Moving Day: A Survivor’s Guide

The moment you have been waiting for has finally arrived.

It’s taken some time and a lot of hard work, but today the big move is on and you simply could not be more excited. Good on you! We’re so happy for you!

Of course, it’s not quite all giddy excitement and goofy joy, is it? No, no, no. Feeling,…oh, I don’t know…a trifle apprehensive and stressed, perhaps? Yes, yes, yes? Thought so.

And why wouldn’t you be? Moving home is a big deal. There’s so much going on. So much to do. And, if there’s so much going on and so much to do, there is, quite logically, so much that could go wrong.

We know you’ve put in all that right preparation because you are smart people. But, just incase you’ve been so busy that the actually day itself has sort of snuck up on you, here are 5 things you can do to make the actual moving day a lot less stressful than it needs to be.

Be An Early Bird: Set that alarm, people! There’s a lot to do today and the sooner you get to it, the easier it’s all going to be. If you’ve prepped well, it allows you to take everything at a more leisurely pace. If you’ve not prepped as well as you might have, the extra time allows you to confront any unexpected issues. In any case, a bright start is a great start. Get to bed early. Rest well. And then, crack on!

Dress For Success: You’re up, breakfasted and ready to take on the task at hand. But are you really going to wear those £50 trousers your parents got you for Christmas?  There’s going to be a lot of lifting, pushing and sweating today, so maybe skip on the high fashion and put on something a little more battered and faded. You may get rubbed and scratched a bit today, so put on clothes that you don’t mind getting damaged and, also, that is in no way restricting. It’s going to be a long, hard day.

Charge Those Phones: There may be quite a lot of you involved in this move and people may be in different places at different times, so making sure you are contactable throughout the day is key. Charge your mobile phone through the night and/or during the morning and encourage everyone else to do the same. If someone goes on a sandwich run and is forced to take a guess on whether you’re a BLT or a prawn person, there could be a catastrophic tantrum on the horizon. Now, who wants that? No one. Save yourself the bother. Get your phone sorted.

Have a “Moving Kit”: Of course, the best way to avoid any such sort of sandwich kerfuffle is to have made your own fresh that morning. And, to make sure you have easy access for when hunger bites, put them aside in some sort of separate “Moving Kit”. As well and lunch, think of other things that may come in handy during the day. Teabags, mugs, First Aid Kit…You don’t want to be hunting around for these sorts of items with so many other things to do. Put them all in one place and, yes, remember where that place is.

Animals & Children: If you don’t have them, then this part is fairly irrelevant to you. But if you do, we hope you’ve considered this before now. Animals and children go with moving like orange juice and toothpaste. If you can, try to get a friend or family member to take care of them for the day so you can get on with the job at hand. It will make everyone’s life easier and a far swifter and more effective move.

Moving day is going to be a tough day whatever happens, but there are ways to avoid making it more difficult than it needs to be. Have a think about what you can do in addition to the points made here. The more preparation you can do, the easier it is all bound to be. And at the end of it all? Well, a new home. A new start. New horizons.

We at Belvoir Edinburgh hope you are all doing well during these difficult times. We hope you’re managing to smile and keeping your chin up. Hopefully, we will all see each other again soon.

Take care. Keep strong. And Happy Housekeeping.