What is the Most Important Thing to Do When Moving Home?

What is the Most Important Thing to Do When Moving Home?

Decluttering, choosing the best removal company you can, or hiring professional packers?

What is the most important thing to do when moving home?

None of the above, as important as each of the above is.

The most important thing to do when moving home is to look after yourself and your loved ones, both physically and mentally.

Moving home can seem totally overwhelming and it is no surprise that people find the whole process so stressful.

Whilst you can stress about every last detail, and lay awake for hours worrying about this and that, the reality is that what will be will be.

We have a whole library of over 300 articles about the most efficient and cost-effective ways of moving home, the order in which to pack each room in your home, and even how to pack a removal van.

So clearly, to a very large extent, you can plan for and control nearly every aspect of your home move.

Except one. And it overrides all else.

Fate. Karma. Destiny. Murphy’s Law. Your Guardian Angel. Call it what you will.

Why It Pays to Hire Professionals

Bear with me if you will whilst I relay this story.

I have a huge old oak tree that overhangs my home. It has been dead for years and now branches are breaking off threatening to come crashing through the roof.

So I sought some quotes to get it cut down. The quotes were eye-watering.

I have a chainsaw, and I have felled trees before but nothing this big, so I watched some tutorial videos and thought how difficult can this be?

So last Saturday I chose to cut the tree down myself and save some money.

At the last moment whilst donning some safety gear I decided to wear some thick leather boots.

It was a really hot day and my first thought was to wear trainers that had a really good grip as I would be climbing the roof and then the trunk of the tree.

But work boots seemed the safer option, so boots it was.

To cut a long story short, as I cut a large branch, and stood on the slope of the roof, I slipped on the roof tiles sending my leg into the air, the chainsaw blade sliced through the branch at that exact moment, and sliced through my boot.

I waited for the pain and gore that would surely follow. But nothing.

After the initial shock, I removed my boot to see that the chain had even cut through my sock yet I had not a scratch. It seemed impossible.

I took precautions wearing all the safety gear I had, was taking as much care as I could, yet an accident still happened.

It could have been so much worse and I cannot believe I did not lose half my foot, but thankfully that was not to be.

My guardian angel was certainly looking over me.

Would a life-changing injury be worth saving a few thousand pounds for? I think not.

The tree surgeons are coming this week to finish the job. I will leave it to the professionals in the future.

The point is, no amount of money saved is worth risking your well-being and sanity for.

This brings us nicely to the topic of important things to do when moving home to make it safer and less stressful.

You may also like to read: How to Move Home Safely: 14 Things You Must Know. In this guide, we look at 14 potential accidents and mishaps that could happen on moving day and how you can avoid them.

7 Important Things to Do When Moving Home

#1 Delegate

Each of us has different strengths and weaknesses, different daily priorities, and different time restraints.

Moving home has so many elements to it that when looked at in its entirety can seem totally overwhelming.

Therefore, delegate as much as possible to take the pressure off of yourself and relieve some stress.

If you are only moving a few things and plan on moving home by yourself then break down every home-moving task into chunks.

Decide what you have the time and skills to do, or who else can do what and when.

For the majority of home moves, however, the most sensible thing to do is to leave the packing and moving to a full-service removal company.

This leaves you the time and energy to complete an exceptionally important home-moving task that nobody else can do: decluttering.

You may also like to read: How to Declutter for a Home Move. Decluttering is guaranteed to make your home move easier and cheaper, as well as ensuring that your new home only has the things you really need and love in it. This guide takes you room by room through the decluttering process and suggests ways to cope with the emotions of parting with your possessions.

Delegating is an extremely important part of being able to manage your stress levels.

Trying to do everything yourself, especially if you have neither the time nor the physical ability to do all the home-moving tasks, is a recipe for disaster.

Life will go on after you move home, the moving process is such a short space of time compared to the years in your new home.

Stress and anxiety can have a profound impact on your health and well-being, so spread the workload, admit what you can and cannot do, and get as much help as you can.

#2 Accept

Acceptance, in human psychology, relates to an often negative situation that you realise you have no control over, that you cannot change or alter, and so, therefore, accept things for what they are.

During your home move, there will likely be many frustrations and stressful moments.

Maybe you found what you believed to be your dream home, then it all fell through. The frustration, sense of loss, and heartache made you question whether it was worth moving home at all.

Yet the home you are now moving to is so much better.

It was meant to be.

Accept that your plans are going to change and that things will not always take the path you think they will.

Yet you can be sure that things will work out for the best in the end. They always do.

You may also like to read: Moving Home: Things That Could Go Wrong and How to Avoid Them. There are plenty of things that can go wrong during a home move but most are avoidable or manageable. Here we go through some examples of what could go wrong on moving day and how you can prevent them from becoming a catastrophe.

