The Art of Moving

Moving |ˈmo͞oviNG|

noun

a change of place, position, or state: she made a sudden move toward me | his eyes followed her every move | the country's move to independence | a career move.

• a change of house or business premises.

• an action that initiates or advances a process or plan: my next move is to talk to Matthew.

• a maneuver in a sport or game.

• a change of position of a piece in a board game: that move will put your king in check.

• a player's turn to make such a change: it's your move.

I grew up in the airline industry and many of my family members have been in the military at some time or another, so to say moving is in my blood would be an understatement. I've moved a lot, both with my family and without them. I moved across the United States four times in 1 calendar year. I've got this down pat. When I moved to Scotland, it was the first time (on my own) I put an ocean on the list of crossings I'd have to make to get to my final destination, but the same theories and lessons still proved to be helpful. So, in light of Sarah and Brandon's upcoming move back to North America, as well as my own, I've decided to compile a short tutorial on the Art of Moving.

• Don't start super early, but don't leave it until the last minute either. