Over the course of my life, I have moved more times than I can count with my fingers. It started as a young child when my father moved us all over the world due to the military. Then it continued when I joined the Navy, and again when I married a Navy PIlot. It’s fair to say, I had become an expert at purging and only holding on to what I truly value. Otherwise, it just gets way too crazy when you’re trying to unpack everything and trying to find a new home for all your stuff!
For the last 10 years though, I’ve been in one place – the DC metro area, and although I moved once when we bought our home about 5 years ago, it was so easy – I moved across the street to a MUCH bigger house with tons of storage. So easy!
Here we are though, kids are all grown, and this house is way too big, and we miss the sunshine and water. So my hubby and I have decided to live out our dream and move West. We’re moving to L.A., well, Long Beach to be exact, to a much smaller house with a beautiful location.
Here’s the thing – I have not thrown anything out in about 5 years, yikes! It’s amazing how much stuff you accumulate over the years!
I had to go back and try to remember my military days, and I also reached out to my friend Tenaya for additional tips (check out her site for some Feng Shui magic: http://www.tpkfengshui.com). She’s actually hosting a free closet challenge starting June 3rd. So when you’re done reading this – go sign up.
I ended up creating a small checklist on the absolute must do’s for decluttering so I could get ready for the big move to the West Coast! Here’s what I came up with:
- Purchase & read Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-changing Magic of Tidying up”
- Get in the mindset of de-cluttering by listening to this Youtube video featuring Marie Kondo (just click here to watch).
- Find a friend or reach out to an expert like Tenaya (click here for website) to get tips on where and how to begin the process of de-cluttering your home. You probably have no idea where to start in your home, so asking for help or reaching out to someone who specializes in this field will save you a lot of time and angst.
- Always start with your own stuff, not someone else’s.
- Schedule it in your calendar! If you don’t schedule time for actually tackling your closets, office space, etc, you’ll never get to it. Write it in your calendar, and block enought time to to cover all the spaces and rooms you need to declutter.
The checklist I just provided are the exact same ones I use when I’m tidying up, so that the tasks of de-cluttering, thinning out, and purging are not as daunting or as painful as I had first imagined.
The best part was making someone else happy by giving them some of the items I no longer find joy in —-> certain things in my home have served their purpose and now it’s just time to find a new home for them (yes, this might include the recycling bin or even the trash).
These simple steps will help you get started and get over the overwhelm. Follow my checklist and you will save time, energy, and some stress.
By the way, if you want to dive deeper into detoxing your space and your life, download my free 7 Day Detox your Life program. We’ll cover all aspects of your life and help you get started clearing out every aspect of it. You can download it for free HERE.
Happy tidying up,
Annette
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