You've surely heard of Marie Kondo. And if not, let us tell you that Marie Kondo is a Japanese organizational consultant who became famous with her KonMari method, popularized in a Netflix miniseries.
Through this method, Marie explains how to organize every space in your home with the sole purpose of making every corner of your home bring you well-being.
So, when we have to make a move in Panama and chaos appears, a good way to bring order is to follow the method to ensure that our new home only contains items that bring us happiness.
Below are some tips for when you face the mountains of moving boxes.
1. Declutter before you move
Yes, it's preferable to remove every object or garment that doesn't spark joy and not take it to your new home. Only take exactly what is valuable to you. Not those pants you hope will fit you someday and that have been stored for 5 years. Place everything neatly in clearly labeled boxes according to its category or the room it belongs to.
2. What do you want your life to be like in your new home?
A good idea is to take photos of the new house to imagine how you want to decorate it and use it as inspiration to meditate and visualize yourself and your family there, with smiles on your faces and exuding happiness. You can mentally walk through each space in your room and think: How will I arrange my clothes? What kind of food will I put in my fridge? What decorations will I put in the living room? All of this also ignites your excitement for the new house and you begin to connect with it as a part of yourself.
3. Consider how big (or not) your house is
If you know your furniture won't fit in the new living room, then don't take it and plan to buy another. If the bed is too small for your youngest child, then don't take that either. Remember, with the KonMari method, only things that truly bring us joy should go. So, imagine you take your child's small bed and every night when you put them to bed you think, "Ugh, it's getting too small." That's not bringing you happiness. So, goodbye.
4. Categorize
One way to see every object that makes up your life is to categorize them. Take out all your books. Which ones truly had an impact and which didn't? Take out all your clothes. Which ones do you actually wear? Which garments did you wear during a bad time, and every time you wear them, it reminds you of it? Take out all your frying pans, pots, and dishes. Which ones are too worn out? Which plate has a chipped edge? Finally, you should leave sentimental items, like photos, drawings, or objects from your children when they were young, for last. You leave this step for the end because by then you will have perfected the discarding technique and it will be easier to face this accumulation of sentimental things.
5. Small boxes should go inside large ones
Don't place small objects loosely inside a large box. The guru recommends putting them into subcategories within a larger box so they don't get disorganized. Plus, this way you can use the maximum amount of space inside the box.
6. How to fold
One of the most impactful techniques from the KonMari method is how to fold in order to maximize space and make it easier to stay organized over time. The secret is to fold into a compact rectangle that can stand on its own. How is this achieved? You must fold both edges of the shirt towards the center to create a rectangle, then tuck in the sleeves. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise, and then in half again. Finally, you will get a compact rectangle that stands upright. This way, you can transfer it from the box to the closet without any problem, all organized, saving you time from organizing after the move.
7. Don't throw away food
A few weeks before your move in Panama, make sure to take inventory of everything in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. This way we become aware of what we need to eat before we leave. Plus, it saves you money.
8. Goodbye and thank you
The house you are leaving is part of your history. In it, you laughed, cried, and ultimately, lived. So, thank it for having taken care of you, walk through each room, and say goodbye with a smile and true gratitude. In fact, if you like, you can light incense, as Marie recommends as part of her culture. This way you energetically cleanse it to hand it over to its new owners with love.
9. Hello and thank you
According to the practice of Shinto shrines, upon entering, you should greet the home because it is a space with energy. According to Kondo, you should kneel on the floor, in the center of your home, and introduce yourself, either out loud or silently, and thank it for being the new place that will protect you.
10. Don't buy everything at once
Even though you might think you need things to fill your new home, don't rush out to buy them all at once. Marie Kondo recommends living in it for some time first and listening to it to know what you really need and where it should be placed.
We hope these tips are very useful for you to have a move in Panama full of good energy and start this new stage of your life with order and happiness.
Leave the executive part of the move to us, and we assure you that we will take care of your precious belongings with the utmost care. Do not hesitate to contact us, and we will gladly assist you.