9 Tips for a Seamless Moving Day

Moving day should be a celebration of new beginnings for you and your family. But most people let the stress of moving day take control of the moment. There are many ways to prevent a stressful moving experience for you and your family. The most effective way is to plan for the big day well in advance.

Professional movers plan for uncertainty during moves and you should too. Below we will discuss some steps you should take to prepare your house and your family for relocating to a new apartment or home. Follow these 9 tips for a seamless moving day:

1. Create a timeline

One of the biggest causes of stress on moving day is being unprepared. There is no need to be scrambling around before movers arrive packing boxes. Or, if you are moving yourself, panicking thinking about the task at hand. Create a timeline of the steps that you are going to take to prepare for your move. Do this well enough in advance to give you time to complete everything.

Then, make a timeline for moving day. Movers will provide you with an arrival window to make this step easier. Also, schedule break time in the timeline and essentials such as eating meals. This might see like overkill, but you would be surprised how many people forget to eat on moving day!

2. Learn to pack

You might think you know how to pack but here is some advice from moving professionals: you do not. The biggest mistake individuals make when packing is they forget to make an inventory list of all of their possessions. You will need to cross reference this list after your move to make sure everything made it to your new home.

After you make your inventory list, use the internet to learn how to safely pack your possessions. There are many helpful tips from moving companies and demonstrations on YouTube that you should follow.

3. Do something for moving day everyday

Moving can seem like an overwhelming task, but it isn’t if you do something to prepare every day before your move. Complete one task from your timeline each day, and when the big day finally comes, it will feel like a breeze.

There are steps below this one that will take some time to complete. Plan to do a little bit of each one everyday to make moving easier. Each tip in this list will take no time at all if you dedicate yourself to completing them.

4. Plan moving day essentials

We mentioned this earlier, but many times people in the middle of a move forget to do essential things like eat. This will greatly add to your stress and should be avoided.

Take some time with your family to plan moving day essentials. These include:

• Eating meals
• Taking necessary medication
• Packing an overnight bag
• Scheduling breaks and stress-relieving activities
• Cash for tipping movers

5. Sort out parking and elevator reservations

If you are planning a move in NYC, you understand this step all too well. You will need to make the proper reservations in your building for moving day. This might include reserving the service elevator, loading dock, or sufficient parking for the moving truck.

If you live outside of NYC, this step is still necessary even in a residential home. Streets and neighborhoods have moving restrictions, so you will need to reference your homeowners association and make the proper plans for moving day.

6. Update important documents with your new address

This is an extremely tedious step without the proper planning. You will need to update all of your important documents with your new address well before moving day. Luckily for you, most of this can be accomplished online.

Add this step to your tasks to complete everyday. Plan to update one important document a day for 10 minutes, and then before you know it, it will be complete.

7. Meditation and Positivity

It is important to remain positive throughout the moving day process. This quote from Psychology Today tells you everything you need to know:

“Moving itself…is stressful. It may be less so if you have enough money to simply turn the entire process over to a moving company.” 

Prepare and plan some stress management techniques such as meditation and positivity. Visualize a successful move and then remain positive during moving day, even when things do not go according to plan. You do not need to become a Guru, just practice some easy breathing exercises to prepare for moving day.

8. Plan for pets and children on moving day

You do not want to have children and pets running around the house on moving day. Daily routines are essential to them, so it is important that you stick to theirs as closely as possible to prevent stress.

It is a good idea to board your pets for a few days while you move. That way you can introduce them to their new home as calmly and seamlessly as possible.

You can ask a relative or friend to take care of your children for one day while you move. Or, it can be a good idea to schedule your move for when they are out of the house during summer camp or school.

9. Hire professional movers

Take the advice of the author of the Psychology Today article: hire professional movers. They have the knowledge and experience to handle your move seamlessly and hassle-free. We cannot guarantee that moving day will be stress-free, but using a professional moving company will take the pressure off of you during moving day.

Many moving companies offer white glove service that will allow you to completely leave everything to them. This service is expensive, but it can be great if you can afford it.