How to Organize Your Move

Does the mere thought of getting ready for a move give you hives? It doesn’t have to. With the right technology, organizational techniques, and a positive attitude, a move, whether it is across town or across the country, does not need to be excruciatingly painful. Here are a few of our tips on how to organize your move, since we have been doing this for many years and have seen it all! 

Juggling all the components to a move can seem daunting. We get it. But we suggest taking a day or two to get organized before you even buy a packing box, or think about hiring a moving company.

Get Organized 

Start a moving binder. This could be in the form of a file on your computer or a physical binder that can hold all of your important paperwork and receipts. Things that you will want to start keeping track of include: a schedule to transfer utilities and contact numbers for your cable, electric, water, sewer, gas, and so on. You will also want to gather school information if you have children switching districts. In addition, you will want to keep track of a moving checklist, phone numbers, and references for moving companies, a packing list, information for a new state driver’s license, a new dog license, and a list of things to do. (Whew, don’t get overwhelmed!) 

Keep the binder nearby so when an idea or a task comes to mind you can easily access the moving information instead of having all the pieces floating around in your head. 

Utilize Technology 

At a time when you need to organize so many facets of your life, harnessing the power of technology will really make a difference. If you are house-hunting, keep Zillow on your phone to be alerted to new homes in the area where you hope to settle. 

When it comes time to sell or donate some of the items from your home that will not be making the move, consider Facebook Marketplace or LetGo – they’re also great for finding items for your new house! 

Avoid the stress of packing and knowing what is in each box with the Sortly app. With Sortly, you can categorize items by room and keep track of it all with a moving checklist. You can even create labels to place on boxes that can be scanned with the app. Organization is key to a successful move, and Sortly makes staying organized a piece of cake.

Color Code and Inventory 

Nothing is worse than getting to your new home and not know where everything is! In what box did you pack the toilet paper? Where is your child’s special blanket? Where are the cleaning supplies? We suggest getting really organized and not only labeling each box but also color-coding them so a misplaced box can be spotted easily. Create a key with colored tape that signifies blue for one room, red for another, and so on. If you want to be super organized keep a short inventory list or description on each box so when you arrive at your new location, finding what you need will be much less stressful. That Sortly app can help here as well. 

Sort, Purge, and Downsize 

When you have finally started the process of packing, you will probably find that you have “too much stuff.” This is a fairly common problem, especially if you have been in a house for a while. We suggest that you sort your items into like piles such as books, keepsakes, pictures, picture frames, or categories specific to your home’s belongings. Once the items have been sorted, you may find that you want to purge or downsize some of your collections. Perhaps you found that your wardrobe could be whittled down, or that you want to donate some of the books you have already read a few times. Moving is a great time to sort your items into a recycle, trash, or sell pile. Doing so can actually cut back on the amount of stuff you need to move and unpack later. 

Our final tip on getting and staying organized is to enlist friends, relatives, and anyone who is willing to help you get it all done. Remember that “many hands make light work.” If you need a professional mover to help you along the way, whether it is for storage, packing/unpacking and, of course, moving, then call Mastodon Moving at 774-421-9004 or contact us through our website.