Home moves are never easy on anyone. It involves taking all your things—your life—and shifting it somewhere else. Even if you’re moving just down the street, a moving company can help you get your things where they need to be faster than if you tried it by yourself.
Still, even with the muscle of a moving company lifting your furniture and boxes for you, budgeting your time for maximum efficiency is the key to as smooth a transition as possible. There will inevitably be things you overlook, things you lose, and things that take forever to be set up properly in your new home, but by budgeting your time, you’ll minimize these inconveniences and create as smooth a process as possible.
Get yourself a clean, blank notebook and get to work.
Before the Moving Company Comes…
Believe it or not, the more aspects of your move you have on paper, even if they’re just scribbled in barely-understandable chicken scratch, the easier your move will be.
Start with a notebook and sketch out as many days in advance as possible.
Everyone’s moving situation is different. Look at your calendar and figure out how many days you have until the moving company comes for your things. You should plan to have everything or almost everything packed and ready to be carried by then.
Go day by day and lay out realistic goals for each day. I find it’s easiest to go room to room. For example, on Monday, since the weather will be nice, I might plan to pack my winter clothes and gear in the coat closet.
You’ll want to space out the work of packing as much as you can. Pack your non-essentials first, like that quilt your mom knitted you, then work on packing your food, your Xbox, your TV, etc. when you’ll nearly be ready to move to the new place and set them up again for use.
Make it Easy
Whether you have a week, a month, or a weekend to pack, the more detail you can squeeze into every day’s objectives, the better. If you have extra time, don’t pack too many objectives into one day. Give yourself realistic goals you know you can accomplish in a day or a few hours.
Once you have all your objectives down—all the tasks you need to have done before the moving company shows up—you can start looking for the things you’ll need to complete them. In short, you’ll need boxes and protective packing equipment, which I like to call “bubble wrap.”
Give Yourself Some Credit
Okay, hear me out on this. This is a crucial part of an anytime budget or to-do list: check-marks. Seriously.
Ever cross something off a list and felt an immense sense of accomplishment? Only every time? This is why it matters to check off the things you accomplish every day. Moving is difficult and it takes much longer than you think at every turn. Even with a moving company, your stuff is your stuff. Take responsibility for your checklist and always cross out or check off each item on your time budget. This will not only help you know what you’ve already done and what still needs to be done, but it will also be a satisfying end to each day.
Starting every day with a clear list of packing objectives will not only keep you on-task and focused, but it will also help you save time before the moving company comes. Writing it down gives you a record and helps keep all parties involved accountable. Stay on schedule, and you’ll be packed and ready to move on moving day.