Benefits of downsizing to an apartment

Benefits of downsizing

Downsizing isn’t just for seniors.

Downsizing isn’t just for seniors. For some reason, it’s still associated with retirees, aging and possibly preparing for the final step. We don’t believe that downsizing is only for the elderly. In fact, downsizing offers great benefits for all ages.

Read more

Coping with stress when moving house

Make moving stress free

Over the last 2-3 weeks, we’ve been supporting a few client move. While they’ve stayed in the same city, they decided against doing it all alone. They’ve valued their time more and outsourced the stressful parts – to us (more to come in the next few weeks). We understand not everyone can afford this. Here are our top tips to keeping you sane when moving.

  1. Start early.

Often, we get stressed when we are facing tight deadlines. Give yourself ample time to prepare for your moving day. Will you make it a DIY move or will you have professional movers pack, load and unpack the boxes for you? Or will you a combination of the two, where you let professional movers carry the heavy items like furniture?

Take some time to also declutter all those pieces you no longer want, need or use. If possible, sell or donate them so someone else can enjoy them. Don’t just throw them away, like we’ve seen when college kids are vacating their dorms.

Decluttering reduces the number of boxes you’ll need and can lead to quite a bit of saving in the moving quote. For our clients, it’s also the relief of not having to take all these postponed decisions to their new home. They can start fresh without the items that have been weighing them down for months and years.

Home is where the heart is moving home stress

  1. Keep a project plan for your move.

It always seems like 100 thousands items need to be arranged. Some are dependent on others. For example, you can’t move out of an apartment until you’ve disconnect the electricity and have received the final bill.

Have a note book handy or write a list where you write down all activities with the due dates. It lets you keep track of what you need to complete without missing one. Include phone numbers, contract numbers and the name of the person you’ve spoken to. In case you’ll need to reach them again, you may be transferred to that very same person.

  1. Decide what to pack and what not.

There are some items you don’t want have packed up. Your passport, degree certificate, marriage licence and your jewellery are just a few. Medicine which you take on a daily basis needs to be carried in your luggage. One trick is to put everything you want to keep or move yourself in one room and lock it. The movers won’t mistakenly pack any of these items and you know where they are.

Knowing what is where will help you handle the mess that you’ll see when the boxes piling up. As you pack, use a box only for items from one room. This way, you’re not going to mix items from your bedroom with items. We recommend that you write on the side and on the top of the box what’s in it, e.g. “Kitchen – Pots”. It’ll make it easier should you need to open up a box and when you’re unpacking in the new home.

  1. Eat out on moving day.

Cooking causes stress on most days. Add the additional chaos in your kitchen and it may end up in complete chaos. That’s not what you need! You need simplicity for your food and drinks.

Taking your family to a restaurant for breakfast or dinner gives you some physical space to all the moving action in your home. You can treat yourself to some delicious and healthy food, giving you the feeling of being on holidays. You can also take this time to go through your project plan and create an “attack plan” for the next few hours without hearing another plate being wrapped in thin china paper.

If you haven’t budgeted for eating out during your move, consider ordering in. While you may not get away from the moving action, at least you’re removing one more stressor.

  1. Stay in a hotel.

Especially when moving across countries, moving can be extremely complex. It’s normal to be a bit anxious about an upcoming move. This stress can impact your sleep quality. You may wake up numerous times during the night or not feel rested in the morning. A night in a hotel room can help you chill and may be just what the doctor ordered.

Check out offers and discount prior to your move date. The Entertainer has options for multiple nights in hotels and during the summer, many hotels are offering special rates for UAE residences.

Peace of mind Brian Tracy moving home stress

  1. Do a fun activity.

This one is for you. This may be running or working out in the gym, reading a book in a quiet space or getting a massage to relax. This time for you will allow you to switch and focus on what you need to recharge your batteries.

If you have family, find something all of you enjoy. During this heat, it may be going to a swimming pool, jumping on a trampoline at Bounce or listening to a book reading in the library. Whatever you choose, let it be a fun activity that won’t create more stress and anxiety for you.

Over to you, what tip did we miss? What was your biggest stress relief when you moved homes? Looking forward to reading your comments below

Until next time,
Agni

Decluttering according to your zodiac sign

Decluttering according to your zodiac star sign

No, we don’t really care about your zodiac sign

We recently stumbled across an article “Decluttering according to your Zodiac Sign”. As much as find horoscopes entertaining, someone else must have thought that too. After all, what got your star sign to do with decluttering?

For us as a Leo, it said to

Read more

How to declutter your bras

Declutter your bras

Keep only the bras that work with you

Honest answer, ladies. How many bras do you own? Do all of them still support you? If not, it’s time to tackle one of the intimate areas of your closet: Your bra section!

When to declutter

Yes, this may be a tough one. Or maybe it’ll be one of the easiest decluttering sessions you’ll have ever done. If you’re like most women, you probably don’t

Read more

7 benefits of owning less

7 benefits of owning less

Owning less as the new pursuit of happiness

Are you overwhelmed by all the stuff in your home? You are not alone. In 2014, the average US American owned 300,000 items. 300,000! That’s a massive amount and yet, it doesn’t seem make Americans happy. They were only ranked 19 of the World’s Happiest Countries 2019. Is owning less the answer?

Read more

Move Over Spring Cleaning – It’s Spring Clearing Week!

Spring clearing 2019

You’ve done the cleaning, let’s start the clearing

As a member of APDO, the Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers, we are is looking to rid this region off its clutter this Spring. It’s time to start the Spring clearing!

A survey by Money Magpie* found that less than half of Brits bother with an annual Spring clean. 60% view it more as a decluttering exercise than a traditional deep-clean. Do you think it’s any better where you live?

Read more

Spring clean your living room this week

Spring clean your living room

Prepare your living room for Spring

It’s almost Spring and you can smell it. People are getting excited about the warmer temperatures and being able to enjoy the outdoors. It’s the time to start again – fresh! This week, we’re continuing our spring cleaning and we’re taking on the living room. Get it ready for you and your family but also for your friends to come visit (unannounced).

Read more

Spring clean your kitchen this week

Spring clean your kitchen

Spring clean

21 March represents the beginning of Spring 2019. We can’t wait for this season. Known as the season where new life starts, it’s also the start for new projects. By now, many have given up on their New Year’s resolutions, let’s start fresh and get your home in order. This month, we’ll help you with practical tips for your spring cleaning and we’ll focusing on 4 different zones in your room. We’re starting with the kitchen this week.

Read more

Declutter to reduce your stress

Declutter to reduce your stress

What’s the connection between clutter and stress?

Does the clutter in your home stress you out? Yes? You’re not alone! The connection between clutter and stress is a hot research topic and the results are shocking. While the famous UCLA study on clutter has been conducted in 2012, not much has changed. If we know that clutter creates anxiety and makes us feel overwhelmed, why aren’t we doing more to control the chaos in our home, office and life?

Read more

Does decluttering mean the end of a dream?

End of a dream

An end is a new beginning

We’ve recently helped a lovely lady take a huge step: Going through her baby clothes. Anyone who’s done this knows the smell of baby but also of joy and hopes for their family. For this lady and her wonderful family, it meant the end of a dream.

Our lovely client has three sweet boys aged 14, 10 and 9. As she admits, there are days when football training takes over their life and she wished they could have a quiet week. At the same time, our client and her husband love these three boys so very much. You step into their home and feel love is in the air.

The end of a dream

So why was it so tough for our client to let go

Read more