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Moving for the Minimalist: How to Declutter Your Life

Minimalism and Moving Tips

If you’re like a lot of us, you have too much stuff. It can weigh you down, and there’s nothing like a move to highlight the amount of junk that’s cluttering your life. Fortunately, a move is also the perfect time to do some purging. Decluttering before relocating allows you to simplify your move process and, by extension, your life. Even if you’re not quite ready to embrace minimalism, this minimalist moving guide can help you decide what you really want to keep and which items you can let go.

Streamlining Your Move

It’s easy to look at someone else’s belongings and see junk that needs to be tossed, but don’t make the mistake of dismissing the emotional impact of the things we own. Our belongings aren’t just things, and recognizing why you have certain items is important. Maybe you buy duplicates of things because it makes you feel safe, or maybe you feel guilty when you try to throw away things that were gifts. Before you begin, decide what is and isn’t clutter by carefully evaluating your things. If you haven’t used something in over six months, it may be time to part with it. If you’re hanging on to clothes that don’t fit or shoes you’ll never wear again, go ahead and donate them, secure in the knowledge that you can get more things when you need them. Don’t hang onto things out of guilt or obligation, but donate things that will be useful to other people. Follow these steps, and you’ll find yourself moving with a much lighter load.

  • Start early. Declutter while you pack, and don’t underestimate the time this process will take. Getting started early will help you make better choices and feel less anxious as moving day approaches.
  • Touch everything. This is hard during normal circumstances, but easy in a move, because you’re already putting it all into boxes. Remember that putting something into a moving box means you will continue to carry it around with you, and if you don’t really need it, find it a new home.
  • Look for dust. This is a simple trick to help you determine if you’re getting any use out of an item. If it’s sitting in the cabinet collecting dust, it’s probably safe to let it go.
  • Reflect on your own hoarding tendencies. When you live someplace for a long time, you will naturally collect things. When you move, you have a chance to evaluate your own urge to collect things, to prevent you from developing hoarding habits.
  • Donate and sell. Some items may be able to go to consignment or secondhand shops, where you can earn a little bit of money while remivng clutter from your life. Other things can go to charities and non-profit organizaitons, where they will bless someone who needs them more than you do. Items with great sentimental value to you might be best given to a loved one who will appreciate them in the same way. Just make sure you’re not adding to anyone else’s clutter burden while alleviating yours.
  • Realize that less stuff means more time and space for you. By giving away your things, you can give them a new life, and you’ll have the opportunity for a new life, too! When you hang onto things, you have to keep up with them and maintain them, but having fewer things means having more time to do the things you enjoy. It also means more space in your home, so you don’t have to feel crowded and cramped.

Trust Chicago’s Premier Movers for Your Next Move

When you’re ready to declutter your life and move to a fresh, new space, call Midway Moving and Storage to move the things you decide to keep. Started by an entrepreneur in his parent’s basement, Midway Moving and Storage has been in operation since 1987, and has grown to become a team of professional movers respected in and around Chicago and beyond. We’re not your typical moving company, and in fact we are the Official Mover of the Chicago Cubs. That’s not the only claim to fame for this premier moving company: we have also been called upon to move voting machines to local polling places, have had a crucial role in local events like a food drive to benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and are earned a sterling reputation among high-profile organizations like the Chicago Board of Elections, Chicago Public Schools, and Chicago and Cook County Housing Authorities. The assets that set us apart from the competition include professional movers, trained at our Moving Training Center in Chicago on the latest best practices, moving strategies, and packing techniques, ensuring that well-trained, certified, insured moving professionals are used for every job, with no use of subcontractors, students or day laborers. We provide service to residential and commercial customers, handling jobs of all sizes, including local moves and relocations to and from 48 states. You can count on our estimates to be accurate and our service to be dependable and exceed your expectations. For more information or to request a custom quote, call (800) 659-0874 or contact us through our website.