#3 Focus

By leaving all the hard work and organisation of your move to a professional removal team you can focus on the important things in your life.

That may mean paying special attention to the kids who may be feeling upset and unsettled by the upcoming move, giving them plenty of reassurance and the support they need at this time.

Focus on keeping healthy, maintaining your usual diet or exercise routine, and taking time to relax and rejuvenate away from the piles of moving boxes.

Don’t forget that your pets will also be affected by the home move and will also require some extra attention and love during this unsettling time.

Many times during your home move, and even after you have moved, you will question whether you made the right choice, whether you should even have moved at all.

But by focusing on all the positive aspects of why you are moving home and all the negatives of living in your old home, you will realise that all the upheaval was worth it.

Settling into a new home and new area takes time and effort, but all the best things do.

So give it time to start feeling like it is your home, make the effort to integrate and find all those special places in your new town, and focus on creating a great new life for yourself.

You may like to read: How to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle During a Home Move. In this guide, we offer some advice on how to stay healthy during a home move, from maintaining a healthy diet to exercise, from mental well-being to safe handling techniques.

#4 Communicate

Communication is vital during a period of change when people will be stressed, will need reassurance, will need to talk through how they are feeling, and will need somebody to listen to them.

Clear and precise communication with your removal company will ensure there are no misunderstandings and that all will go well on moving day.

Let your old neighbours know of your move date so that they are aware there may be some disruption in the road on moving day or so that they can free up a parking spot for the removal van.

And when you arrive at your new place let your new neighbours know you have arrived and apologise for any disruption whilst you unload the removal van.

There are even organisations that will help you with your removal costs and some removal firms that offer payment plans, but unless you ask, you will not know.

Every aspect of your home move will benefit from excellent communication skills and it is especially important for your mental well-being that you talk about your feelings, your concerns, and fears.

Often a kind word or an attentive ear is all we need, and in that nano-second of time, our whole perspective on something can change, when our stress and anxiety can just slip away.

You may also like to read: Things to Tell Your Removal Company. There are a number of really important things that you must communicate to your removal company to ensure that everything goes smoothly on moving day. Here, we suggest what you absolutely must tell your removal company.

#5 Escape

Life is often a relentless list of things to do, there is just never enough time, and that is even truer when moving home.

The problem is we get so overwhelmed that panic sets in and the obvious ways to make things easier are buried under those to-do lists.

So stop, step back, take a break, and regroup your thoughts.

Take a walk around the block, read a book, have a coffee, whatever gives you time to gather your thoughts, and refresh your body and mind.

You may like to read: How to De-Stress after the Stress of Moving Home. In this guide, you will find out how to recognise the signs that you are suffering from stress and some practical and useful tips on how to relax your body and mind.

#6 Know Your Limits

People rarely move home and it could be 10 years or more ago that you last moved.

As much as we hate to admit it, our bodies change, our health and stamina change, and what we could do 10 years ago may be unrealistic to do today.

Moving home is hard, physical work, it is mentally draining, and taxes your emotions to their limit.

It is best to admit what you are able to comfortably do and leave the rest to the professionals.

You, and those around you, will thank you for making that decision.

You may like to read: Moving Home Yourself vs Hiring a Removal Company (the Pros and Cons). In this guide, we give a balanced view of the pros and cons of every home moving option, a total DIY move, hiring a full-service removal company, or a combination of both.

#7 Use Checklists

One way to keep organised and your mind clear is to use checklists.

By having a home moving checklist you will be able to clearly see exactly what needs doing and when.

It will save you so much stress because you will not forget any of those important home-moving tasks.

You may also like to read: How to Not Get Overwhelmed With a Moving Checklist. At first glance, when you see all those home moving-related tasks in a long list, it may make you wonder how this will make your move less stressful. It will trust us. The trick is to tailor the checklist to your own circumstances. Here we show you exactly how to do that.

Final Home Moving Tip

One of the most useful things to learn when moving home is how to relax.

There is a very simple breathing exercise you can do even whilst walking which will calm your mind and body.

Very simply clear your mind, breathe in through your nose, hold for a second, and then exhale through your mouth.

Just breathe naturally, there is no need to take huge gulps of air.

If you are experiencing negative thoughts then you can purify your mind by imagining that the air you draw in through your nose is pure, good energy, and the air you exhale is the negativity being drawn out of your body.

You only need to do this for a couple of minutes and increase the time as and when you need to.

That’s it. It is that simple.

But as crazy as it may seem, that simple exercise will really help calm and relax you.

There is no reason why moving day should be stressful, you have already been through the stressful part of the home moving process finding and securing your new home.

Now leave the hard part to a professional removal team so that you can concentrate on what is really important, the well-being of yourself and those around you.