It was all going smoothly until the start date for the new job on the East Coast was brought forward. Everything had been organised and arranged to coincide with the settlement of the house – and now the timing had stuffed up. The packing – that had been going smoothly – was now rushed, and the to-do-list was overflowing with conflicting time lines and with just 24hours in a day, there just wasn’t going to be enough time.
As this was unfolding, Ms K had spotted a social media post showcasing our removals solution, so picked up the phone and called the office.
Can you organise a removalist to pick up my stuff and transport it to Queensland?
The answer was “of course” but can we come out and have a chat.
Our Lifestyle Change Coordinator met with Ms K and sat down over a cuppa and the extent of the move became clear.
Ms K had thought she’d had enough time to pack everything, organise removalists and complete the odd jobs around the house – but with all the will in the world, it was not going to happen.
Within a few days the Lifestyle Change Coordinator had organised additional packing materials, a backload with a company heading to Queensland, a team of people to do the physical packing and a number of trade’s people who could assist getting the house ready for handover.
As Ms K left for the airport it was with a sense of relief that she could leave the final tasks to the team.
So what does this tell you?
Time: It is always a good idea to work backwards from your end date so you know how much time you actually have, and then add a little bit of extra time so you can leave yourself some leeway just in case something happens – and let’s face it, something usually does! As Ms K had found out, even if you had thought you’d left yourself enough time, sometimes it’s still not enough.
Downsizing and decluttering takes longer than you think. If you are downsizing, it’s a good idea to start your decluttering journey several months out from the actual packing of the household items you are taking with you. Even if you are not downsizing it’s almost certain you will need to get rid of some items you’re not taking with you. Making sure you give yourself plenty of time, means you can organise extra bins, skip bins and the multiple runs to the recycling points.
Team: Gather your team in advance. While you may want to do everything yourself, sometimes you have to delegate certain tasks. This includes your outsourcing team of Professionals, Family and/or Friends. If you’re not planning on driving the truck yourself, you will need a removals company and people to assist with the moving and loading. You may also need someone to complete a vacate clean, and perhaps a handy man or specialist service provider to complete those little jobs which need doing. With proper direction and ground rules you can achieve far more than trying to do everything yourself and getting run down in the process.
Materials: It’s better to have too much packing material than not enough and you can always take what’s left with you J
Be prepared: You are going to be tired and potentially emotionally drained by the whole process. We would suggest:
Having enough energy rich foods to keep you going especially during the rush of the last few days.
Lean on your support team – that’s what they are there for.
Take everything one step at a time