Unpacking is also deciding which parts of your old routine deserve a place in the new one.

A move offers a rare and short-lived opportunity: for a few weeks, nothing is where it has always been. Habits that survived only because the kettle was next to the radio, or the mat was by the door, can be rebuilt deliberately instead of inherited. Most people unpack as fast as possible and restore the old arrangement without examining it.

Before each thing finds its place, ask what it was for and whether you still want that. Put the things you want to do more often within easy reach, and the rest higher up. Leave a few boxes unopened and see whether you miss them.