Moving from one house to another can be an incredibly stressful experience. Even if you are moving from one small apartment to another that is equally small, the opportunities to get stressed abound. Some of the sources of stress are things we cannot do anything about. Yet much of what we stress over is within our control. If we can manage those things, we can reduce much of the stress that comes with moving.
Are you planning a move in the near future? If so, here are some tips you can employ to keep the stress at a minimum:
1. Secure Supplies and Equipment Ahead of Time
You’re going to need some supplies and equipment to complete your move. Secure it ahead of time. Don’t wait until the week before to start lining things up. Get working on truck rental, moving blankets, etc. as early in the process as possible.
For an average move, you are going to need:
- Cardboard boxes.
- Moving blankets.
- Tie-down straps.
- Packing materials.
- A dolly.
In terms of tie-down straps, most people are content with rope or bungee cords. My personal recommendation is the cam strap. I think they are the best choice for protecting furniture while keeping it securely in place. My preferred brand is Rollercam, by the way.
2. Start Packing Early
One of the big stress points of moving is getting everything packed before the truck arrives. We get so busy with so many things that we forget to start packing until a few days before. Fortunately, there is another way. I recommend packing room-by-room over several weeks.
Imagine you have a three-bedroom house. Combining the bedrooms with the kitchen, living room, and dining room gives you six rooms in total. So six weeks out from your move, pick a room and pack up anything and everything that’s not essential. Repeat the process the next week, and the next week, and so on. That will leave you with just the essentials the day before your scheduled move.
3. Employ Some Help
Moving is always more stressful when you are doing it alone. So don’t do things that way. Instead, get some help. That might mean recruiting friends or coworkers. It might mean asking your extended family. It might even mean hiring a helper crew. Just remember this: many hands make light work. Bringing in some extra help can take a lot of the pressure off.
4. Designate Someone to Be in Charge
Chaos can easily ensue on moving day when everyone is trying to make independent decisions. This only adds to the stress. It is far better to designate a single person to be in charge. Let that person direct the move. Let them decide what gets packed and how. The fewer decision makers there are involved, the less room there is for differing opinions that could ultimately lead to a chaotic experience.
5. Have a Plan
Tying all these tips together is the concept of having a plan. As soon as you know that a move is imminent, start planning how you are going to pull it off. Putting plans in place well before moving day eliminates most of the guesswork. It also reduces the number of surprises you’ll face on moving day.
Although moving from one house to another can be stressful, things don’t need to be nearly as bad as they often are. Just by employing the five tips explained in this post, you can knock down the stress quite a bit. Keeping stress to a minimum will make for a much better move.