Let us teach you how to organize your perfect planner

Time management – this is the word which all of us fear, one way or the other. You can be young or old, in college or at work, but you do have trouble with organizing your time. And, while some people spend over four years studying this area as their side subject at college, we will do our best to give you a small recipe, which will make organizing and planning during your move much easier.

So, if you’ve been reading our previous posts, you’ve probably grown sick of us mentioning that you need a binder for the duration of the whole move, planning stages to the unpacking at your new house. If you haven’t heard of it yet, you’re informed now. So, what should go into this planner? Everything. And, we do mean everything. As you’re contacting different moving companies, be sure to write down their titles and the quotes which they will provide for you. As you’re planning your budget for the move, be sure to include that plan into this binder, as well. Let us not mention all the information and documentation which you will need for your future home.

But, let us give you some tips on how to make this great plan, which will then result in a good, stress-free, move.

Ten minutes a day will go a long way: the first part of our secret is daily planning for the move

You’re one of those people who leaves the room with a mission, only to forget what they were planning on doing? Don’t worry, you are not the first case of this mysterious, goldfish memory problem. But, here is the suggestion which we have for you: write it down. Surely, you have a phone or a piece of paper at hand at all times. So, once that perfect thought strikes you during a shower or while you’re watching a video on YouTube, open an app on your phone and jot it down in a note about your plans for the move.

On the other hand, we would suggest that you daily sit down and gather those notes, along with your current thoughts about the move, and write them down, or note them in your planner in some way. You can schedule the daily tasks for your move in sticky notes, or, if you are more of a digital person, on one of the great calendar or planner apps. We’d also suggest, after you’ve noted down everything that has been on your mind regarding the relocation during the day, that you go through your plan for the next day before going to bed. This little secret tip will improve your memory and you will be less likely to forget your plan.

Weekly planning will help you keep everything up to date: Sunday is move planning day

There will always be things which you can’t exactly pinpoint in time when you schedule them. For example, that farewell party which your friends will organize for you at some point before you relocate? Luckily, you don’t have to call them two months in advance and demand a date. Here is our solution: Take half an hour on your Sunday to plan everything out for the next week, in detail. This will be a good way to keep a great plan.

No planner is good if you don’t use it. So, every weekend, sit down and go over all of the things on your agenda for the upcoming week of your moving process. If there is anything which you’ve noted down on your phone calendar, and not into your binder, or written somewhere on a sticky note, titled ‘move plan’, this is the time when you should input all of that info into your move binder.

The monthly section shouldn’t be forgotten when planning a relocation: Write down some fixed dates

There are plenty of planners which you can choose from when buying yours, as you begin to form the binder for your move. But, we would suggest getting one with a monthly spread. This will not only serve you during your relocation, but also after your change of address. The best ones, most of the time, have a monthly spread at the beginning of each month, where you can note down the important dates which will certainly not change, despite the hectic nature of a move. So, here, you should include: birthdays, anniversaries, date of the move, deadlines for work and for your relocation, as well as due dates for any payments which you might have.

One planner to rule the move: Don’t switch between planners

It is time to become Sauron and have your own powerful ‘ring’, which will rule over your relocation completely. What we mean is, have one planner for the move, instead of switching between a number of them. Why? Are you really going to spend more time than necessary on writing things down in a planner, when you could be sorting through all of your possessions before starting the packing process? We know the answer: No. So, get a small, compact planner, which you can bring everywhere with you. It can be the whole binder for your move, but, it can also be just a small part of the binder, which you will be able to take with you anywhere.

Don’t shorten your move planning time too much: Use full sentences

Instead of simply writing ‘moving company’ or ‘Annie’, this will lead to confusion and using up more time than necessary to plan and organize the actual move. So, we would suggest that you use full sentences when writing down these things. For example ‘check the estimate with the moving company + telephone number’ or ‘call Annie about babysitting on the day before and the day of the move + number’.

Our final piece of advice to make this move a good one and this plan a great one is: Don’t feel the need to fill every inch of white

There is no need to have your planner filled to the brim with information or tasks. Leave some time for you to relax during the stressful process of relocation. Your plan for the move will be the reflection of your life during that period. Packed with daily tasks or not, don’t feel the need to have it completely filled out. Give yourself a chance to have a glass of wine with your neighbors or friends before the move.