Whether you’re about to head off to university, intending to travel overseas, or maybe even just considering minimalising your life, you may be feeling bogged down and overwhelmed by all your possessions.
Here are our five top tips on decluttering your life before moving everything into storage. Feel free to use them all or any combination that makes you feel comfortable.
1. Plan
We often don’t realise how much stuff we’ve accumulated until it’s time to move, and decluttering can seem like an overwhelming task. That’s why it’s important to plan so that you can tackle decluttering with ease. Planning can be as simple as two steps; What items you’re getting rid of and what you’re going to do with them.
2. Set goals
It’s easy to justify keeping any particular item, so setting concrete goals may be the best way of decluttering effectively. You may decide to get rid of half of your clothes, or books, or candles you’ve never used. Setting goals can make the whole decluttering process more fun and less stressful.
3. Sorting in piles
Let’s start with five piles. Have a keep pile, storage pile, donation pile, recycle pile, trash pile. Then you can pick a room, or a box, or a drawer and begin sorting.
4. Follow the decluttering rules
There are some well-known decluttering rules, and they’ll serve you well on your minimalist journey. Don’t keep an item if;
• You haven’t used it in the past year and won’t use it in the next year? Get rid of it!
• You wouldn’t buy it now.
• It’s just because you think you should. This includes sentimental items that fill you with guilt.
• It makes you feel bad, like clothes that don’t fit or mementos from failed relationships.
• Be ruthless. You are not your ‘stuff,’ you don’t need it to live your best life.
5. Reflect
As you declutter, take the time to reflect on how the benefits of this process and how it’s a representation of growth, how you’re shedding parts of your old self to start your new life. However you put it, you can feel good about it. Decluttering will not only make your move and storage lighter, but it will also make you feel lighter too, as losing stuff can have huge gains.
We hope this has given you a few ideas and helped you with decluttering before putting everything in storage. Happy packing!
Check out our Box Shop for packing boxes or materials for all types of items. Talk to us and get your quote on the right size storage for you – we’re always happy to help.