For many, moving is a stressful time, as it’s a big process to transport everything you own from one home to another. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be this way. With a few simple strategies, you can significantly lower the amount of stress caused by moving and make the entire process less of a hassle. Here are six tips you can try:
Plan as Much as Possible
One of the key ways to remove stress during a move is by planning. If you don’t write down what you need to do and when you need to do it, your moving process can quickly become a disorganized mess. This will lead to forgetting crucial tasks and thereby add more stress to your move.
Take a few minutes to think about everything you need to do to prepare, no matter how small. Write them all down, or type them on your phone, then sort them based on priority and deadlines. For example, hiring a moving company needs to be done sooner than packing up your belongings, so it should be near the top of the list. As you think of new items or complete tasks, update your list so that you always have a current plan of what you still need to do.
Buy More Supplies Than You Think You Need
Next, you’ll likely need some supplies for your move. Common moving supplies include cardboard boxes, packaging tape, packing peanuts, scissors, markers, and more. As you’re purchasing what you need, it’s a good idea to get a little more than you think is required. There are a few reasons for this.
First, it’s hard to estimate how much you’ll need in the first place. Second, not having enough supplies can significantly slow down the packing process as you need to stop to get more. Finally, you may end up wasting some of your supplies, such as breaking a cardboard box or losing your tape roll. A few extra supplies on hand will help everything go much more smoothly, so stock up from the beginning.
Start Packing Early
No matter how much stuff you have, packing it will likely take longer than you think. It’s a time-consuming process to get everything into boxes and ready for travel. You need to consider things like the safety of your belongings, the weight of the boxes, and which items you can’t pack until the day before your move.
To avoid as much stress as possible, look to start packing early. By giving yourself more time, you can do a little bit at a time and not feel overwhelmed. Start with the items that you don’t use very often, as you won’t need to worry about them being in boxes. Once you know you’re going to move, start setting aside time to pack so that you have less to do as the moving date arrives.
Hire Reputable Professionals
If you really want to have less stress and also make moving day safer, work with reputable professionals. Moving from one home to another is a big job, even if you get some friends or family members to help. There’s heavy furniture to move, staircases to navigate, and a moving truck that needs to be packed properly for safe transportation. While you can attempt to do this on your own, you’ll relieve a lot of stress by hiring some help.
One option is to hire a full moving team. They can help you pack up your home, load everything onto a truck, and then unload it into your new space. If you want to save some money, you could also look for a packing and unpacking service, leaving you to just worry about transit. Whomever you decide to hire, make sure they have a strong reputation for quality service by checking out reviews from previous customers online.
Follow Packing Best Practices
As you’re packing up your belongings, there are a few best practices you should follow. For starters, make sure anything fragile has extra protection. This means wrapping glassware in newspaper, wrapping a soft blanket around your television, and putting something like packing peanuts inside boxes to reduce movement.
Another best practice is not overloading any box. Boxes that are too heavy are more likely to break and will significantly tire out the person carrying them. If you have trouble lifting a box, consider splitting the items up into two boxes, if you have the space.
Plan for Your Kids and Pets
Finally, plan for your kids and pets on moving day. Moving day can be a chaotic time, and you’ll have enough to worry about without watching out for your kids or pets. See if you can get a babysitter for the day or drop your pets off at a local animal daycare. This will free you up to focus on the move, and you can simply bring your kids and pets to their new home once everything is done.
