Whether you realize it or not, the job of packing for a move just happens to be the most time-consuming task when you’re preparing to move out of your current home. And depending on a number of pre-move circumstances, packing may turn out to be the most difficult home moving project for you as well.
It’s no secret that the easiest way to pack for a move is to follow a good packing timeline checklist. What’s easy about it is that you won’t waste any valuable time wondering what to do next simply because you’ll have ALL of your packing tasks arranged in a logical sequence.
There’s no doubt that following a good packing checklist will help you stay perfectly organized. However, falling behind schedule can easily hurt your chances of having a smooth house move.
Here are the signs that you may already be behind on your packing timeline so that you know you’re going to have to do something about it in order to stay on the right track.
1. You haven’t checked more than a couple of items on your packing calendar
The main idea of following a packing timeline is to keep things organized by completing one packing job and then switching your attention to the next one in terms of relevance and urgency. The tasks that you’ve already tackled should be marked as DONE so that you can monitor your packing progress and introduce some quick fixes if you find it to be too slow.
So, if you’ve already been packing for days or weeks now and your packing checklist has no more than two tasks checked as completed, then it might either mean that your packing timeline is not as detailed as it should be or it may mean that you haven’t done enough packing to be able to finish it all on time.
See also: How to pack for a move quickly
2. You haven’t tackled your storage areas after 2 weeks of packing
If you’ve been packing your things for the last 15 days or so and you still haven’t even bothered to sort and pack all the stuff in the storage areas such as your garage, basement, attic, or walk-in closet, then logic says that you may be in a bit of a trouble. Why?
It’s a well-known fact that the storage areas in a home are the most difficult rooms to pack due to the large number of bits and pieces found in them. As a result, those storage areas should be the first ones to pack too!
Keep in mind that the sorting process alone – deciding which items to move and which ones to leave behind – can take many hours to complete.
So, when your Moving day approaches fast but the storage rooms in your home are still full of miscellaneous items, then that’s a sure sign that you’ve fallen behind schedule as far as your packing list is concerned.
Good to know: Which rooms to pack first when packing for a move
3. You’ve got around 20 boxes with 3 rooms left to pack
It’s MISSION IMPOSSIBLE to pack for a move efficiently and finish the difficult packing job on time when you don’t have enough moving boxes at your disposal. The thing is, there’s no way to know EXACTLY how many boxes you will need to pack up your belongings.
Nevertheless, you’re advised to get at least 10 small boxes, 8 medium boxes and 5 large boxes to pack up a single room. Of course, this number is only a rough estimate and you may need more or fewer boxes depending on the number of items inside each room.
Having to interrupt the packing process to look for more packing supplies will further slow down your packing and moving progress. So, your safest option is to get MORE cardboard containers than you think you will need.
Analyze this: How many boxes you’ll need when packing for a move
4. You’ve got all your clothes in the dresser 2 days before moving day
Another sign that you may have fallen behind on your packing schedule is to have your clothes still in the closet or dresser just a couple of days before it’s time to move out. The truth is that packing clothes for a move is never as straightforward as you might think and the entire clothes packing task can take A LOT of time to complete.
Sorting out your clothes and deciding which ones to take with you can take more than one day. Group your garments into 4 categories: PACK, SELL, DONATE, and THROW AWAY. Then, consider pre-packing the seasonal garments as early as you can to save valuable time later.
Remember that the best way to pack clothes for moving is to place your more expensive ones (designer clothes) into special Wardrobe Boxes – see How to pack hanging clothes for moving. So, whatever you do, just don’t postpone packing your clothes for a move until the very end.
Packing tips: How to pack clothes for moving
5. You still have your books on the bookshelf the day before moving day
Another sign that your packing project is not going according to plan is to notice that all of the books in your home are still neatly arranged on the bookshelves with just one day to spare.
And even though you may feel optimistic about your skills to pack quickly for a move, especially non-breakable items such as books, there’s one thing you may not have taken into account before you finally get down to packing your books for moving.
Packing books when moving is not that difficult a task but sorting out your paper copies is because it can take hours and hours you don’t really have. Books are very heavy and paying big money to transport any books you don’t care about anymore will only strain your moving budget unnecessarily.
So, SAVE MONEY by packing and moving ONLY the books you do care about.
Good info: How to pack books for moving
6. You’ve asked your friends to help you pack a few days before moving day
It’s okay to request packing assistance for moving from your closest friends – after all, they should know how tough it is to organize a home move and should be willing, at least some of them, to give you a hand during that hard transitional period.
However, asking your friends to help you pack just days before you need to move out is a clear sign that you’re seriously behind on your packing timeline. And now, having to call your pals for backup so late in your pre-move preparation, you’ll be running the risk of getting too many kind refusals. Unless you’re willing to organize a PACKING PARTY, of course.
Reach out to your friends as early as possible in an attempt to give them enough time to include you into their respective agendas. Be considerate toward your buddies and remember that everyone’s too busy solving their own problems.
Good advice: How to get friends to help you move
7. You’ve decided to skip sleep to catch up with your packing checklist
Finally, one huge telltale sign that you’re WAY behind on your packing schedule is to sacrifice your sleep to catch up with packing. This is a bad decision no matter how you look at it, so just don’t do it. Sleep is vital, especially during an energy-intensive transitional period such as a house move.
How early should you pack for a move? Start packing for a move as soon as your residential move has become only a matter of time. Don’t lose any precious packing time – get your hands on a good PACKING CHECKLIST and get down to it.
Yet, despite your genuine packing efforts, if you sense that you won’t be able to finish your packing project on time, then don’t hesitate to resort to the fastest way to pack for a move – hiring professional packers and movers to do it all for you.
