Moving Tips To Get Organised
We always talk about good planning being the best way to ensure a smooth move. Even then, many people find moving house to be a complex, stressful and unpleasant task. This is because moving house is inherently chaotic. If you’re not a naturally organised person, here are some moving tips for how to organise and plan your next move.
Why plan?
Good planning is important for any move, whether you’re using a professional moving company, doing it yourself or a combination of the two. Throwing caution to the wind and moving without planning is the easiest way to increase costs, risks and time spent moving. Plus, planning a move is much easier than you might think, even though the task can seem daunting.
Start by setting a date
Planning a move is somewhat like baking a cake in reverse. You want to start by setting the date when everything will happen, then work backwards making a list of ingredients that will get you there. Never underestimate how much time you’ll need to plan your move. It’s always a case of more is better.
These are the three key aspects to planning your move:
- Packing up your furniture and belongings
- Organising a moving company or transportation
- Organising storage if you can’t move into your new home straight away
Once you have your moving date set, work backwards and set milestones and deadlines for each key task. For example, organising a moving company or transportation should be done immediately. Packing your belongings can be done in stages with the end goal being that you’re fully packed a day or two before moving day.
To-do lists
To-do lists are your friend if you’re not a naturally organised person. Depending on your needs, you might like to have weekly task lists or daily lists. However you choose to break down each task into its smaller components, always keep a master list. This should have everything on it so nothing slips through the cracks. Remember to mark off each task as it’s done on all lists you keep.
While writing lists might seem like an extra task itself, they help to keep you organised, spread the load and manage stress. When you can see you’re making progress from what you’ve achieved, it can be a big relief. There are many apps available for smart devices which help you to make lists, plan and set deadlines too.
Set deadlines and stick to them
All good plans can spiral out of control if you don’t set deadlines and stick to them. As time isn’t your friend when moving, if you start to run out of it, you’ll have too much to do. That’s when stress levels go up, accidents occur and other tasks get forgotten.
Breaking big tasks down to smaller tasks and setting deadlines is the most powerful tool for staying organised. Once you get used to the routine, you’ll breeze through tasks that would otherwise feel daunting.
Delegate
A common mistake many people make is trying to do too much by themselves. Involve the whole family in your planning. Involving your kids in the process helps them to accept and adjust to the idea of moving too. It can have a very positive benefit. Spreading the load will also help your stress levels. Working as a team always makes a move go much better.
Rewards are the best motivation
Finally, set rewards for getting tasks done. If you reward everyone, including yourself, for your achievements, the entire process becomes much more enjoyable. Naturally, the greatest reward will be a much smoother move, which will make everyone happy.
If you need any further help organising your move, we’re here to help. Just give us a call.