Moving to a new home is rarely a completely stress-free operation. However, you can make it significantly less painful by starting the preparations in time and carefully planning each stage of the move.

According to Laura Holmström, trained professional organiser, it’s common to leave things until the last minute when moving.

“Many people don’t realise how much useless stuff they’ve accumulated until they’re just about to move.”

Holmström also says people often fail to leave enough time for packing. The last moving boxes may still be empty when the movers ring the doorbell.

“As a result, you’ve got countless bags and bundles whose contents are a mystery once you get to your new home.”

Holmström recommends you start going through the things in your home and storage well before the moving day. This leaves you plenty of time to figure out what you actually want to keep and to get rid of the things you don’t. Even if you don’t need something, someone else might, in which case passing it on to a new owner is considerably smarter than just tossing it in the trash.

“You might own some things you haven’t even bought yourself, but have received them as a gift or inheritance.”

“It takes confidence to give up items you don’t need.”

According to Holmström, it’s human to avoid stepping outside your comfort zone and getting rid of objects that awaken emotions and memories. However, this means you easily end up bringing things that aren’t that useful to your new home.

Based on Holmström’s observations, moving from a larger apartment to a smaller one is always more challenging. On the other hand, it forces you to truly figure out which of your belongings are the most important.

It’s typical for young people, in particular, to rent a van and invite a few friends over to help them move in exchange for pizza. However, more and more families are ordering services from a moving company.

Holmström believes that organisation pays off in both approaches.

It’s best to start by packing the things you don’t immediately need in your new home. These include, for example, certain kitchen utensils and dishes. Seasonal clothes and rarely used hobby equipment can also be packed well in advance. If you’re moving in summer, winter clothes and ice skates can be the first things to get boxed.

You’re likely to also find stuff in storage that can be packed after you’ve gone through it.

Things are easier to move in firm and spacious plastic or cardboard boxes instead of banana boxes. For example, moving companies rent out plastic boxes that are sturdy and stackable.

“Try not to pack the boxes too full, as it increases the risk of things breaking.”

You can make organising your new home after the move considerably easier by clearly labeling each moving box based on what it contains and which room it belongs to. For this, you’ll need a marker and pieces of paper that can be taped on the boxes.

Holmström reminds people that moving is an excellent chance to make your home more functional. The main idea is that the things you use on a daily basis are easy to reach, while the things you don’t need as often can be tucked away in a more remote spot.

A salad bowl you use frequently does not belong on the top shelf that you need a chair to reach. And it’s more convenient to store your towels in the bathroom than the backmost corner of your closet

“Young people are less attached to material things in comparison to older generations.”

According to Holmström, preparing for a move properly is important not only because it involves lifting around physical things, but because it’s often linked to major life changes, such as a change of hometown, workplace or family situation.

Moving into your first own home or together with your girlfriend or boyfriend is also a big step for a young person. Holmström says that young people are less attached to material things in comparison to older generations. Many of them only want to take the most important things with them.

“Hopefully parents will encourage this instead of pushing their child to bring all their stuffed toys along when all they want to take from their childhood home is their favourite teddy bear.”

Moving into their own home is also a big step financially for a young person. The fact that you don’t need to buy brand new furniture, for example, makes it less daunting. The internet is full of different groups for recycling and selling used things, and you can visit recycling centres and second hand shops in cities.

“Recycling is in right now. Thanks to it, building your home can be relatively inexpensive.”