Moving can be a tremendously exciting process, but if you’re not properly prepared, it might also be an incredibly stressful one. Many people make the mistake of putting off their moving obligations until the very last minute, so when they finally take the time to act, they end up rushing to throw into boxes everything they can get their hands on with very little planning.
Don’t allow yourself to fall into that trap. Introducing unnecessary stress into an already difficult time is never good. Proper organization can keep you grounded and can help make your move go as smoothly as possible. Below, you’ll find some tips for staying organized during a move, so your arrival will be simple and your unpacking process will be focused and sharp.
Embrace Donations
Perhaps the easiest way to help your move go smoothly is to cut down on the volume of items making the trip. Too often, a box of items is packed, moved to a new home, unpacked, and then never touched again until the next move.
Removing items from your life may feel like a stressful challenge, but once the purging is done you’re likely to find yourself enjoying an unexpected amount of relief. Go through your things while packing and create a pile of items to donate. Rather than going back through the donation pile to save items, go back through the items you’re keeping to make sure you didn’t miss anything to get rid of.
Any items without substantial emotional value that you haven’t seen or touched in a number of months are unlikely to be essential for your happiness and can probably be safely tossed.
Use Checklists
Even under the best conditions, the human brain is extremely fallible when it comes to memory and organization. When you factor in the added stress of moving, it makes no sense to keep important information and packing lists in your head.
Organizing yourself means coming up with a repeatable process, and for that you’ll need to develop a written plan. Utilizing checklists can help guarantee that no important job gets skipped.
Once you’ve drafted what you think is the final version of your list, submit it to a couple of friends who have also gone through moving. They’ll be able to skim for anything you missed, since many mistakes are shared and they’re likely to have learned from their own.
The additional feedback serves as an important check against potential bias and can also provide you with the confidence of knowing you’re not alone and that people with your best interests at heart have your back.
Commit to Labeling
Anyone who’s ever spent more than five minutes trying to dig through moving boxes to find something important knows that there’s immense value at putting effort into labeling. This doesn’t mean merely scrawling “kitchen” across a box and calling it a day, however.
Your labels should be detailed and should note the precise location that a box was packed from. This can help ensure your movers place things in the right spot when they’re unloading the truck. If you’re moving yourself, labeling can allow you to stay focused on the same task.
Island Movers is committed to helping you handle all of your personal moving needs in Hawaii. Count on a professional perspective when it comes time to embrace your move.
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