After looking for your new home, gathering all the paperwork, packing countless boxes, and doing who knows what else, all that is left now is to unpack and settle in. Even though unpacking seems like something that you can do quickly and effortlessly, it rarely is. After that stressful and exhausting move, we do not want to deal with boxes anymore. We just want to relax a bit. Listen to your body and your mind; if they need rest, give it to them. And, once you rest for a day or two, start unpacking. Do not procrastinate – you cannot live with stacks of boxes around you. If doing this seems impossible right now, we are here to help. Here are some useful ways to deal with unpacking procrastination after your move.
Set a Realistic Deadline
One of the best ways you can force yourself to unpack your boxes and set up your furniture after you have moved to Cape Town, for example, is to set a deadline. It should be a realistic one, not something that will put you under pressure. For instance, give yourself one week to unpack everything and one week to do all the finishing touches and recycle the boxes. Set a deadline that works for you, and try to stick to it as much as possible. One way to motivate yourself to unpack everything by the deadline is to schedule something at your home at that time. That can be a housewarming party, a neighborly barbecue, etc. You would want your home to be representable and welcoming once your new neighbors come to visit, right?
Start Small and Simple
If a mere thought of unpacking makes you feel exhausted and stressed out, take it easy. No law says that you have to unpack everything right now. As previously mentioned, give yourself some time to relax first. Then, once you are rested and feeling a bit better, start unpacking something small and simple. For instance, unpack the kitchen items that you need for cooking tonight. Or, if you moved with your toddler, unpack their toys.
If you are not feeling up to it, avoid unpacking heavy and bulky pieces of furniture whose assembling would take the entire day. Doing this will bring you down even more. Stick to simple and easy tasks for the first couple of days. And then, once you see the results, the motivation for unpacking will come.
Ask for Help
Two is always better than one! And, everything can be done in a lot easier, faster, and happier manner when there are more sets of hands by your side. So, call for help! Ask your friends, family members, neighbors, or colleagues to help you out. If you do not know anybody yet, this is a perfect opportunity to make friends in your new neighborhood! Do not hesitate to approach your first neighbor and ask for help – everybody will say yes. When you have people working with you, you will be more motivated to get the job done. Moreover, with good company, time flies, and you will not even notice that you are actually ‘working’. This is one of the best ways to deal with unpacking procrastination after your move, so give it a go. Just don’t forget to treat the people who helped you afterward – a nice dinner is always a good idea.
Listen to Music While You Unpack
Everything is easier with music! So let your favorite playlist play while you unpack! Doing this will make the unpacking process seem a lot easier, and hopefully, it will make your time run faster. If you have friends over and the music in the background, you actually have the winning combination that will motivate you to unpack everything in just a day or two. But, keep in mind that when we say music, we mean only music! Unpacking is never a good time to catch up on the shows you missed or to watch a movie or watch pretty much anything on the TV. Doing that will distract you! If you unpack while watching something, you will soon find yourself on the sofa, eating and focusing on the TV. So, do yourself a favor – do not watch, just listen!
Fight Negative Thoughts
It is very easy to convince yourself why something is hard to do. Finding a new home is exhausting, leaving your friends is stressful, unpacking is boring, etc. These are just some of the things that can cross your mind when and after moving. And, these are the most common moving mistakes you can make. If your thoughts are negative, your entire moving experience will be negative too!
Try to find positivity in all of this. Focus on all the positive aspects of this move. For instance, once you move to your new home and unpack, you will be able to start your dream job, explore the new community as if you were on vacation, meet amazing people, start fresh, etc. Fight your negative thoughts with positivity, and you will be able to finish all your moving (and after moving) tasks quickly and joyfully.
Reward Yourself
Do not forget to reward yourself after all the hard work. Moving was not easy, so give your body and mind time to adjust. The best way to do that is to do something that makes you happy and interested. For instance, make a pact with yourself that once you unpack just one room, you can go out in your new town and spend the entire day doing what you like. It is essential to set realistic and small goals at first. Reward yourself after completing each one, no matter how small it is. Doing this will make you feel motivated to work even more because you know what comes after. Rewards can encourage you to stop procrastinating and be more productive with moving tasks and everything in life. So, the best way to deal with unpacking procrastination after your move is to have some to look forward to.