Did you realize that moving can be the best organizing tool ever? How could it not be? You're moving everything you own from your current cluttered dwelling to a new space with vast empty rooms! Many people just stuff their things into boxes and move piles of clutter from one place to the next, but you can seize the opportunity to not only move your possessions but organize them as well.
SORT
The first step is to sort through things as you pack. Not everything you have needs to make the trip to the new place. Those horrible old slippers you never liked that have been living under the bed for months, expired coupons, ancient magazines, anything that has passed its period of usefulness should be dumped. Things that may be useful to someone else like books you've enjoyed but don't want to read again, old clothing, knick knacks, anything that is too good to throw away but not important enough to keep, should be donated. Whatever is left, pack up and take with you.
LABEL
As you pack, take a moment to make a list of what you are putting into each box. Maybe something as broad as kitchen utensils or something as specific as Fido's water bowl. Some people find it helpful to place a colored dot sticker on the corner of each box to designate the room where the items belong. Red stickers for the kitchen, blue for the bathroom, yellow for the bedroom and so on. Give each box a number. Maybe take a quick picture with your phone before you close each box and make sure that picture is identified. It's much easier to scroll through your photos than to open stacks of boxes.
DON'T PROCRASTINATE
Once you have moved, DON'T LET THE BOXES SIT UNOPENED FOR WEEKS. The longer you wait, the hazier your memory of what you put in there will be. As time passes, it might seem easier to move boxes out to the garage than dig through them. Then, suddenly, instead of order, you have a garage full of mystery boxes.
RE-EVALUATE
As you unpack, take another look at things with a fresh, unhurried eye. Items that seemed too precious to part with may have lost their energy now, leaving you free to let them go.
TWO TASKS IN ONE
Don't think of packing as a chore. It's a second chance! Not only are you moving to a new place, you are decluttering your old one. Think of moving as a fresh start, your best opportunity to whittle down your belongings and organize your life.
It's as simple as that!