Fundamentals for a Smoother and More Sustainable Move - according to Marie Kondo

Use Marie Kondo’s Fundamentals for a Smoother and More Sustainable Move

Ask anyone that has moved house and they will tell you it is one of the most stressful things they’ve done.  Indeed, recent research has shown that almost one in three people (28%) find it more stressful than getting married, driving tests, having a baby and job interviews.

So, what do people moving house hate the most?  In the survey, almost half (49%) said it was the packing and unpacking of their life’s possessions into boxes.  But according to Marie Kondo, it needn’t be that stressful.  By tidying your home before packing and preparing to move, you can actually help to ensure your house move is smoother and more sustainable than you thought possible.  Below we explain Marie Kondo’s reasoning and many more of her top tips.

Why tidy now?

Marie explains that houses are connected by a type of network, i.e. your current house leads to your next house.  By tidying the living space of your current house effectively, you are essentially telling the ‘network’ that you look after your home, which attracts your next home.  Much like the Law of Attraction’s philosophy that suggests positive thoughts bring positive results, or like attracts like, tidying and taking care of your home before you move brings positive thoughts, and therefore results.

Marie Kondo’s top moving tips for a smooth, sustainable house move

●      Visualise – finding your next home that ticks all your boxes is one thing, picturing the life you want to lead in that home may be another matter entirely.  Marie recommends learning how to visualise your new home and how you want to live in it.  Visualise your furnishings, the colour of the walls, carpets or wood flooring and imagine creating new, happy memories in your new home.  By visualising what makes you feel happy and joyful about the house before you’ve moved in allows you to connect with it before you’ve moved in.

●      Know your limits – by having a clear, defined vision of your future in your new home, you will be able to make better decisions on what you plan to take with you from your current house.  Letting go of furniture or other items that don’t fit in with your future life and finding them a new home, rather than putting them in storage, will make the packing up of your current home far easier.

●      Pack by category – most of us know that we should plan how we pack our possessions into boxes but how many times does panic set in and plans go to the wall?  Marie says that by packing in the same order you would tidy, i.e. in a specific order and by categories such as clothes, books, kitchen and papers, not only will you be able to discard duplicates and items you no longer use or make you feel happy, it will be easy to see all your possessions at a glance and make unpacking a joy.

●      Nest boxes in boxes – bring your Tetris skills to the fore when it comes to packing.  Rather than mix items up in a big box, pack according to sub-categories, i.e. use smaller, shallower boxes inside bigger boxes as layers. 

●      Master the fold – remember making origami animals when you were a child?  Well, Marie brings this into action when it comes to folding clothes.  Her KonMari folding method ensures your clothes will be folded into a compact rectangle, not only making them easier to pack, but also unpack.   The basics of her folding method are:

▪       Fold both edges of the garment toward the centre and form a rectangle. Tuck in any excess fabric and sleeves.

▪       Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise.

▪       Fold this in half or thirds.

●      Don’t order in – it’s a common habit to pick up the phone or go online and order a takeaway when you’re busy packing and running out of time, let alone energy!  According to Marie, that’s a big no.  Utilise what’s in your larder, fridge and freezer in the weeks prior to moving house.  Not only does this reduce the amount you have to pack and move, as part of mindful consumption, it adds a halo effect to your tidying.

●      Say goodbye with gratitude – in the excitement of getting on the road and leaving your old house for your new home, we often forget to walk through the empty space of your last abode and say goodbye with gratitude, i.e. thank the house for protecting you and your family.  A good time to do this is as you do a final tidy up and prepare the house for its new owners.

●      Greet your new home – when you arrive at your new home, the first thing on your mind, next to your kids charging and ‘bagsying’ their bedrooms, is to crack on with moving all the boxes in and start unpacking.  However, based on the etiquette of entering Shinto shrines, Marie believes you should take the time to greet your new home, introduce yourself either aloud or in your mind, and thank your new home for the protection you’re going to have from it.

●      Listen to it – nobody likes living with boxes; most people want to get unpacked as soon as possible and make it feel like home.  But according to Marie, it’s better to live with your boxes, or at least the less important ones, for a few weeks or months and listen to your new home.  Once you’ve learnt about the ins-and-outs of your home, it will tell you where to put your possessions, and what it needs.

Moving house is certainly stressful but Marie Kondo’s KonMari method could make your move much smoother, more sustainable and certainly less stressful. 
 

Musker McIntyre is a leading independent, multi-faceted property agent in the heart of East Anglia, predominantly covering Norfolk and Suffolk.  They have a wealth of experience marketing a wide variety of properties with a proven track record as experts dealing in sales, lettings and property management.  Discover how Musker McIntyre can help you sell, buy, rent or let property by contacting us for more details.  We can help take the stress out of moving. Tel: 01986 888160