Moving house is known to be one of the more stressful experiences that people commonly go through, and anyone who has done it can tell you all about the myriad worries and concerns that it entails. From ensuring everything is properly and safely packaged to keeping the cat calm during the journey, there are a vast number of things to keep track of and take care of. It’s no surprise, then, that ideas on how to make this all a little easier, whether by saving time or effort, are very welcome, so with that in mind here are some of our top tips for saving time when moving:
- Organization is the key to efficient use of time. You may be tempted to leave things until later, but ultimately that can cost you more time. Start packing and preparing earlier, and you’ll find that – with these other tips – things will go far more smoothly.
- Packing things by room is a effective way of going about things, both because it helps keep your concentration on a single task and because it makes your packing easier to organize.
- Start by packaging things that you use least often, leaving those you use more often for last. This is not just helpful at your origin, but at your destination as well – the things packed last will be unpacked first.
- In addition to that you should pack a single ‘essentials’ box that contains the things you are most likely to need within the first 24 hours of arrival. What exactly you need will depend on you, but it typically includes things like toiletries, alarm clocks, flashlights, batteries, extension cords, pet supplies, and some disposable plates and cutlery.
- Make sure you label absolutely everything. It will take a little more time to begin with, but will save you a huge amount of time once you are unpacking, because you can tell what everything is and where it belongs with a single glance. Labels should say what the box contains and what room it belongs in, and ideally should be on both the sides and the top of the box.
- When packing, be ready to get rid of items you don’t need. Have an ‘unwanted’ box in each room as you pack, and put appropriate items in them. You could hold a garage sale or donate them to charity, or if needed simply throw them out, but clearing out your clutter during packing, you’ll make unpacking a much cleaner and quicker affair.
- Make a list or spreadsheet of everyone you need to inform about moving. This includes things like banks, utilities, schools, your dentist, subscriptions to offline or online services, and more. Whenever you let someone know, mark it off. You’ll save both time and worry with this kind of organization, without fretting that you’ve overlooked something important or being unsure whether you’ve already informed someone of the move or not.
- Take special care with packing and labeling anything fragile. This won’t in itself save you time, but it should hopefully prevent these items from breaking – and in turn prevent you from needing to dedicate the time and effort into cleaning up when you have so much else to worry about.
Moving is certainly a significant chore and even professional movers can’t change that, but with sensible planning and organization, you can help the process proceed as smoothly and quickly as possible, meaning you can start to settle in at your leisure.