Moving with Little Notice: How to Do it and Keep Your Sanity

Moving

If you’ve ever faced the prospect of moving with little notice, you know it can be a stressful and frightening experience.

Regardless of whether you’re moving out because of a poor landlord or an unforeseen change in circumstances, having to vacate quickly is enough to drive anyone to anxiety. Fortunately, there are ways to make this unpleasant process slightly more manageable.

5 Tips for Moving with Little Notice

If you’re facing a move you weren’t planning on, here are five tips to help to streamline the process:

1. Dive in as soon as possible

When you don’t have much notice about a move, it can feel overwhelming to get started. While most people plan to lessen their other responsibilities (like work or volunteer hours) while moving, individuals who are moving on short notice don’t have that luxury.

Instead of procrastinating, though, it’s essential just to jump in. The sooner you get started, the sooner you can get finished.

2. Enlist friends, family, and professionals to help you pack

Packing is by far the most time-consuming aspect of moving. To streamline it as much as possible, call in a team to help you. Consider inviting all of your friends and family over one night for pizza and packing.

Not only will you get your house boxed up in warp speed – you’ll also get to spend some quality time with the people you love.

3. Be ruthless about decluttering

Moving with extra junk is never a good idea, but it can make an already stressful move downright unbearable. With this in mind, be ruthless about the things you need to get rid of. Take your unwanted items to Goodwill or give them to friends and family members.

In addition to cutting down on the time you spend moving, decluttering your home will also make unpacking and getting settled into your new home even easier.

4. Try not to settle for new housing

When you’re moving out on short notice, it’s tempting just to leap at the next available housing. As much as you can, try to keep your “must-haves” in mind while you search.

Diving into the first apartment you find can lead to disappointment down the road, and you’ll be better off in the long run if you take the time to find stable housing you love.

5. Protect your rights during the moving-out process

If you’re moving because of a bad landlord or an unideal living situation, you likely have rights. Understanding your rights as they pertain to the moving process can go a long way toward streamlining your move and ensuring that you don’t wind up paying more or being responsible for more than you should.

Short Notice Moves Made Easier

While nobody wants to move out of a home on short notice, these simple tips can help ensure that you don’t lose your mind in the process.

From enlisting the help of your friends and family to ensuring that you’re not holding onto items you no longer need, there are dozens of ways to move your home quickly and easily – even on short notice.