If you ask anyone who’s undergone a major move or relocation for just one piece of Digital Calendar advice, chances are they’re going to tell you to get organized as early as possible. Even if you’re hiring a moving company to do all of the packing, loading, and transporting for you, there’s still plenty of coordinating to do—especially when it comes to things like turning off utilities (Cord provides a software package at no cost for you to this without leaving your home), holding garage sales, and timing everything perfectly.
Of course, how you organize is entirely up to you. As long as you start early and stay consistent, any of these approaches could be the right one and you contact Cord Moving and Storage to assist.
> Determine Dates: The first thing you should do is determine the most likely dates of your move. (Even if you don’t know the exact timeline you’re dealing with, you can narrow your calendar to a window of a few weeks. This will help you pinpoint deadlines.) From there, look at a moving timeline to figure out when you need to perform certain tasks. You might be surprised how early you should start.
> Keep a Master Plan: Some people prefer to print everything out in checklist form. Others like a to-do list with dates. Still others use moving apps that coordinate everything at the touch of a button. How you keep a master plan isn’t as important as the fact that you’re doing it in the first place. As long as you know what’s happening in terms of timelines, contacting the right people, and the packing process, you should be just fine.
> Calendar (w/Reminders): Technology can be a great tool for a move…but so can good, old-fashioned calendars. Buy a paper calendar and fill in the dates with important deadlines, or use your phone or computer to set up an alert system that will remind you when a task is looming. Either way, having firm dates for your to-do list is a great way to stay on track.
> Separate Tasks by Type: Some moving tasks require you to contact businesses to inform them of your upcoming move for billing reasons. Others require you to take your pet to the vet for an update on vaccinations and prescriptions for anxiety. Still others will have more to do with purchasing moving supplies and starting to move systematically through the house to pack it up. If you start to get overwhelmed by all the things you need to do, divide your move by category. That way, you can tackle each area separately. (Cord Moving also suggests you create various timelines and checklists, breaking down things like moving with kids, moving with pets, and dealing with utilities and home services.)
> Create a Reward System: We know—moving is stressful, and you’re probably not too excited about things like cleaning out your closets and filling nail holes in the walls. That’s why you can match any of these organizational approaches with a reward system. If gold stars are your thing, invest in a big package. If you’re more motivated by the promise of a dinner out or a day at the spa, work toward that instead. There’s nothing wrong with a little self-bribery.
No matter which approach you take, don’t forget to include moving day itself on your list. After all your hard work and preparation, you want to be sure not to leave anything behind and the move managers at Cord Moving and Storage can guide you from start to finish.