PCS Preparation
4 steps to purging before a move.
by Stephanie Johnson
Are you PCSing this month? If so, it may be time to lose a little extra moving weight.
STEP 1. Define Your Space
To prevent you from getting overwhelmed with your organizing project, take a brief walk through your quarters and decide which areas give you the most stress or frustration. Once you’ve prioritized your projects, picture how you want the room/area to look. Keep in mind how the area functions now and how you would like it to function for you once you’re done. Write down your ideas and goals and tape them to the wall in your work room. If your project gets too overwhelming, having your goals down on paper will help get you back on track.
Once you’ve chosen the first room, ask yourself what kind of room you want it to be. Are you creating a playroom, home office, or craft room? Give your organizing project a meaningful name and decide what you will store in that room.
STEP 2. Designate Your Storage Areas
Once you’ve decided which items will be stored in your room, you’ll need to decide how these items will be stored. Will you be using a bookcase or shelving to hold the craft supplies, or an extra dresser? Making these decisions is all based on how you would get the most use out of it. If you prefer to have everything hidden away, you may want to use the dresser. If you are an “out of sight, out of mind” person, installing bookcases or shelving with labeled baskets or clear storage containers might be more useful.
STEP 3. Schedule Your Time
As those who have tried to tackle home improvement projects know, you need to plan ahead. Sit down with your calendar and decide when you will start your project and give yourself a firm deadline for completion. Scheduling it on your calendar will help you devote uninterrupted time to your organizing project, rather than getting sidetracked with phone calls or bored kids.
STEP 4. Getting Started
Now is the time to purge! Have trash bags, donation bins and a keeper box at the ready. Sort through everything in the room. Keep the pace brisk and be quick about your decisions. If you can’t make a quick decision, set it aside for later. If you waste your time hemming and hawing over meaningless items you’re more likely to get frustrated and quit your project early.
Common Pitfalls!!!
Many people get excited about a new organizing project and run right out to the store to get all the bins, baskets and shelving they think they’re going to need. Don’t make that mistake! If you’ve tried to organize before, you’ve probably got several baskets and bins lying around that will make do until you can decide what you really need. Purge the room of all unnecessary items first, and then shop for necessities.