If you are getting ready to move, then you probably want to make sure that things go as smoothly and efficiently as possible. One thing that you might be dreading is packing everything up. It’s true that this can be a very big job, and if it’s not done right, it can be incredibly time-consuming. However, if you follow these simple tips, you can help ensure that you get everything packed as efficiently and quickly as possible.
1. Get Rid of Things You Don’t Need
Perhaps one of the main things that you should focus on when it comes to efficient packing is not packing anything that you will not need at your new home. When you are already parting from your old house, the idea of parting from a lot of your old stuff as well can be a bit upsetting. However, if you pack a lot of extra stuff that you don’t need, you will have to spend a lot of unnecessary time packing, moving and unpacking all of these things. Plus, this can be a bad way to get started off in your new home, where you might want to have a fresh and clutter-free start. Therefore, in the months leading up to your move, it is a good idea for you to begin sorting, selling, donating and throwing away items that you do not want or need to take to your new home.
2. Get Started Early
It is really never too soon to start getting ready for your move. For example, in the early days before your move, packing up things that your family might not be using right now — such as out-of-season decorations that won’t be needed until you are in your new home — can help you get a head start on things.
3. Work from Room to Room
Once you have done some of your preliminary packing and you are ready to start packing everything up on moving day, you might find that you will be more efficient if you work from room to room. Then, you can start on one side of the room and work your way around. This can help you knock out the rooms in your home one by one until everything is packed up and ready to go, and you can feel a sense of accomplishment each time that you get one room completely packed and are able to move on to the next one.
4. Make a To-Do List Each Day
Even if you aren’t used to using to-do lists, creating one for each day can be a good way to stay on track with your move. Along with listing your packing goals, you can also list things like calling and getting your utilities turned on at your new house, changing your address with the postal service or contacting your real estate agent to handle any final paperwork. This can help you stay on track, feel accomplished as you mark each thing off your list and avoid forgetting anything important.
5. Think Outside of the Box
Don’t assume that everything has to be packed a certain way. There are certain hacks that you can use to move things more quickly and easily. For example, there is no reason to pack everything in your plastic storage containers when you can simply move the containers themselves, and you can use towels, sheets or other similar items instead of packing peanuts or other similar packing materials. Taking simple steps like this can help you save a lot of time and hard work, and it can even save you some money on packing supplies.
6. Label Everything
To make moving and unpacking everything a whole lot easier when you arrive at your new home, you will definitely want to label everything. Using colored tape or markers to color code your boxes by room is a great idea. Marking things as fragile or writing down a general idea of what is in each box can help you identify what goes where, how everything should be handled and what should be packed first. You can even mark some of the most important boxes with stars or other symbols so that you and your family will know which boxes to get started with when it’s time to unpack.
As you can see, there are a few strategies that you can use if you would like to pack more efficiently for your upcoming move. If you follow these tips, you might find that packing everything won’t be as difficult or time-consuming as you thought it would be, and you might be able to get it done a whole lot faster than you thought as well.
