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5 pro tips to make your next PCS more organized

Teal Yost
by Teal Yost
April 16, 2021
5 pro tips to make your next PCS more organized
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We’ve spent a lot more time in our homes during the past year, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. For that reason, many people have turned their focus to tackling messy pantries and purging closets. Shows about home organization are all the rage on Netflix, and The Container Store reported online sales have soared.

But getting organized for a PCS is a mammoth task compared to getting a junk drawer under control. As a professional organizer and a military spouse with a handful of moves under her belt, Lauren Weldon May is sharing some of her favorite tips for a smooth and well-organized move.

May says her friends and family aren’t the least bit surprised she’s made organization a career.

“I’ve always been known for being hyper-organized. Since I was 6 or 7 years old, it was something I was known for,” she said.

Her organizational skills served her well in her first career in luxury hotel management.

“I was always taking on organization projects at work on top of my daily responsibilities. Finally, after several years in the hotel world, I thought to myself, ‘Organization is what I’m passionate about; maybe it’s what I should do as a career.’”

A certified professional organizer, May launched her business in 2013 in Temple, Texas, just 30 miles from Fort Hood, the largest (and most populated) U.S. military installation in the world.

It was during that time she met her husband, an Army JAG. Together, they moved all over the U.S., with an OCONUS move to Italy scheduled for this summer.

May has moved her business, Manifesto Home, providing organization services for the home, home office, and small business at each new duty station.

“I’m a very aesthetically-minded organizer. If something is pretty, you’re more likely to maintain it,” she explained.

She tackles projects like pantry organization and custom closet design and takes on tasks that many people dread, developing paper filing systems, for example.

In fact, offices are one of May’s favorite spaces to organize.

“In my opinion, they are one of the most important places to be organized. Every piece of paper represents something important — whether it’s money, a memory, a legal issue — all of those things are incredibly important,” she said.

During the pandemic, May’s business shifted to virtual organizing sessions, and business boomed.

“In 2020 and 2021, our homes became our gym, our daycare, school, office, more. Everyone was home all of the time, and when we’re asking our space to do double and triple duty, it’s essential that everything has its place.”

May’s top tip is to write things down.

As her focus shifts to her family’s upcoming move, May assures an organized PCS is possible. Here are her top tips:

Learn to write things down: Our brains are for thinking, not for storage. Many of my clients are most stressed out about what’s going on in their heads. Get a notebook, a spreadsheet or an app and get your to-do list out of your head.

Don’t reinvent the wheel: When it comes to a PCS, if you’ve done this once, you’ve got at least an idea of what to expect. While every move is different, a lot of things remain the same. You need to cancel the cable, update the car insurance,  and switch TRIACRE regions, if necessary. You probably know more than you think you do.

Let the container be the bad guy: I always tell people to purchase organizing containers that create limits. I do that with my furniture, with my closet. I have 100 hangers, so when I get something new, I eliminate something.

Use color coding: Use colors when it comes to PCS pack-out prep. Make your move as easy as possible for your movers. I color code every single box. A red tag for things that needed to go to the garage, a yellow tag for things headed to the kitchen, etc. You’ll be amazed at how much time this saves when you arrive at your new home.

Collect all vital documents: This may sound like a no-brainer, but get all of those important documents (birth certificates, marriage licenses, passports, etc.) together and in a safe place, whether it’s a binder or a fire-proof storage container. I’ve seen clients and friends waste so much time and money replacing those crucial documents.

And even though she’s an organizational pro, May adds that she isn’t immune to PCS pressure.

“I tell my clients, I’m human! I still get stressed about each move, because I want each move to go well.”

PCS’ing this season? Connect with Manifesto for more tips on getting organized. 

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Tags: Lauren Weldon MayManifesto Homemilitary spousesorganizationPCS moves
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Teal Yost

Teal Yost

Teal Yost is an award-winning journalist who anchored and reported at NBC, CBS and Fox television stations in Texas and Iowa. She also produced and delivered live reports from the Chicago Board of Trade as a financial correspondent for Bloomberg Television. Like military life, the life of a journalist is never boring. Teal has interviewed sitting presidents and rock stars. She's covered everything from devastating floods and deadly tornadoes to the federal government shutdown and IPOs for the latest tech start-up. Television news provided unique insight into the military even before becoming a Navy spouse. Teal was one of the first journalists on the scene of the Fort Hood shooting massacre — reporting live for several hours as events unfolded. She was lucky enough to fly in an F-16 Thunderbird — wearing a g-suit and experiencing Diamond Cloverloops and Aileron Rolls to help publicize an air show. Since leaving TV news she’s spent time as a Navy public affairs officer, content director for a nonprofit, SEO specialist, freelance writer and content strategist. Teal holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York. She received a B.A. in political science and theatre at Millikin University. Teal has six military moves under her belt. When not packing, PCS’ing or tripping over toy cars and train sets, she enjoys travel, spin classes and trying out new recipes. She’s currently based in Rota, Spain with her husband and two sons.

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