How to minimise the stress of moving
How to minimise the stress of moving
You know what they say about moving – it’s right up there with bereavement and divorce as one of the most stressful experiences in our lifetime. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Regardless of whether you’re moving into your forever home or from one rental to another, there are a host of ways to minimise the stress of moving. Here’s how…
Be ruthless
Long before it comes time to pack those boxes and start lifting and shifting furniture, it’s important to ruthlessly reduce the items that actually need to be moved.
Take the time to declutter by selling, giving away or throwing out possessions and furniture that you don’t really need.
This ruthless reduction of items is particularly important if you have resided in your current residence for some time or if you’re downsizing.
But even if you’re going from one similarly sized property to another, the less you have to cart around, the easier that removal will be.
Know your dates
There’s generally a tieline attached to the moving process. For example, perhaps you’ve sold your current property and the clock is now ticking to settlement. Or maybe your rental agreement is coming to an end and there’s a specific vacate date etched in the calendar.
Either way, use these deadline dates and work backwards from them, planning exactly what needs to be done and the date it needs to be achieved by.
Clean as you go
It doesn’t matter if you’re exiting a rental or a property you owned, that residence will need to be cleaned when you vacate.
And it makes life a whole lot easier if you clean as you go, tending to any necessary repairs and keeping things neat and tidy.
Outsource what you can
Not all of us have the luxury of fully outsourcing an entire removal to the professionals, but do outsource what you can.
For some people that might involve outsourcing the bond clean, the actual removal, any repairs, or even the packing, while for others it might just mean calling in some friends to help you lift and shift the heavy stuff.
Meanwhile, if you are using professionals, book them early and ensure their attendance gives you sufficient time to complete the other moving tasks that need to be done.
For example, if you’re using professional removalists, they should attend a few days prior to your vacate date to leave enough time for a final clean of the property.
The paperwork
There’s a whole lot of paperwork associated with moving, including disconnecting and reconnecting your utilities and notifying people about your change of address.
Don’t forget to factor this into the moving process, allowing enough time for services, such as telephone, internet, electricity and gas supply, to be connected at your new property.
Be emotionally ready
Sure, moving is a physical event, but it’s also often emotional, involving the closing of one chapter and the start of another.
Don’t overlook this reality or be naïve to its impacts. Where possible, take the time you need to say goodbye to your existing property and distill the memories it may hold.
And appreciate, sometimes it can take a while to get used to new surroundings and to make them feel like home.
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