remedy that issue.
Keep only the essential furniture and electronics, and move everything else to the unit. When it comes to clothes, you just need to have clean clothes for seven days. Move everything else to a storage unit, and you can pay a visit every week if you want to get new clothes.
Furthermore, if you have a rug, get rid of it. Sell it, donate it, throw it away, just move it out of the house. Cleaning the floor is much easier when there is nothing on it.
It is a bit of an odd strategy, but it works really well if you organize it properly. After some time, you will start enjoying the extra space, and you will start to notice the positive impact it has on both your physical and mental health.
Do everything with a positive attitude
Making these radical changes will be a difficult decision for some people. We all have a tendency to like patterns in our lives, and making changes often disturbs us.
Nevertheless, there are ways to turn this decluttering process into a fun activity.
Having a positive attitude is the most important part of living our lives.
First of all, you must start with a positive attitude. Keep in mind that, once you are done, you will feel a lot better. Second, listen to some music while you work. Music is important for our bodies and our minds. Third, get some help. Ask a friend, a member of the family, or your significant other to help you.
Finally, if you don’t want to do the heavy lifting yourself, you can always hire a professional to help you get organized.
Can organizing your space impact your mental health – YES!
Once you get rid of all the clutter in your apartment, you will feel an instant change. You will have more energy and motivation for anything you want to do. Remember, things are what you make of them. It is all about a positive attitude. And once you have enough space for yourself, you will feel as if you can do anything you set your mind to!Our environment sets our mood. Organizing your space will impact your mental health, in many good ways. Share on X
Virtual organizing allows me to support your organizing projects by providing planning, coaching and mentoring while both remaining safely at home. https://mindoverclutter.ca/virtual-organizing-services/
Book a 30-minute complimentary virtual organizing assessment.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Make everything as portable as possible. It may have been a while since your child had to share a bathroom and/or not have a bathroom attached to their bedroom. Here are some tips.
1. Have a basket for transporting all shower items from their room to the bathroom. The basket should have ventilation so it will dry out and not get mouldy.
Make it portable
Use a well ventilated container
A shower organizer that hooks on the shower bar
2. In some residences, the students need to supply toilet paper. Extra supplies can be stored under the bed. Send all shower essentials shampoo, conditioner, soap, shaving, etc in a convenient portable size.
Use under the bed storage for extra supplies
3. Include over the door hooks that the student can use to hang their towel while showering so it is convenient and useful in their room to hang the towel to dry.
Make everything as portable as possible so it is quick to pick up and go and easy to put away. Share on X4. Send a bathrobe. They may not use one at home but might find it useful at residence. Pack one that they will wear not one that has been around for a long time.
5. Send 2 bath sheets, 2 or 3 hand towels and 2 washcloths. Don’t send red towels that will turn a load of laundry pink, if they wash their towels.
Need help planning how to organize your dorm room? Book a 30 minute complimentary virtual appointment
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Bring lots of hangers, you can never have enough. It is a great way to make new friends by sharing the extra hangers.
Buy thin hangers because the closet space is limited
Use a second hanging bar to make more room in the closet
1. Store your clothes in the closet. Double your hanging space by purchasing a lower hanging bar. Add an extra shelf up high in the closet to store off-season items mitts, hats.
2. Under-bed storage containers are very helpful for sports equipment, food, laundry detergent, musical instruments, etc
3. Use vertical space to add more storage. There are many types of carts with drawers which can be used to store school supplies, cosmetics, food etc.
4. Use the inside of the bedroom and closet doors to hang items. Over-the-door rack and hook products accommodate coats, clothes, etc
Lots of hooks can be very useful
Use the space on the front and inside of the doors
5. There are many pocket style items that hang from the closet bar. Buy one or a shelf for shoes to use to double the shoe space storage.
6. Make sure anything you buy is returnable because you won’t know exactly what you need until you get there.
Need some help planning your move book a 30 minute complimentary appointment to get help planning the space in your new room.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
My guest blogger this month is Jenna M. She is a stay-at-home mom who loves spending time online. She often explores social networks and writes blog posts on various topics such as cooking, home organization, moving house, etc.
