If you’re a last-minute person, a last-minute move fits right in with the rest of your life. But, if you’re a big planner, and life circumstances call for a short-notice move, chances are “last-minute” makes you feel anxious and overwhelmed as your brain tries to properly plan something in a few weeks that would usually take you a few months.
Life throws us curve balls out of our control, and we must figure out how to best roll with the punches. Figuring out how to move quickly may be more than your brain can process, so here are five helpful last-minute moving tips to help ease your anxiety and prepare for a smooth move in just a few weeks or even days.
1. Hire a Full Service Moving Company
When you’re strapped for time, packing and moving services can be a worthwhile investment. They can help clear up the time you’d spend packing and moving for other necessary tasks. Once you hire a full-service mover and realize how amazing it is, you’ll never go back to DIY moving again. Professional movers have the tools, equipment, and crew to pack and move as fast as possible, which can be a huge stress-saver for someone embarking on a last-minute move.
2. Make a Plan
Although you only have a little time to organize it, you still need a plan to stay on track. Now that you’ve booked your professional moving services, it’s time to figure out what you must accomplish before moving day. Make a moving checklist with reasonable deadlines, and begin checking items off your list each day. Organize your tasks into four categories:
- Tasks I need to do NOW
- Chores that can wait a week or two
- Jobs I need to complete BEFORE moving day
- Remaining tasks to complete ON moving day
If you’re a planner, use this list as a guide and add items as you think of them. A list will help reduce stress during a rushed move.
3. Go on a Donation Rampage
Now is the time to quickly eliminate everything you don’t need. This will make packing and moving more manageable, which is critical for a last-minute move. As you’re sorting through personal belongings, use Marie Kondo’s advice from her show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, and ask yourself if each item sparks joy. If an item sparks joy within you, keep it. If not, put it in one of three piles: donate, recycle, or throw away.
If your move is ridiculously last minute, you might not have time to do this, or you might only have time for a hurried version, but any amount of purging will benefit your move.
4. Take Care of Essential Tasks
Many tedious tasks are involved with moving to a new place. While packing is probably at the forefront of your mind if you’re not hiring a packing service, there are many logistical tasks to take care of ahead of your move, including:
- Utilities: Remember to cancel your current utilities and start them at your new home. This should be a priority so you don’t wind up without water or electricity at your new place.
- Mail Forwarding: Forward your mail to your new place to ensure important documents get to your new address.
- Schools: If your kids are moving to a new school, notify their current teacher of their last day in class. Then, be sure to enroll them in their new school.
- Medical records: If you’re relocating, finding a doctor and dentist in your new area is essential. Before you move, obtain copies of your medical and dental records. If you have pets, don’t forget to gather their veterinary records.
5. Gather Packing Supplies
When time is of the essence, organization is vital for a last-minute move so you don’t waste time searching for packing supplies. If you’re DIY packing, a packing station is a great way to stay organized and have all your supplies in one spot. To create your packing station, gather packing tape, boxes, bubble wrap, scissors, packing paper, old blankets and towels, markers, labels, and plastic bags for screws.
You don’t have to spend money on boxes. You can ask large retail stores for their empty boxes, ask neighbors for their Amazon boxes, or check out the U-Haul Box Exchange. If you don’t have time to gather free boxes, purchasing them from Home Depot, Amazon, or another retailer may be worth it.
Consider setting up your packing station on a folding table in the garage that can be packed last. If you hired packing services for moving, you don’t need to worry about any of this. Simply let your packers take care of the packing from start to finish. They will also provide all the supplies.
Conquering Your Move
Moves are stressful in general, but last-minute moves are their own type of beast. Organization and a sense of urgency will serve you well when embarking on a very rushed and short-notice move. Consider hiring a Utah moving company to make your short-notice move more manageable, stay organized with a plan, purge as much as time allows, take care of necessary tasks, and create a packing station, if applicable. It may seem impossible to plan a move with such little notice. Although it takes more work and energy, it is possible, and you can do it.