How to Create a Packing Plan That Works

                                                                  

 Intro
Moving is exciting, packing is not
Yes, you can plan for packing. It doesn’t have to be packing frenzie, with the right game plan, you may actually enjoy it. 
I repeat, this does not have to be overwhelming, as long as you create a plan
Mark Your Calendar
The day you find out when you’re moving, mark it on a physical calendar (or digital if that’s your thing). This will help you visualize how much time you have.
When you set a date, urgency becomes real.
Remove the Unpackable
Declutter, throw stuff away, get rid of everything that won’t go in a box (unless it’s furniture)
Create a List of Packing Supplies
Have clarity now? Cool. Now that you know exactly what you have and you’re taking with you, figure out what you need to pack it up.
What do you already have? (boxes, scissors, tape, friends and family, packing snacks, children who are old enough to help, bubble wrap)
Know what you have? Know what you don’t have? Make a list of what to buy.
Brace Yourself: It’s Time to Make Your Packing List
Give yourself time and treat yourself to a glass of wine, it’s time to make your packing list
It’s basically an inventory of what you own. You don’t have to count every t-shirt and every stray pen, but get a general understanding of what you have.
Additional list: what you will need immediately when you arrive. You will want to pack those differently.
Give Yourself a Sanity Room
Leave one room untouched while packing.
Be smart about which room you choose, which one do you use most? Office? Kitchen? Up to you. Keep it intact.
However! Do what you can to prep to pack it - get boxes ready, pre-label them, etc.
Pack the Stuff You Won’t Need First
Pack away the superfluous stuff
Keep the stuff you will need immediately clearly marked and accessible
Takeaway: using these step will significantly improve your packing experience. Don’t make packing so hard on yourself. Happy Packing

When it comes time to actually move, leave it to us (call for a free quote).

Moving is exciting. You’re off to a new place with new neighbors and friends, a new job and a new city to explore. It’s a chance for a fresh start. You know what’s not exciting? Packing. Most people put this part of a move off and as a result find themselves packing in a frenzie until all hours of the night. Packing doesn’t have to be that stressful!  As long as you create a plan, packing won’t be as overwhelming as you think. Follow these tips on how to pack correctly for stress free packing experience.
Mark Your Calendar
Time has a way of sneaking up on us. Yesterday was a month ago, but suddenly moving day is tomorrow! Cue freak out! Avoid this scenario by keeping close tabs on your calendar the month of your move. The moment you find out when you’re moving, mark it on a physical calendar (or digital if that’s your thing). This will help you visualize how much time you have to clean, pre-pack, have a going away party.  Once you have set a date, the urgency of your move will kick you into action and you will be primed to become a packing ninja!
Remove the Unpackable
Apart from moving day, you may also consider marking your calendar with declutter days or weekends a few weeks prior to moving day. This is a great pre-moving activity that can make packing a lot easier. Start by deciding what you will donate or throw away. Create a pile of stuff that you plan to donate (like that hello kitty toaster or that White Snake t-shirt with holes in it that you’ve been meaning to get rid of for literally decades) and another pile of stuff you plan to sell at your garage sale(your VHS collection and that bright pink lava lamp that will make some college student cry with joy). This would also be a good time to figure out if there are larger items you want to sell on Craig’s List so that you have ample time to find a buyer before your move.
Create a List of Packing Supplies
How to plan for packing? You ask? Now that you know exactly what you have and what you’re taking with you, figure out what you need to pack it up.  Before you start buying up Walmart’s entire supply of duct tape and sharpies, first take an inventory of what you already have. Most folks have things like boxes, scissors, tape, packing snacks, bubble wrap and towels(that can be used as cushioning) already in their home.  Don’t forget to include the human factor on your list of “supplies”. If you have friends, family or children who are old enough to help with the move, you may be able to save yourself some time, money and back ache. Once you have a list of what you have, then you can make a list of the things that you need to buy.
Brace Yourself: It’s Time to Make Your Packing List
Get into your favorite, most comfortable chair, put your feet up and treat yourself to a glass of wine because it’s plan for packing time!  Where to start? With a moving checklist, of course! While it is not necessary to count every t-shirt and every stray pen, it’s a good idea to get a general understanding of what you have. Organize your list by room and list items in the order in which you plan to pack them that makes the most sense to you. For example, in the case of your bedroom, you’ll probably pack your bed sheets las along with the clothes and other items you’ll need for when you arrive at your new home. While things like jewelry, your massive shoe collection and single socks can be packed up right away.
Give Yourself a Sanity Room
Packing can become very chaotic very quickly. One of the best packing tips you can implement is to reserve a sanity room. It’s a good idea to leave one room untouched while packing. Make sure the room you designate as “the sanity room” is one you use the most. Whether it be a work space, the kitchen or your bedroom, keep that room intact until you have the rest of the rooms packed up. You can still carry out pre-packing tasks for your sanity room such as getting boxes ready, pre-labeling and cleaning.
Pack the Stuff You Won’t Need First
This is a no-brainer, sure, but you’d be surprised what zaney things people do under stress. Don’t be that person! Know what to pack first! Keep a head on your shoulders and pack the stuff you don’t have an immediate need for (like photo albums, your miniature turtle collection and your dust-collecting books) first. On the same token, make sure that the items you will need on moving day are easily accessible by labeling boxes in which you have stored those items clearly. 
Conclusion
Packing is stressful, chaotic and can easily get out of hand. Don’t be an unhappy packer! Move without procrastinating and plan ahead instead! That way you can focus on the new life that’s ahead of you! Want to be a happy mover too? When you have a moving date in mind, leave it to the      san francisco professional movers at Moving Forward to do it for you! Give us a call for a FREE quote!

