5 Mistakes to Never Make While Moving, According to a Moving Logistics Pro

If you’re ever in the mood to get extremely stressed out,try to move. It’s complicated and has a lot of logistics, and it’s easy to forget to do certain things that willmake your life easierthroughout. I spoke to Eve Ward, founder and CEO of relocation consultant firmBond and Des Voeux, to see what those things are. These are the mistakes she says not to make.

When people think about moving, it often comes along with anxiety about getting everything done that can overshadow the process. But remember that you may have pretty strong emotions about the move regardless — and that’s something you should prepare for.

“People move because of loss or divorce, they move for all sorts of reasons,” Ward says. “So they may be relatively resentful about the move, or joyous about the move.” Ward suggests trying to deal with the emotional toll up-front instead of leaving it as an afterthought. It’ll help you feel like you have more control over the whole situation.

If you find a good support network to help you through the challenges of moving, the emotional response probably won’t be as intense. Ward suggests talking to your friends and colleagues to see what mistakes they may have made during their own moves. Those people can become the support network you need — the people who can help you prepare and listen to you vent.

你know the saying “everything takes longer than you think?” Well, with packing, it’s especially true. It’s incredibly easy to misjudge exactly how long it’s going to take you, but Ward has a tip.

“The mistake is thinking it’s going to be a lot faster than you think,” she said. “If you ever want to know how long it takes to pack, pack one of your kitchen cabinets and then do the math.”

When you move, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out because everything around you is displaced. To combat this effect, Ward suggests taking control by embracing the details. Read your contract with the mover thoroughly to make sure you’re aware of every possible charge. Create a labeled floor plan for the move destination. Label your boxes with every single thing that’s in them.

“People think planning begins and ends with booking the move company, and that’s just not the case,” she says.

Ward once had a client who was furious with her movers when the final bill came. They’d been stuck in traffic and ended up charging four hours for travel. “They’re in their right to do that, because we don’t read the small print,” Ward says. “We just become focused on the dollar amount it costs for moving, and we always go for the cheapest.”

And that doesn’t leave much room for risk mitigation — like an increased fee because of traffic. It’s important to think about all the things that could go wrong with your move之前the move happens. Then you’ll need to prepare for that.