Moving can feel like an overwhelming process, but with a bit of preparation, Des Moines homeowners can cut down on the stress. While it certainly feels like a lot transporting all of your belongings from one home to another, it’s also an exciting process learning up to your arrival in your new home. So, what are some things you can do to make the process a bit easier? Here are our favorite tips:

Map Out a Plan

The more detailed plan you can create for yourself, the better. It can be tempting to block off a couple of weekends in your mind and plan to tackle “the move”, but leaving yourself with this little structure can lead to a nightmare. So often, moving takes longer than expected, and when you lay out a clear plan for yourself, you’ll be better able to assess your time needs in advance. Consider plotting out windows of time throughout your week and giving yourself some specific tasks so that you feel the satisfaction of making progress.

Enlist Professionals

If it’s in your budget to bring in the professionals, this can dramatically improve the moving process. Especially if you have heavier furniture items you want to move safely, finding a good moving company you can trust is key. This usually requires doing some online research and asking around for recommendations. It’s worth investing the time here to find the right professionals to work with so that your movers make the process less stressful, not more.

Pack for Your Future Self

This is a great mindset for homeowners starting to pack everything up. What does it mean to pack for your future self? Imagine opening all these boxes in your new space. What would make that unpacking process easier? Things like labeling boxes, properly wrapping breakable items, and keeping boxes to a weight that’s manageable to carry can make the moving-in part of the process a bit easier. Though it can be tempting to focus on simply getting everything in boxes and on the truck, thinking about the future ‘you’ who will have to unpack everything can help you pack in the best way possible.

Double Task

This is another strategy that your future self will likely thank you for. It might feel like a timesaving measure to put everything into boxes and deal with it when you arrive at your new home. But there’s no point in packing up things that you’re not going to use. Use the project of moving as an opportunity to declutter. Don’t put anything into a box to move without considering if it’s something you actually need and want to keep. It’s so much better to declutter on this end of the process as opposed to the unpacking end. Not only does it save you on how much you actually need to move, but it also prevents you from bringing clutter to your brand new space.

Are you planning a move anytime soon? What steps have you taken to prepare? Do you have a plan in place? I’d love to hear your thoughts!