Anyone who has moved houses knows what a process is it. I read somewhere that moving houses is one of the top three stressful exercises in life. Let me tell you, they are absolutely correct. While there is a certain level of excitement of moving into a new home, it also comes with the dread of moving out of the old apartment.
Here are some ways to minimize your moving anxiety:
1. Make two lists – old and new:
List down all the administrative items you need to take care of like registering or de-registering your contract, cancelling any utilities, deposits that should be refunded and so on. It helped me to make two lists one for the old and one for the new. Make sure all the utilities are working in the new house. If you can’t get your WiFi connected immediately, remember to load data on your phone. Chances are you wouldn’t want to go out on your first night.
2. Manage the old – reduce and donate:
Moving to a new home is the best opportunity for you to through your closet and get rid of things that you would never use. If there are items that you haven’t used in the six months, you know what you have to do. Storage is also a good way of getting rid of stuff that you don’t use regularly but may need someday.
3. Manage the new – measure. Don’t get caught off guard:
Even if the room looks big enough for everything to fit, don’t take any chances. I had this problem with my previous apartment. There was only way to fit this humongous cupboard I have and I ended up losing a power socket. Not my brightest moment!
4. Pack a bag – you may be left wondering where your toothbrush went:
Pack an overnight bag, with your PJs, toiletries and set of clothes for the next day. You don’t want to be rummaging around looking for these things. Take your precious items like jewelry, laptop, etc.
5. Open first boxes – mark your boxes
There’s no way you can manage to fit in everything in your overnight bag. This time around I packed a box and wrote OPEN FIRST on the side. That way I could make sure I knew where my essential items were.
6. Moving day – supervise packing and unpack
Even if you hire the most expert movers, you have to supervise. Oversee the packing so that you know where they’ve put things so you don’t have to look for it later. Get your movers to unpack as many items as you can and help you put things up. There’s no reason for you to break your back doing it when you’re paying them for it.
This time around I had a much better experience moving and a lot less stress. I hope these tips help you with your next move!
Looking through a frosty window... 