Moving home is extremely stressful, which is why we’ve created this article to help you tackle it like a professional. Use our easy tips to help get you started.

Moving home can be pretty stressful. In fact it’s up there with getting married and having a baby, so it’s no wonder so many of us end up wanting to tape ourselves into a cardboard box and wait for it all to be over. Firstly remember you are not alone. Everyone feels stressed when they move home. The anxiety can hit as early as when you open the first drawer and wonder how on earth you’re going to organise 17 pens, 3 old remotes, a year’s worth of paperwork, 9 hairgrips and the warranties for several kitchen items. It’s no easy feat, but it is doable if you follow these simple tips:

Start Early

You know it makes sense. Don’t leave it until a week before moving day and lose your mind chucking everything into bin bags and boxes hoping it will magically work out – it won’t. Start as early as you possibly can. If you’ve been clever enough to hire a self-storage facility to keep some of your items safe during the move, get your stuff packed and sent there right away. The more that’s out of your house, the more you will feel like you’ve achieved.

Give Yourself Goals

Give yourself achievable goals to reach every day or week. Aim to get a room or a drawer packed and labelled every day or week. By turning your tasks into bite sized goals the process won’t seem unachievable.

Plan A Moving Budget

Plan a moving budget so you don’t end up strapped for cash during your move. Go into detail with your budget considering things like cheap storage, moving services (if you’re opting to have a company help you) pet sitters or child care, overnight accommodation (if needed) and packing costs (boxes, tape etc).

Don’t Start By Thinking Of The House As A Whole

Don’t start by thinking “oh my gosh, I have to pack an entire house!” or you will lose your mind approximately five minutes into your planning. Think about one room and one room only first, then set achievable goals relating to that room. Only move on and plan the next room after the first room is adequately packed.

Stay Motivated

You must stay motivated during this process, even when the going gets tough. There will be times when you are surrounded by paperwork, cardboard and loads of random stuff with packing tape on your face and a shirt covered in dust, crying kids in one arm, stressed dog in the other and you will wonder whether or not you will still have your sanity at the end of this process. Just remember it will be worth it. When walking up the hill seems really tough – imagine what the view will be like from the top.

Enjoy Buying Packing ‘Equipment’

Take pleasure in buying packing equipment. The more prepared you feel the more able you will be to take on this huge task. Make sure you buy strong packing boxes that will keep your precious items secure; old supermarket boxes just won’t be up to the task. Labels are also extremely useful because it’s easy to forget what you have packed and what you haven’t and if you’re putting your items in self-storage you will need to know what’s what so you know which order to put the boxes in when you’re filling the unit. Also don’t forget to save up on newspaper months before you start packing, and buy packing tape – lots of it.

With a bit of forward thinking, determination and humour you will be able to move house like a professional!