As the new school year approaches, now is the time to start thinking about packing and moving into your residence— but where to even start? 

One of the biggest hurdles that comes with moving for school, whether it’s your first or fourth year, is what to do with all of your stuff. What to bring, what to leave behind, and what to get rid of?

We all have a lot of stuff, which can make moving a challenge. The good news though is that moving is the best chance to purge some of your stuff. After all, you’re already going through everything!

Now that you’re already going through all your sh!t, here’s how you can better decide what you can leave at home, what to take with you, and what you can get rid of all together.

Checklists: Make Lists & Check Them Twice

Before you start, you will want to make a few lists. First, make a list of what it is you need to do; what materials you need in order to pack, what you need to physically pack, and if there’s any organizing or sorting you need to do before you actually start. 

Then, you will probably want to decide what it is you want to bring with you. Make a list of all the things and, yes, check it twice. After you make your list, go over it again to see if you need to remove or add anything. Remember, what you need to bring with you and what you want to bring with you are two completely different things. 

Once you make your lists, you can pack away all the essentials you know you need. Then, along the way, you can see how much room you have remaining for the extra things you may want. 

Compartmentalize: Categorize Your Items

So, you have your list of what you are bringing with you. Now is the harder part  deciding what to do with all the rest of your things. Now that you have what you need, you can address all the miscellaneous items that may not have a place yet.

You can divide your items into the following categories:

• Keep
• Sell
• Donate
• Throw Out

Once you know what you are getting rid of, you will have a much smaller “keep” pile to deal with. This will make it easier to sift through your stuff and identify some of those more “wants” based items that you can pack with any remaining room.

Seasonality: Pack for the Season(s)

When you are packing, don’t forget to pack for the season. This will also help you narrow down what exactly you should be bringing, and help you organize your things seasonally. This way you can pack less and, next season, you can easily exchange your clothing and other items. 

This will cut what you need to pack in half, and will help prevent you from just moving all of your clutter from your home to your residence. 

Work Hard Play Hard: Make it a Team Effort

Decluttering by yourself can be exceptionally boring. Enlist the help of family and friends to help you declutter your room and sort through your belongings to figure out what to keep at home, what to bring with you, and what you can get rid of all together.

Plus, having other people around will also hold you accountable and help you be more ruthless when decluttering.

Multipurpose: If It Has One Use, It Has No Use

How do you really decide what to keep, what to take with you, and what to throw to the curb? One of the most important things to keep in mind when decluttering is not so much if it sparks joy, but in how many ways does it spark joy? Single use items clutter quickly, which is why it's important to identify and make the most use of those items that are multi purpose. 

Instead of bringing different types of baking sheets and trays, pick a deep baking sheet that you can use for both baked goods, and oven baking meat. Bring those makeup items that are a two-in-one deal. The more purposes they fill, the more reason to bring them along and the less clutter you will bring along with you!