While moving to a new place can be an incredibly fun and exciting experience, the act of actually moving is usually anything but. Packing up your entire life and trying to set it down in a new location is certainly stressful, but it is something that everybody has to do, at some point. While there is probably always going to be a bit of moving anxiety, though, you can absolutely do things that are going to mitigate that stress. To help you relax and get through the arduous process, here are some tips to remember when getting ready to move…

Create a list of the hardest things to move

First of all, well before you actually start to pack anything up to move, you need to make a game plan. While most of this plan will probably be pretty obvious things, such as not packing your toothbrush up a week before you actually move. However, what is super important to figure out is how you plan to move some of the more difficult things in your house. Large china cupboards and king-sized beds are hard things to move when it’s spur of the moment. Making a list of these hard to move objects let’s you know what you’ll need help moving and what you should plan to put in larger vehicles. On top of that, just having a plan takes so much stress off.

Get supplies several weeks before

You’re going to need lots of things to help you move. Even if you think you have everything you need, we can promise that you almost certainly do not! Take stock of all of the boxes that you have, and then rally up the tape, bubble wrap, markers, totes, and garbage bags that you’ve got lying around. Moving takes a lot more supplies than you think, so take the time to order what you need before you actually need it.

Start packing early

The worst thing that you can do to yourself when you are moving is try to pack everything up a day or two before you move. At the very least, you should be giving yourself two weeks to get everything in order and ready to move. Start by packing away decorations and things that aren’t necessary to your day to day life, and then slowly start to pack away kitchen tools, clothes you won’t need for the next few days, and so on. Eventually, when moving day comes, it will be much less stressful if you just need to throw things in a truck and go, rather than worry if everything is going to fit. This site has some great tips to help you pack effectively for a move.

Get rid of what you don’t need

One of the most relieving things about moving is that it gives you an opportunity to clean out all of the junk that you’ve accrued over the years that you don’t really want. For some people, this is a stressful aspect of moving, as separating with some things can give you a great deal of anxiety. However, for other people, it is a liberating act that declutters your life.

Either way, even if it does give you stress, you should opt to get rid of at least some things that you aren’t going to need. As a good rule of thumb, you shouldn’t be taking things out from the back of your attic that you’re only going to put in the back of your new attic for years to come. You may even opt to get rid of as much as you can.

Clean around your house

It isn’t very courteous to leave the exterior of your home a complete and total disaster. As a courtesy to the people who bought your house, make sure that you pick up leaves and waste from around your home so that the people coming in don’t have to worry as much in their own moving process. After all, you’d hope for the same treatment at the place you are moving to! If need be, even rent a dumpster to make the process easier.