How can you make moving more fun?

How can you make moving less stressful?

I don’t think you can.

Well, you can hire people to do everything for you but you will still need review all your belongings – that means reviewing your past life. Declutter and all that.

I have moved five times since I have been in Portugal. They were all stressful but I have learned a few things that made moving less stressful.

6 steps to make your move easier

1. Review your closets and shelves once a year. I like to do this in the spring. Your decluttering will help you in your future moves and your every day life.
2. Hire someone, a few weeks before your move,  to help you go through all your things and donate or sell things.
3. Hire someone to pack everything you do not use every day a few weeks before your move.
4. Hire someone or a few people to help you unpack on your moving day. This is crucial! It will make you feel at home quicker.
5. Fix up your new apartment as quickly as you can and budget for whatever you need to make it a cozy home.
6. Declutter and remove things you do not need. 

What do you do when you move to a new home?

Do you fix it up quickly so that you feel like you have been there forever or do you take your time to feel the space and atmosphere?

I do a little of both.  I put things away, put the furniture in place, buy the essential and hang up my painting. 

I live in the place for awhile and make a list of things I need and want to make it my home.

Plants are great for calming your new environment and there is nothing like fresh herbs!

I have always had many plants in all my homes. I also love fresh flowers throughout the house.

Plants make you feel at home. So if you still have a few boxes to unpack, empty walls and can’t decide if you should buy a few pieces of furniture- don’t worry. Buy a few plants to make you feel cozy and do the other things as soon as possible. 

Do not leave things in boxes for too long because you will end up getting used to the boxes and they will be there forever! 

Which room would you fix up first?

I fix up the bedroom as quickly as I can and then I focus on the living/dining room. 

Little vignettes all over the house

I creat small vignettes throughout the apartment so that when I walk around I feel grounded and I feel at home. 

I change them around a lot it make it more fun for me to live in a house that goes through constant little changes.

I like to keep my drawing area a little messy and I love to spread out. However I just moved again and one of my rooms will be my studio. I will be adding shelves and plan to keep it a bit more organised so that I can find everything easily.

Do you have a home office or studio?

I had a rooftop terrace when I lived in Elvas, Portugal. I used as a home office in the late afternoons and watches many movies there during the hot summer nights.

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Updated August 2025