Getting Organized to Move

Whether moving across town or across country, the preparation process can be a daunting task. However, a little planning and project management can make it much less stressful. Remember the three P’s and you will be in great shape: Purge, pack and plan.

As soon as you know you are going to move, start purging. If you have movers coming, take into consideration the cost per pound. When I moved 4 years ago, it was 60 cents a pound. At that rate, do you really want to move stuff that you don’t really use or stuff that is not worth its weight? And even if you aren’t using movers, consider the cost in sweat. The bottom line is less is better when it comes to the moving process.

Pack the things you don’t use first. Save the items that you use every day for last and put a special mark on those boxes so you remember to unpack them first too. Pack items according to rooms in your new home. For example, if you currently have books in your living room, but will have a den with bookshelves in your new home, pack the books in a box and mark it “den.” This way it will get put into the correct room the first time around.

If you are moving cross country and you will arrive at your new home before the movers do, consider putting those must have items in the car with you or in a small trailer so you have them upon arrival (and don’t have to wait for the movers to arrive with it). Throw some paper towel and toilet paper in that box too as those are must haves as well.

Like all projects, making an outline of things that need to be done is crucial. Make a master list of all that you need to do and then break it down according to when it needs to be done. List examples are: Do now, do next week, do in two weeks, do the week of the move and day of. Don’t waste energy worrying about things on your “day of” list when you are still 3 weeks away from moving. Put it all on the appropriate list and forget about it until the time comes.

Finally, make a list of all those you need to contact for address changes. As soon as you know you are moving, start jotting down the name and number of everyone who mails you anything. As bills come in, add that name/phone number to the master list. When you make the phone call to start/stop service or change your address, make a note of the name of the person you spoke to, the date and time. I know from unfortunate experience that this is completely necessary. You can refer back to it when you find out that they never got your phone service turned off and want to charge you for months you weren’t even there.

Happy Moving!!





Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/