When you wake up on moving day, you will likely be facing a mix of emotions. Nervousness, excitement maybe even sadness, and of course relief that the day is finally here; these are all common feelings. When we prepare for a move, we often focus on time management in terms of the things to do before moving day—reserve the moving truck, packing, cancelling and setting up utilities, switching over the mail— and so on. It’s not surprising that we often forget to have a time management plan for moving day.
Don’t be so busy that you forget to take this guy with you. Photo via Katie Tegtmeyer via Flickr cc.
Having a plan to manage your time on moving day, however, is one of the most important parts of the moving process. On moving day you wake up with a certain amount of time to move, but in reality the time on the clock doesn’t matter because time is all relative and on moving day time will seem to fly by. Here are four tips to help you manage your time on moving day:
1. Create a Moving Day Time Plan
This is a time diary of your moving day in half-hour increments. Make sure you include the time you plan on waking it up (and it should be early because it’s going to be a long day no matter what. You might as well get the most out of it.) Schedule in time to eat. The goal of your time diary is to give you a picture of how the day will unfold while creating a list of things to complete.
2. Expect the Unexpected
Let’s face it, things happen. Realize that not everything has to be completed in one day, and that it’s going to take weeks to really settle into your new place. Be O.K. rolling with the punches. Set up back-plans when you can, such as having alternative routes to your destination.
3. Pack Up Before Moving Day
Sounds like a no-brainer, but we can’t stress enough that prior to moving day, you should have everything packed up and either already on a moving truck, or at least ready to move to the moving truck.
4. Delegate Whenever Possible
If you are moving yourself enlist the help of friends and families well in advance, and in your time diary make a note of who will do what. On moving day you don’t have time to decide who will pack the truck or do a last check to make sure windows and doors are locked. Don’t be afraid to take charge and tell people what to do. If you don’t want to inconvenience your friends and family but still need a hand, consider hiring moving helpers for loading and unloading.
Time management on moving day is all about the right preparations, flexibility and back-up plans. Chances are, time on moving day will still fly by and you will still be exhausted by the end of the day, but proper time management can improve your moving day efficiency while reducing your amount of stress.
This post comes from the relocation specialists at In Order to Succeed, a professional organizing firm providing moving relocation coordination assistance and home and business organizing services.
