Life Admin: How to project manage your house move like a pro
They say that moving house is up there as one of the most stressful life events many of us will ever experience.
But it doesn’t have to be.
What is moving house, if not just one big admin exercise?! If you dig deep and muster any admin, organisational and project management skills you possess, no matter how rusty, you can put them to work to make your next house move hassle-free.
Here are a few of my top tips to help you on your way.
Start early
Don’t wait until moving day is looming before you begin to prepare for it. If you have the luxury of a couple of weeks (or months) notice of your upcoming move, use that time to make a dent in your decluttering, decorating and packing.
A ‘little and often’ approach will help you nibble away at bigger jobs making them much more manageable.
For example, do you have a shed full of borrowed tools, or a bookshelf full of library books? Start moving items back to their rightful owners now. Returning borrowed items bit by bit not only clears some clutter but also releases you from the obligation of taking care of them. You’ve already got enough of your own stuff to safely pack, transport and rehome at your new place. You don’t need the added headache of having other people’s stuff in the mix too.
Learn to love lists
There’ll be a million tasks, big and small, competing for your attention when you’re managing a house move. Having a strategy for organising these tasks is the key to success. So, dust off your favourite note-taking or list-making strategy and use it to keep yourself and your tasks on track.
(HINT: keeping everything in your head and hoping you’ll remember it all doesn't work!)
If you’re usually a pen and paper kind of person, consider swapping jotting things in your notebook for a digital alternative such as the Notes app on your phone. Don’t get me wrong, I love a Post-It note as much as the next person, but the volume, variety and complexity of tasks involved in moving house are enough to test the limits of even the most sophisticated sticky-note strategist!
A simple spreadsheet could be all you need. Add in any of a number of apps designed to help you stay organised, your favourite project management software and some clever integrations with your electronic calendar to level up your lists and really put them to work.
Call in the professionals
Outsourcing parts of your move to experts will take a weight off your shoulders (perhaps literally!) and help moving day go without a hitch.
For my most recent house move from York to Darlington, I chose a removals company to handle all the furniture. They were able to dismantle and reassemble bulky pieces for me, do all the heavy lifting and pack everything safely and securely into their van. What would have taken me a sweaty and sweary couple of hours to do by myself they took care of in a fraction of the time (and with far less fuss and faff!)
Yes, it would have been cheaper not to hire a removals company and do the whole move myself. Having done that many times in the past, I can safely say that when it comes to a headache-free house move I’ve learned the difference between cheap and value for money.
If you’re in the midst of project managing a move and your admin instincts are deserting you, get in touch and I’ll be glad to help.
