Many people will be relocating within the next two months as the school year for most of the international schools is coming to an end.  If you are one of them and dreading the whole process, here are my tips to help you make the move painless.

1. Create A Move Folder

Consolidate all the information related to the move in a folder including checklists, quotations, information about your new surroundings, etc.  Having all this information readily available will save you a lot of time.  Keep it easily accessible until you’ve settled in your new home.

2. Make Lists, Plenty Of Lists

Besides a master plan listing down all that needs to be done with deadlines set by working backward from the moving date, and a list of the parties you need to inform about the move, there are plenty of other lists that could help you, such as:

• Essential items you’ll be using on the last morning in your old home – and the first night in your new one
• If you move countries, items that you’ll need to air ship while waiting for your container to arrive
• Basic cleaning products and tools that you’ll need to clean your old home once everything has been packed away

Lists keep you on track and come in handy if you need to delegate the execution of some of the tasks. Also ticking items off a list gives a great sense of accomplishment!

3. Don’t Drag The Excess

A couple of months before your move, go around your home and purge it of any items that are broken or have expired, that you don’t use, or that you don’t like.  You don’t want to pay unnecessary moving costs for these nor spend unnecessary amounts of time packing and unpacking them; you’ll be busy enough with the essentials!!  Read my blog post De-Cluttering, The Quick-And-Dirty Way¹ to see how to do it without feeling overwhelmed.  Unless you have time on your hands and the item is worth it, trying to sell it might not be an efficient option at this point.  Try to complete this step before you ask the moving companies to come in and give you a quote.

4. Get The Moving Company To Pack 

The cost of packing is worth, in my opinion, the time it would take you to pack and the expertise you get, which will help minimise the risk of damage.  Also, bear in mind, moving companies are usually liable only for the things they pack themselves.  The exceptions to this rule are your valuables and vital documents that you want to pack yourself and carry with you during the move.

5. Keep Things Together When Packing

When disassembling furniture, put screws and hardware in a bag and stick it to the corresponding piece.  Don’t mix things from different rooms in the same box.  This will save you a lot of time and frustration when you unpack.

6. Label

Make sure that each box is properly labelled on its four sides.  The label should specify the room the box belongs to, a brief outline of its contents and whether the box should be opened in priority.  Put a label on the door of each room in your new home e.g. son’s bedroom, study room etc. so that the movers know where the box belongs.

7. Unpack One Box At A Time 

While I like the movers to pack on my behalf, I like to keep the unpacking for myself.  This gives me another opportunity to toss items I no longer need and the possibility to assign the right home for the items I have decided to keep.  When unpacking, empty a box at a time and flatten it (an empty box takes up a lot of space) before moving onto the next box.

With the proper amount of planning, you can get in control of your move and look forward to the new set of possibilities that the move will bring.  After all, it’s a great opportunity to purge your life and leave behind what doesn’t belong in it and make room for what’s truly important to you.

Contact me² if you need help to plan your move, de-clutter before you move, or organise your new home in an efficient manner after you’ve moved in.  I’d love to help you and make it one of your least stressful and smoothest moves!