Is it possible to  have a well-organized and smoothly operational moving experience?  Yes!  The answer is yes.  So, naturally, the next, most obvious, question is: How is it possible to have a well-organized and smoothly operational moving experience?

Here are five super simple and yet uber helpful tips to set you on the right course:

Create Your Hub!

The first thing you should do is create a space that will be your “headquarters”.  This could easily be a box that you write “moving headquarters” on and fill with stuff like shipping supplies (tape, scissors, labels, any important paperwork regarding the move, phone cords).  Your contents list is going to be stationed at your headquarters, and that’s going to be explained in the next tip…

Have A Contents List!

Keep a spiral notebook with you while you pack, so that you can write down a more detailed description of  what is going in each box.  This way you don’t have to say “misc kitchen” you can say “mixing bowls” and “measuring cups”.  Give each box a letter that coordinates with the room it’s going into (K for kitchen) and then a number (K1, K2, K3…).  When you want to know what is in K3 you go to your spiral notebook and look it up.

Don’t Skimp on the Supplies!

Make sure you have lots of shipping supplies on hand.  Lots of tape, lots of boxes, sharpies… That sort of thing.  You don’t want to run out right when you are in the thick of things.  That would be super inconvenient.

Pack Ahead, and Pack Smart!

Don’t leave packing until the weekend before you move.  If at all possible, begin packing weeks in advance.  Packing always takes so much longer than we think it will, and it always winds up using way more supplies.  So buy your supplies far in advance, probably from an online retailer that sells packaging and shipping supplies.  Then, maximize the supplies that you have purchased.  If you are using wardrobe boxes, fill the bottoms with shoes so that you aren’t wasting space.

Protect what is dear! 

If you have the space in your car, keep your most valuable and personal possessions with you.  It’s one thing to lose your couch and clothes in the moving process, it’s another to lose the love letters you sent back and forth with your spouse in college, or your adoption papers.