Moving house is always an exercise in good organisation. If you’re organised from the start of your move, it’ll take less time and be less stressful and demanding. But what if you’re not very good at being organised? Not all of us have this skill. And when you’re moving, once tasks get overlooked or forgotten, the whole process can spiral out of control.

Hiring a moving company is the best way to deal with the problem of staying organised and keeping your move on track. There are also a few simple tricks that will help you to organise moving house.

1. Lock in your dates

In an ideal situation, having six weeks or more to manage your move makes it much easier to stay organised. With extra time, you won’t have as many additional moving tasks to add to your usual daily duties. Once you’ve established the day of your move, lock in the key dates. 

Key dates and tasks:

• Complete packing.
• Book your moving company.
• Book storage if required.
• Organise your transportation.

Creating a timeline of milestones allows you to work backwards from moving day to get organised. It’s important to make every milestone achievable, including giving yourself more time than you think you’ll need. Moving always takes people longer than they expect. Once you’ve set your key dates, it’s time to make to-do lists.

2. To-Do Lists

A to-do list is the most important tool for people who struggle to stay organised. They keep you on track, and when you stay on track, you reduce your overall stress. They also give you a sense of achievement and reward as you tick off each task. Everyone works in different ways, so here are some ideas about how to structure your to-do list.

Types of to-do lists for moving:

• The master list, which has every task listed by days.
• Separate lists by category, such as packing, cleaning, changing amenities and so forth.
• Lists by rooms in the house with detailed tasks to complete one room at a time.

How you create your roadmap to moving day is up to you. Remember to also plan beyond moving day. There are many more tasks following a move than unpacking boxes. You’ll need to consider other tasks such as grocery shopping and disposing of packing materials.

3. Don’t try to do everything yourself

Moving is a job for everyone in your household. Spread the workload around so everyone is involved. At a minimum, each person should take care of packing their own bedroom. Involve each person in your to-do list, so everyone gets a sense of achievement as they complete each task.

4. Stick to your schedule

Even if you’ve given yourself more time than you need, stick to your plan. Never put tasks off until the next day. As soon as your workload becomes unmanageable, your move will get disorganised. This is why it’s essential to make your moving tasks for each day realistic and achievable.

5. Reward your successes

As you tick off significant items on your to-do list, reward everyone for the achievement. You might want to take the family out for a meal or a trip to the movies. However you like to reward yourself, make it a part of your moving plans.

6. Need more help getting organised?

• Check out our moving guide.
• Get some useful packing tips.
• Browse the blog for more help with moving.