Packing is a meditative experience — in the same way that being stuck in traffic is meditative, meaning it produces a specific kind of focused, sometimes frantic internal monologue. Here are the ten thoughts that every person has, in roughly this order, during the packing process.
1. ‘This Is Going to Be So Organized’
You have purchased colored tape. You have purchased a label maker. You have a spreadsheet. Each box will be labeled with room, contents, and estimated unpack priority. You have never felt more prepared. This feeling will last until approximately box number four.
2. ‘Do I Actually Own This Much Stuff?’
The third closet has revealed itself. You did not know there were three closets. You thought you were a minimalist. You thought you had been thoughtful about your possessions. The evidence strongly disagrees with this self-assessment.
3. ‘I’ll Just Take Care of This Whole Shelf Later’
This is the first appearance of ‘Later.’ Later is the enemy of a successful move. Later is how you end up packing at midnight the night before, wrapped in a moving blanket, eating cereal from a pot because all the bowls are already packed.
4. ‘This Probably Doesn’t Need to Be Wrapped’
It needs to be wrapped. Whatever it is, wrap it. You will not remember this advice in the moment. You will discover the outcome of this decision when you unpack at the new home and find the thing that definitely didn’t need to be wrapped.
5. ‘I Should Have Gotten Rid of This’
Every single packing session produces at least five items that you look at, hold for a moment, feel something ambiguous about, and then pack anyway. Three moves from now, you will still be moving this item without knowing why.
6. ‘I’ll Pack the Kitchen Last’
You will always plan to pack the kitchen last. The kitchen will somehow also take the most time, despite being the ‘last’ room to pack. There will come a moment, around 11 PM before moving day, where you are wrapping individual forks in packing paper because everything else is already in boxes.
7. ‘Maybe I Should Just Buy New Stuff at the New Place’
This thought is seductive, reasonable, and occasionally correct for specific categories. For the bulk of your possessions, it is the thought of a person in the early stages of packing exhaustion. Budget accordingly.
8. ‘Why Do I Own 14 Spatulas’
Nobody knows. Nobody buys spatulas intentionally. They simply accumulate, like silt, in kitchen drawers over years. You will move 8 of them to the new home and call it decluttering.
Moving is stressful — but it’s also one of life’s most exciting transitions. Cheep Cheep Movers is here to make the logistical part easy so you can focus on the adventure ahead.
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