Combining two households is not always easy – whatever the reason for this may be. Moving in with your partner, getting married, your colleague becoming a roommate – all of these bring different changes, both emotional and physical. Moving in together can be a big test for a love relationship, but also a test of how well you can get along with your new partner. Either way, merging two homes into one should be done with a proper plan and preparation, so you end up with a lovely home and a harmonious atmosphere. We’ve created a simple guide on making two households one, so you can be sure about what you can expect and how to deal with common challenges.
Communication is the key
As any other big step in life, moving in together should be discussed by both parties. It’s necessary to plan the whole moving process, including the look of your new home. Talk about the necessities like the working space, additional closet space, etc. Communication is the key to any successful project. By talking and agreeing on all the details, you will ensure a stress-free move and merge the two homes a lot faster and easier. Also, remember people often fight about the items in their homes. That’s why you should always keep in mind that these are just things, and very often, they are not worth fighting with your loved one.
When merging two homes into one, it’s all about communicating and accepting the changes – don’t fight over small details!
The first step of merging two homes into one – the selection of duplicates
Probably the hardest thing to do is to sort out double items in both homes and pick the favourites. As you won’t need duplicates, especially appliances and furniture, you will have to make a selection of items that will make the perfect home. To do this, you’ll have to make a list of the items both households have and decide which ones you’re going to keep. Here are some criteria you can consider:
- style of the items – it’s natural that the styles of the two homes are different. So, once you decide on the style of the new home, see if the items match. Also, sometimes a fun mix-and-match can turn out to be amazing!
- condition of your items – if you have two similar or identical items, you can keep the one that’s in a better condition or the one you bought more recently.
- check if the item fits – measuring is another important part of merging two homes into one. Check if the items fit into the dedicated room, or if they need a smaller/bigger replacement.
Sometimes, if it’s too difficult to decide, buying a new item is the perfect solution. If you can’t decide which item is better to keep, maybe it’s fun to get rid of them both and go shopping for a new one together. And you can always sell old items at a garage sale or online and even make some money out of the merging process. However, if you still want to keep some items but can’t use them in your new home, storage can be a solution for excess furniture and other belongings you want to keep safe until you need them again.
Select all the duplicates you now have and decide together what you’re going to keep in the new household.
Preparing for the merge
There are a couple of things you need to do before the big move, whether you’re moving into a new home or welcoming a new roommate.
Decluttering
Removing unnecessary things has several benefits. Besides making more space, you can significantly save time and money if you’re moving. So, start getting rid of all the things you don’t need or use anymore, as well as outdated and damaged items.
Clutter is no good, so make sure you get rid of it before merging two homes into one.
Compare floor plans
If you’re both moving into a new house, it’s good to compare floor plans and measure where each piece of furniture will go. This way you can put the items in their place as soon as you move in, and avoid making an unnecessary mess all around the house. However, if you have trouble organizing your home to maximize the space, try contacting an organizing pro to help you out. This will help you have a fresh start with a functional home.
Label the boxes
If you’re both moving in on the same day, it’s good to know what’s inside each box so you can unpack much faster. Make sure you label the boxes with your name, but also the items in them. It will be much easier to sort the boxes out and find certain items if you need them quickly.
General tips for merging two homes into one
Even though this is a big and exciting change, many people feel stressed when moving in with someone and often tend to make the event even worse by holding on to certain rules or items. So, here are some tips on how to make merging two homes a happy occasion and stay positive during the process:
- Be open-minded – since you will be sharing your living space now, be sure to stay open-minded about the new home. It will be different from your old home, and that’s okay.
- Don’t hold on to small things – it’s okay to have certain rules about sharing the living space or not give up on some important items, but don’t make a big thing out of small décor items, for example. Be ready to compromise and accept some other solutions proposed by your new roommate.
- Respect the other party – no matter how well you know each other, make sure you respect the preferences and decisions of your new roommate. Also, don’t express negative opinions too loudly, especially when talking about the family heirlooms of your partner. Even if the item doesn’t suit your taste, you need to respect other people’s family items that have been handed down.
Finally, merging two homes into one should be about compromise and mutual respect. We’re sure that everything can be solved with a proper conversation. And even if you don’t like something now, you might change your opinion after a while, or find a solution to the problem. Stay positive about the new life change and do everything you can to make this a memorable event!
