Packing & Moving Tips for Young Professionals.
- Packing Tips for Moving as a Young Professional.
If you are a young professional, who has recently qualified, or are taking up a position in a distant destination such as Cape Town, leaving from entire Johannesburg, it is extremely important for you to evaluate the entire packing process that will be needed for you to make a successful move, based on either a short or long lead/lag time BEFORE the actual move.
In this scenario, packing tips can change: i.e., if you have adequate time, carrying out or doing a last-minute move. Based on your need, you can combine all the following packing tips for your move, on moving day, to make the move as seamless as possible.
Also, in the time that you have between making the decision (D-Day) to move, and the planned MOVING day (M-Day), in a relaxed fashion, you should try to adhere to the following routine when dealing with your “stuff” beforehand:
- Go through, and “purge” your stuff whilst packing (or during the packing process).
- Of course, one may not have been born into the life-changing joy of tidying up, but we all know that getting to a new house/apartment/flat and then opening boxes of well-packed goods or random junk from a study desk, will not bring you much joy.
So, it is best for you to sort them out into FOUR (4) distinct piles:
- PACK NOW: – things that can be packed up until the moving day itself.
- PACK LATER: – things you want to keep out until right before the actual day of moving.
- Items to be donated to a Charity et cetera.
- Items to be thrown away.
It makes sense that here; you need to make sure that EVERYTHING that is in the “donate or throw away piles” ACTUALLY get thrown away. There is a reason for a viral meme about having a bag of “stuff” to donate left in mom’s car for months.
Now, just in case you are moving out at short notice, you will need to organise a specific “packing day” and get people over, if is possible, to help you with your packing.
Preparation before packing day.
- Before any people come over, create a checklist (or spreadsheet where this is more suitable) noting what needs to be done. This will facilitate the easy assignment of things/tasks to your team of helpers.
- Either buy or get, moving boxes in all shapes and sizes – in fact, even move them before you THINK you will ever need to do so. BEFORE you embark on doing this – i.e., to go out and buy them though, check on your local Facebook group to see if anyone is giving boxers etc. away (or selling them cheaply).
DO NOT forget that you can also be packing things into containers other than boxes. Here you can use suitcases, storage totes, and other large boxes/buckets for this purpose. Just remember that boxes are stacked better – so, if you are packing into suitcases and so on, they might well go better into the back of a car, or with you in a plane.
- Buy a number of storage bags in assorted sizes. You will find that even the snack & jumbo order special stickers to make labelling-sized days bags will come in handy!
- Order special stickers to make labelling the boxes that are meant for specific rooms, much easier. Also, if you want to add a note about what is in the boxes “moving labels” would work well.
- “Pickup order” – cold drinks, snacks/food for your helpers. Of course, people will be much happier when they have eaten well, and it is a really effortless way to show your gratitude for their help. Donuts, drinking water and pizza will go over well with your crew. Sending “THANK YOU” cards is a nice gesture as well.
FINALLY.
Set up a station equipped with EVERYTHING people need for packing:
“Tons” of packing tape, scissors, “Sharpies” for labelling, and anything else you can think of. If you have multiple floors in your flat/home, set up a moving supplies station on all floors, so people do not have to go up and down any stairs to get supplies.