At first glance, moving house can seem deceptively simple: pack everything up, transport it to a new place, and unpack. Easy enough. But once you dig into the details, it quickly becomes clear that there’s far more involved, with countless tasks to manage and decisions to make before you walk out the door for the final time. Without a plan in place, it’s easy for the process to feel overwhelming, as though everything needs to be done all at once.

The key is to get organized as early as you can because that’s what’s going to make the difference between a stressful move and one that actually feels okay. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more.

Start With A Clear Timeline

Before you pack even a single box, it really helps to know when everything needs to happen. It’s best to work backwards from your moving date and mark out the key tasks as you go, like when you need to give notice, when the packing should start, when utilities have to be switched over, and so on.

Even if the plan is a fairly loose one, it means you’re not going to have to do everything in the final few days before moving, which is essentially impossible, and always going to be massively stressful.

Sort Through Your Belongings

Moving is the perfect time to decide what you actually want to take with you, and knowing that the less you move, the easier it’s all going to be might be some handy motivation for you if you’re not sure what to keep and what to throw out.

Go through your cupboards, drawers, and other storage spaces and really be honest about what you use – and, crucially, what you don’t. Selling, donating, or recycling things before you move definitely saves a huge amount of time, money, and effort later on, and even if it feels like a big task, you’ll be glad you did it when it comes to the move itself.

Book Help Early

Good movers do tend to get booked up quickly, especially during busy times of the year, so if you’re using reliable moving services, it’s best to secure than as soon as you know your date – that means you’ve got peace of mind that you’re going to have the help you need to literally get your stuff from one place to another, and that you’ve chosen the movers you wanted rather than having to settle for whoever’s available.

That’s really the biggest part of the move, so once that’s all sorted and locked in, everything else can be worked out around it.

Get Your Paperwork In Order

There’s a lot of admin around a move, and you’ll need to make sure you know exactly what to do. For example, you’ll need to change your address with banks, doctors, schools, and all your current subscriptions (especially if you get anything delivered to your home). Plus, it’s wise to keep all your important documents together so they don’t get lost in boxes – that way, when you need them, you know exactly where to find them.

On top of that, having one folder or perhaps a digital file for everything related to the move makes it easier to find what you need when you need it, which can speed up the process more than you might realise.

Pack Properly

The best thing to do as early as you can is to pack the things you know you’re not going to need for a while, like seasonal clothes, books, decorations, and so on. Make sure you label every box clearly with both the room and what’s inside, and if you can, create an inventory of exactly what’s in the box as you’re packing, which you can then either tape to the outside or put right at the top so when you open it again, you don’t have to rummage through to find what you want.

All that might feel like extra work right now, especially when you’ve got plenty of other things to be doing, but it saves so much time when you’re unpacking – and try to keep similar items together so you’re not lugging boxes from room to room when you want to get your new home all set up.

Prepare An Essentials Box

Pack one box with everything you’ll need for the first day or two and you’ll be glad you did. It can include things like toiletries, a change of clothes, phone chargers, basic kitchen items, and  any important medication.

If you’ve got this box within easy reach, it means you can have your first night and morning in your new home without panicking because you’ve got everything you need. That way, you’ll feel much happier to get on with the unpacking, and you won’t be frantically searching through boxes as soon as you arrive just to find the essentials.

Think About Your New Space

If you’ve got a floor plan or measurements, it helps to think about where your furniture’s going to go before the movers take it to your new space. That way, you can give them clear instructions right from the start, and you won’t have to rearrange things later, which can be tricky if you’re not able to move heavy things, for example.

When you’re not deciding everything on the spot, your home is going to look so much more inviting and comfortable, but what’s even better is that if you plan things out in advance, you’ll be able to see if anything’s not going to fit and needs to be replaced ahead of actually moving.

Plan For Pets And Children

If you’ve got pets or older kids, think about how moving day is going to affect them as well. It could be worth getting a friend to look after them, for example, or at least set up a quiet space away from the main chaos – that can make things a lot easier for everyone.

After all, less stress for them usually means less stress for you.