Moving day has a reputation, and it’s not a good one. Boxes everywhere, furniture that’s filled twice as heavy than when you packed it, and somebody misplacing the kettle and morale instantly drops. While a completely stress free move might be a myth, you can absolutely make it calmer and far less dramatic than you think. Let’s take a look at how you can survive a moving day with your sanity mostly intact.
- Accept that it won’t be perfect. The first rule of moving day is that something will go wrong. There might be a delay, or a missing screw from a piece of flat packed furniture, or a box marked miscellaneous that contains everything you urgently need. Accepting this early lowers your expectations and blood pressure. If you aim for something to be good enough rather than flawless, you’ll already be winning.
- Packed like a sensible human. Always pack earlier than you think you’ll need to. No one has ever said that they packed too early and regretted it. You can label boxes clearly and not just with room names. When you do this, you know exactly what’s in every single box, and you know which order to unpack them in. Packing essentials separately so you’re not hunting for toothpaste at midnight surrounded by cardboard is also a very good idea.
- Delegate and don’t feel bad about it. You do not need to do everything yourself. You can hire excellent movers to save time and effort, and you can ask friends for help. Even if it’s just moral support or pizza based motivation. Allowing professionals to handle the heavy lifting frees you up to focus on a million other little things that need your attention instead.
- Create a moving day Survival kit. Having one bag or box that stays with you at all times is important, and it should include phone chargers, snacks, water, important documents, cleaning wipes, and the kettle that we talked about earlier. Add a change of clothes and basic toiletries and this kit becomes your lifeline when everything else is buried under a mountain of boxes that you just can’t be bothered to unpack immediately.
- Keep the kids and pets out of the chaos. Moving day is not a spectator sport, so if possible, arrange childcare or pet care for the day. Fewer feet under foot means fewer accidents, less stress and fewer emotional breakdowns for everybody involved.
- Don’t rush the final sweep before you leave. Walk through your old place slowly. Check cupboards, drawers and behind the doors. And it’s not the moment to sprint around in a panic. A calm final check will save you from leaving behind something important or embarrassing.
- Keep a low bar for the first night. Once you arrive, don’t aim to unpack everything at once. Focus on the basics. Bedroom, bathroom and something edible. Take out counts for the first night. Boxes can wait because you’ve earned a break.
Moving day will probably never be fun, but it doesn’t have to be a disaster. With a bit of planning, realistic expectations, and help where it matters, you can get through it without tears, or at least without too many of them. And if you manage to locate the kettle quickly, that’s a solid win.
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