The shift to a new home brings with it a new sense of self.
When you arrive at the new home you’re refreshed and full of energy. There are big plans and goals made for this next stage of your life. Yet, lurking in the boxes yet to be unpacked are the constant reminders of your previous lifestyle.
Items that carried over like gifts from a previous relationship or hand-me-downs from family. These are the items you’ve held onto because they had their place and purpose in the old location. Something different about the new place, though, and this feeling of starting fresh warrants a full clean-up.
A New Lifestyle, A New Domain
In your rush to get everything packed and moved you may not have taken the time to declutter and rid yourself of the things not intended to make the trip. No worries. You haven’t quite settled into the new domain so now’s the perfect time to condense your stuff.
The Plan of Action
You could take a “see it, pick it, toss it” approach to cleaning up shop or you could do a strategic approach to decluttering and remixing the home for this new, exciting lifestyle change.
Here’s a basic outline for the plan of action:
1. Draw a blueprint of your home
2. Create a priority list of each room (start small to big)
3. Write “keep”, “toss”, and “donate” on three boxes
4. Work your way through each of the rooms (a day at a time)
Pretty simple, right? It’s just doing some spring cleaning with a twist. The twist being not just asking yourself if the item is practical but whether it has emotional ties that’s holding you back from fully committing to your new life and lifestyle.
Plus, there are some safety elements to it.
Safety in the sense of going through your medicine cabinet, using a pill finder to make sure any medicine is properly labeled, and making sure the meds haven’t expired. Or getting rid of those items that have a deep emotional tie that sends you into a whirlwind of emotions (and potential self-harm). It’s time to let go and be safe in this new environment.
Using the Move as a Jump Off Point
The move gives you this perfect opportunity to bring your lifestyle to a new level: Minimalism (living with less and getting more out of what you have) and embracing the cloud (non-physical media).
It goes beyond this however.
This is the perfect time for:
· Starting a home improvement project (especially since less stuff is in the way)
· Learning a new skill or trade (that can lead to a raise or a career shift)
· Developing a new social circle (that also gives you an inside scoop of the area)
The move is a jumping off point from all the old struggles and experiences that have held you back. You’re in a new area, meeting new people, doing new work, and having new experiences. Why not be a new person, yourself? Re-invent yourself because now’s the prime opportunity to do so!
BIG Lifestyle Changes
Millions of people in the United States move each year yet only a fraction take this time to make big changes to their lifestyle. They settle in and repeat the same routine. What a waste, right? Do something different this time. Use the post-move as a time to do something new and great!