We know moving isn’t on your list of favorite things to do. It can be stressful, it can be expensive, and it can be time-consuming. The idea of moving and living somewhere else can open up an enormous range of emotions: excitement, apprehension, and fear to name a few.
The first step in making the move less stressful? View it with excitement rather than the emotions with a more negative context. When you have something to look forward to in your next phase, your move could become something to anticipate with excitement rather than a point of stress.
In addition to changing your mindset for moving, there are several logistical steps you can take to minimize the stress of your next move. Whether you’re moving from one side of the city to another, across a coast, or across the United States, follow these suggestions to help take it on with ease.
1. Start Early: Give Yourself Enough Time
We know how it goes. Procrastination can often times overtake the process of packing. But really, starting sooner rather than later will help make it easier in the long run.
It always take at least twice as long as you think it will when it comes to packing. You may be thinking that there are a lot of things you will still want to use, so you don’t want to pack them away. But, by looking at these items objectively and packing the things that aren’t really needed and used every day, you can make easy progress.
How do you start that? Get several large bins to start the process. Label them keep, toss, sell and donate. You can easily start to segment all of your belongings, room by room, into these sections and quickly purge what isn’t needed all while beginning the packing process.
Not only is it important to start planning as early as possible, but start contacting your move places as soon as possible. If you can contact your new building in advance for reserving specific services, do it. If you can notify utilities companies of an impending move as soon as possible, great! The more you can foresee what requirements are needed, and what you can take care of in advance, the better!
2. Start Small: Pack One Room At A Time
It can be somewhat overwhelming to look at your entire home or apartment as a whole. By focusing on one room at a time, you’ll be able to digest the bigger picture much easier. It will allow you to tackle one room and more easily approach the entire move. Packing one room also helps you keep things organized and saves you a lot of time when you move into your new place to start unpacking.
Follow the same process as mentioned in the first tip, but for the items you plan to keep, make sure you label each box appropriately with the room name and an accompanying number. For example, if you just started on the master bedroom, you could label it master bedroom (or MB to shorten it up with an abbreviation) and #1. Then follow the same for each subsequent box.
To complement the labels on the box and to ensure you know all of your items are accounted for and the types of things that you can find them quickly if needed, take a sheet of paper and write what’s in each box next to the accompanying label you just put on your box.
3. Work With Someone Else: Take On A Professional Mover
Even if you have some friends who can help you move, it can be beneficial and more worth your time to hire a professional crew. Don’t overestimate your abilities and over stretch yourself if it’s only going to cause undue and unnecessary stressors. It can oftentimes be much cheaper to hire a couple of movers, whether it’s for the full move or just packing your belongings.
If you’re planning well in advance, it can also be beneficial from a cost savings perspective to book a mover four to six weeks in advance and ask about low volume or less popular days. Oftentimes movers will charge less on the days that are slightly less popular like during a weekday. Moving companies are typically their busiest on the weekend, so skp a Saturday if you can and shoot for a weekday.
4. Stay Organized: Use A Checklist
As you get started with moving and packing, one of the best ways you can reduce stress is by creating a moving to do and checklist. They’re especially helpful in ensuring you follow certain necessary steps and to make sure things are not forgotten, which can add to stress later on in the process.
You can make your own list, use one on the internet, or a combination of both, but here is a useful moving checklist from Bed Bath & Beyond to get you started.
5. Give Yourself A Break: Rest And Recoup
Remember to breathe and let yourself break. It’s important to be mindful during the whole process to help keep stress levels at bay. Whether it’s resting on the couch, going for a small walk, or using a guided imagery track to take a mini-meditation moment, doing even something small will pay off over the course of the move.
It’s easy to utilize several tips to help reduce your stress when taking on your next move (and making it out on the other side minimally scathed). Above all else, just having a plan is a great start for a successful move.
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