Moving Tips: Getting Organized

Here are some moving tips from my article, "101 Best Moving Tips:"

Getting Organized

1. Start early- Almost everyone has more stuff than they think they do, and almost no one leaves enough time to pack it.

2. Room Lists- Start by forming two room lists, one for your current place and one for future place. This will help you manage what has to go where.

3. Room Inventory- Go to each room and write down the types of things that need to be packed: furniture items, length of shelving, closets, etc.

4. Time Allotment- Make sure to leave enough time. The most common timeframe reported by people moving is that it takes a month to pack. One study reported that it takes 4-5 hours to pack an average dorm room, so that should give you an idea of what’s involved.

5. Calendar- Pull out a calendar and plan by day when each room will be completed.

6. Delegation- If you’re moving with family members, agree with them exactly while tasks they will be doing and the date they will be finished.

7. Track your progress- at least once per week track where you are against the date on the calendar. Revise your plan if you’re falling behind.

What are your favorite organizing tips? I hope you'll let me know by responding to this post.

Where do I start?

Moving can seem overwhelming at times. There are so many small tasks to accomplish and track that the whole process seems daunting. Many of us are left with the question, "Where do I start?"

Rather than cover the entire moving organization process, let's focus on the absolute basics:

1. Set the date. It's hard to plan a calendar of dates if you don't when the move is going to happen. Find out when your new place will be ready, and shoot for the day after just to give you a cushion. You can always adjust it later.
2. Decide on whether you'll need professional movers and/or a moving truck. That will determine many of your next steps, especially since finding and reserving these resources should happen shortly after you begin.
3. Get your hands on a moving checklist. Regular readers of this blog will know I'm a huge fan of starting with an existing, professionally-developed checklist and adjusting it as necessary. You can use our parent site's Ultimate Moving Checklist to get you on the right track.

You can also read a more complete article on getting organized for moving here. However, if you can just nail down the 3 points listed above, you will be onto a great start.

How have you gotten "unstuck" and started on your previous moves? Please let me know!

Getting Organized for Moving

Today's tips focus on getting organized for your move. Most people tend to jump right in to packing without planning out their move. That's understandable- taking time to plan seems like a waste of time that could be spent packing more boxes!

However, the truth is that spending just 30 minutes of planning time on your move can save you hours of time later on, as well avoiding several headaches you might incur otherwise. Here are the basics on getting a moving plan together quickly and easily:

1. Start early- Almost everyone has more stuff than they think they do, and almost no one leaves enough time to pack it.
2. Room Lists- Start by forming two room lists, one for your current place and one for future place. This will help you manage what has to go where.
3. Room Inventory- Go to each room and write down the types of things that need to be packed: furniture items, length of shelving, closets, etc.
4. Time Allotment- Make sure to leave enough time. The most common timeframe reported by people moving is that it takes a month to pack. One study reported that it takes 4-5 hours to pack an average dorm room, so that should give you an idea of what’s involved.
5. Calendar- Pull out a calendar and plan by day when each room will be completed.
6. Delegation- If you’re moving with family members, agree with them exactly while tasks they will be doing and the date they will be finished.
7. Track your progress- at least once per week track where you are against the date on the calendar. Revise your plan if you’re falling behind.
8. Plan to finish a week ahead of time- This is a sneaky one. If you plan to finish a week in advance and then you don't quite make it, you'll have some cushion to complete the tasks. If you don't have that planned for and you run out of time, you'll be in a very difficult position.
9. Check out the 101 Best Moving Tips Ever (2009 Edition) for a comprehensive list of great tips.
10. Take a look at our free, printable, complete moving checklist to help keep all your moving tasks straight.

What techniques do you use to keep your move organized? What tools have you found work well, and which ones did you find to be a waste of time?

I look forward to hearing from you.