At some point in your adult life, everyone faces the onerous task of moving. In fact, around 26.5 million Americans moved between early 2020 and early 2021. Yet, it’s something that no one looks forward to because it’s a profoundly stressful experience every time. If you want to make your next move less stressful, keep reading for five helpful tips.
Make a Plan
Most people know when they have a move coming up. That gives you time to make a plan of attack. Write out a list of crucial tasks you need to get down between now and your move. Then, make a schedule for getting all of them done. If necessary, give yourself a task a day.
Start Early
Packing is often the most difficult part of the process because people don’t quit their lives when they decide to move. They still have work, family obligations, and a need to eat. That means you can’t just pack everything up because you’ll still need a lot of it right up until you move.
Start early by packing up the things you know you can live without for a while. Think in terms of things like off-season clothes or electronics you only pull out occasionally.
Find a Mover
For some people, a move is strictly local. That opens up your options for movers because there are more local movers than interstate movers. You can even find movers that specialize in townhome moving, condo moving, or apartment moving. These movers understand how to move someone out of or into tight quarters.
If you are moving out of state, book your mover as early as possible. Movers book up fast in the busy season.
Stay Organized
Organization is one of the big keys to a lower-stress move. The plan and the schedule are a good start but think about creating an organizational system for your boxes. Rather than label each box, consider putting a colored sticker on it that corresponds to where the box will end up at your new place.
Get Some Sleep
Giving up sleep to complete moving tasks may seem like a necessary evil. It may even become a necessary evil toward the end. Just don’t deprive yourself too often. Lack of rest can make everything seem more stressful and make every decision more difficult.
Destressing your move hinges a lot on organization. Figure out your tasks and schedule them. Create a label system for your boxes. Book your movers. Beyond that, get as much of a jump on your packing as you can and get some sleep along the way.