Moving home is considered one of the most stressful projects we have to complete in life. It’s even trickier when you’ve been living in your previous property for a long time, if you have young children, or if you’re moving due to a partnership breakup or a work relocation.

It’s, therefore, a good idea to be as organized as possible and to do whatever you can to reduce your stress in the lead up to the big moving day. Try following these essential moving tips to keep your sanity intact.

Give Yourself Enough Time

Give yourself as much time as possible to get organized for your move. While things can come up that lead to hurried relocations, such as when you get a new job opportunity, much of the time, you can allow yourself multiple months of planning.

The more weeks you have up your sleeve, the less you should need to stress about the task of moving house. Not only does this reduce the pressure on how quickly you have to pack all your belongings up, but it also gives you more mental and emotional space. Permit yourself the time you need to process having to let go of one property and move onto the next.

Break the Move Down into Manageable Tasks

Don’t try to do everything at once, which is likely to overwhelm you. Instead, break the packing up, cleaning, unpacking, and related tasks into smaller chunks that remain manageable. For example, if you’re busy working, looking after kids, and otherwise handling daily life, don’t set yourself the goal of packing up your whole kitchen in a day or weekend. Instead, plan to pack up only a particular cupboard first. Once it is done, tick it off the list, enjoy the buzz of achievement, and move onto the next.

Outsource What You Can

Don’t try to be a hero who gets everything done by themselves. Moving is a big job, so enlist help. For people who have the means, this may equal employing people to pack up your home for you, using removalists on moving day, and hiring cleaners to get your old property in good order.

But if you don’t have the available budget to pay people to help you, you can still ask for assistance from those in your circles. Many family members and friends will be happy to assist you, and you can pay them with a case of beer, a celebratory dinner once you’re all moved into your new place, or a heartfelt thankyou.

Update Utility Companies

Make sure you take care of practicalities besides packing, too. For example, update all the utility companies you deal with. Give providers plenty of notice that you’re moving, so you don’t end up without power, gas, water, internet or other essentials once you’ve moved. Some companies can turn on services remotely, but many need someone present at the new property to let them. The sooner you get in touch with organizations, the easier it is to set up a suitable time for this to happen.

If you haven’t had to move for a while, you’re probably asking yourself, what are considered utilities and who do I need to contact? Apart from the most apparent providers, such as electricity, gas, phone, and internet, also think about cable firms, water and sewer organizations, trash pickup services, home security companies, and mail and courier services.

Put together a list of each provider you deal with and their contact details, so you have everything together in one master list. Update your address with each organization, and pay any outstanding bills. Also, get a last-minute reading of meters at your old property as you’re moving out. Keep records of these readings so you can check them against final bills.

Bundle Similar Items Together and Make Notes of Connections

It pays, too, to bundle similar items together when you’re packing, so it’s much easier to find things when you’re in your new house. Label each box/package effectively with an indication of the contents and the room where it needs to go on moving day.

Plus, make notes about how tech gear and other pieces are connected or built, or take photos or videos of the parts. Doing this job makes it much less stressful to put everything back together later.

Pack an Overnight Case

Lastly, pack an overnight case with some necessities such as pajamas, a change of clothes, medications, and toiletries, so you’re not searching for things on the night of the move when exhausted. Having the essentials on hand and altogether is also helpful if you’re moving to a new city and traveling overnight.

Moving is never really going to be a fun or stress-free experience, but you can reduce the negative impact of this transition on yourself and your loved ones by following the tips above.