If you need help planning your move book a 30 minute complimentary virtual organizing assessment. https://mindoverclutter.as.me/virtualorganizingassessment
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
My son told me he would be packing and moving across the country to start a new job. He would be leaving in 2 weeks. Can you help Mom? Long distant moves on a budget require a lot of planning before the packing begins. Some of you may be moving for a job or for school. Take a deep breath and relax.
If you are not hiring a moving company
This move involved selling anything and everything people were interested in buying. Put your ads for the things you are selling on Kijiji or Craigslist. Don’t forget about neighbourhood swaps and selling sites on Facebook. You may have multiple sites in your area and it makes scheduling pickups so much easier when you know that they are in your neighbourhood. Don’t forget the most important source for your sales. Tell your friends and family and ask them to tell their friends, family and co-workers. One of my readers shared, “Do an Internet Garage Sale where you made a list of items with prices, emailed it to everyone you know, and asked them to share it with others. We were able to sell quite a few of our larger and more valuable items that way.” Don’t be shy.
Smaller items need to be sold too
You may need to sell clothing, jewelry or home decor items. Take them to consignment stores. Leave the information for picking up the cash with a friend or relative. They can e-transfer it to you.
Determine what you will take, store and ship.
In this case, he was driving a car across the country. He would be staying with relatives until he found an apartment. He knew of a few people who would be flying out to see him in the next few months. With this information, the packing began. For each item, it had to be decided if it would be packed:
- in the car
- in a suitcase for someone to bring next month
- in a suitcase for someone to bring the following month
- in a suitcase for someone to bring later
- in a box because there were items that he might want when he had an apartment
- in a plastic bin and stored
Pick up used suitcases at a thrift store. When you fly you can leave the suitcase behind to be donated instead of bringing it back with you.
You never know what you might want to be shipped
Knowing what is in every box makes it easy to find what you need
As boxes and bins were packed someone was in charge of keeping an inventory list of what went in each box and bin and labelling the container with a corresponding number to the list. We used Google Docs so later in the week when more things were packed or removed from boxes the list could be changed and a new list doesn’t have to be emailed to anyone. You don’t have to worry if you are using the most up to date list. The reason to do an inventory is so you can find items that might be shipped later. The hope is that the whole box will be shipped but more likely they will decide on certain items and they might be packed in a number of different boxes.
Food
We started by going through the cupboards and anything unopened and not expired was donated to the food bank. This can be done early in the packing session and it is an easy way to start. No difficult decisions need to be made. Some food can be used during the 2 weeks, some disposed of and then find a friend who will be happy to take your food.
Donate
Remember to donate items to charity and not put them in the garbage.
As time moved on he found things he didn’t want or need, couldn’t sell or give away or give back to people. Donate these items to charity. It is easy to think no one wants them and start putting them in the garbage but most things can be donated. It takes just as much time to put them in a garbage bag as in a box or bag to go to a charity. You will probably be eating out so you can take them to the charity on the way to dinner.
You’re finally finished
You are probably tired overwhelmed and overstressed. Just take a big breath. You did a great job, you are about to start a new adventure. Focus on that. Don’t focus on the stuff. Enjoy the trip and the time off before the new job or school begins.
Guide
Here is a link to a moving guide, How to pack for a move: a complete checklist It has checklists for pre-moving, packing list, packing the truck, questions to ask the mover,
What is your advice about moving across the country in a car, on a plane or on a train?
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading Time – 3 minutes
If you enjoy informatics you will enjoy this blog. Cut the clutter a little each day. Some tasks feel overwhelming. Begin by dividing them into bite-size pieces. Start with the piece that is easiest to tackle, build your confidence and continue on your daily diet making small changes that you can sustain.
My guest blogger is Tom Happ President of Closet Works based out of Elmhurst, IL which for the past 32 years served the Chicagoland area with customized Closet and Storage Solutions. With a team of over 100 staff, each Solution is Designed, Fabricated and Installed to optimize the storage for every room within the home.
Graphic created by Closet Works.
Contact Closet Works or Julie Stobbe for help with planning your organization diet.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