How to Move Successfully in the Summer Heat

                                                      

Intro
Summer is the most popular time to move, it’s also the hottest time to move.
Depending on where you’re moving from/to, it’s likely to be hot - hot and humid, hot and dry, just plain hot.
Moving is labor intensive, it’s easy to overexert yourself, forget to eat or drink water (especially when you just want to get the work done!)
Don’t get yourself in a situation where you have to drop everything you’re doing to go to the store and get water/food (or worse … have to stop everything to go to the ER for heat stroke).
Take care of yourself this summer! Use these tips to stay cool, hydrated and happy during your move *and to take care of your movers too*
Do You Know the Signs of Overheating?
Heat exhaustion can happen fast if you’re not taking care of yourself. Know the signs before it’s too late
Nausea, dizziness
Headache
Excessive sweating
Fatigue
Excessive thirst
Irritability
Hot flushed skin
Rapid heart rate
Shortness of breath
If any of these worsen, you may need to go to the hospital in case of heat stroke.
Start Early
Beat the heat, ask your movers to arrive as early as possible.
Be prepared when they arrive, time dilly-dallying when movers arrive is time allowing the morning to heat up.
Have your game plan (what’s moving first and wear)
Have hallways covered to avoid scratching, etc.
Hydrate (more than you think you need to)
You can easily get to you 10,000 steps in a day when moving .. running back n forth in the house, not to mention lifting boxes etc.
If you’re feeling the signs of thirst, that means you’ve been thirsty for a long time. Don’t get to that point.
The last thing you want to do is get a dehydration headache or fatigue from lack of water.
Keep water bottles and hydrating drinks (coconut water, sports drinks, iced tea, etc.) at hand at all times.
Eat hydrating foods (watermelon, cucumber, jicama, popsicles)

Gear Up and Wear Appropriate Clothing
You can wear cooling scarves to keep your neck cool while you’re moving boxes.
Wear a hat (get it wet once in awhile)
Wear light clothing (dark clothes absorb sunlight and will make you hotter)
Stick with breathable natural fabrics like cotton or Moisture wicking clothing (keep the sweat off your body)
Keep the AC On in Your House
Don’t turn off your utilities on moving day, you’re gonna want that AC as a break from the heat.
Turn on utilities at new home as well, so AC can be cranked when you arrive (if you’re moving close, crank it before you arrive so you can come home to a cool place).
Protect Your Skin
Wear protective clothing
Lather up with that spf
Take Breaks
We know you want to get this done ASAP, but you need to take breaks so as not to overexert yourself.
Hang out in the shade, have a quick chat with your movers and share a drink, (your movers will appreciate a break too!)
Careful Where You Put Your Boxes
Some items don’t fare well in the heat
Anything that can melt
Anything that can be damaged by sunlight (electronics, art)
Keep them out of the sun as much as possible
Conclusion
Good luck out there, from all of us at Moving Forward San Francisco!


Do you feel that? Your cheeks burning, nose running, sweat dripping down every nook and cranny? Yeah. That’s the heat of the middle of summer. It’s great if you’re spending it BBQing in the shade, diving into a lake or sipping an ice cold drink with an umbrella in it. If you’re moving during the summer, however, the sweltering heat can make you feel like you’ve created your own little day of HELL!  While summertime may be peak moving season and the most popular time of year to move, it can also be the hardest time of year to move because it’s too hot outside for people to be lifting heavy boxes all day. When is the best time to move? If you can, consider moving during Memorial Day and Labor Day when the weather is still nice, but not as hot as the summer months.  But hey! If you are planning on moving during the summer, don’t panic yet! You found this blog, didn’t you? So let’s make this summer moving day a bit more pleasant and tolerable, shall we? Read on for some tips on how to stay cool, hydrated and happy during your summer move!

Do You Know The Signs of Overheating?
If you can stay ahead of dehydration, your move will go a lot faster and you won’t feel like you’ve been run over by a moving truck by the end of the day. It’s important to pay attention to signs of dehydration before it’s too late to do anything about it (yes, there is a point of no return). Here’s a list of symptoms to look out for.
Nausea, dizziness
Headache
Excessive sweating
Fatigue
Excessive thirst
Irritability
Hot flushed skin
Rapid heart rate
Shortness of breath
It’s also important to know the dangers of excessive heat.  If any of these symptoms worsen,  it may result in a trip to the hospital.  Heat stroke is no joke and requires immediate medical attention. So keep that water bottle close!
Get An Early Start
It’s true what they say: the early bird gets the worm and it’s most likely because if the bird waits any longer, it will be too dang hot for the work it will take to get that worm! Do as the bird does, get an early start. When you book your move, ask for the earliest arrival time. It’s also a good idea to be prepared before the movers come so that you have as much morning time when it’s cooler to move as possible. What can you do to prepare?
Have a game plan of what’s moving first, second, third, etc.
Cover hallways and the corners of furniture to avoid scratching
Plan a pathway for the movers to take that is the clearest and has the least amount of obstructions (through the garage, for example)
Make sure all of your boxes are labeled, sealed and ready to be placed in the moving truck when the movers arrive.
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate And Then Hydrate Some More!
You will lose much more water moving on a summer’s day than a sitting on the beach on a summer’s day. You can walk up to 10,000 steps moving heavy boxes of your stuff back and forth and back and forth. If you start to feel thirsty, that’s a sign that you’ve been thirsty longer than you think and that dehydration is starting to set in. Don’t let it get to that point! The next thing you know you will have a headache, fatigue will set in and you will have a harder time keeping a steady rhythm.  Don’t keep moving under the pressure to get it done. Instead, stop to rehydrate from time to time. Have drinks on hand to at all times (coconut water, sports drinks or just regular H20 are the best!)  In addition to drinking, it’s a good idea to eat hydrating foods too like jicama, watermelon, cucumber and popsicles.
Clothes to Wear When Moving in the Heat
Wearing light, breathable clothing will help your body stay cool in the heat. Don’t wear dark clothing as it absorbs sunlight and will make you even hotter. Instead wear breathable natural fibers like cotton.  Alternatively, moisture wicking clothing that can help keep the sweat off of your body.  Cooling scarves are perfect for keeping your neck cool and sweat free. Also wearing a hat to shade your head from the blistering sun and wetting it periodically is another great way to stay cool.

Take Breaks
Resist the urge to go, go, go because you want to get your moving done yesterday. If you don’t take breaks, you may overexert yourself in the heat before you finish moving.  Not to mention, increasing your risk of heat stroke. So pull up a chair under a tree and have a chat with your movers. Find out their favorite hobbies, where they’re from and if they’d like a cold beverage from the ice chest.

Other Tips For  Moving In The Heat
Here are a few other suggestions you might want to keep in mind while moving in the scorching summer heat:
Protect your skin. Moving is hard enough. Moving with a sunburn is super hard. So lather up with some SPF before stepping foot outside.
Leave the AC on in your home. Set the cancelation date on your utilities in your old home the day after your move and set the start date for your utilities in your new home the day of moving. That way you’ll stay cool while you move out and while you move in!
Be aware where you put boxes that may have items that can suffer damage from the heat. Anything that can melt (think candles and photos that can end up sticking together), electronics and art are things you might want to take special care in protecting from the heat.
Conclusion
We all love summer, but maybe not so much if we have to move in its 100 degree weather. When you’re ready to move, whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, give the professional movers at Moving Forward San Francisco movers or Moving Forward Palo Alto movers for a FREE quote. Good luck out there and stay cool!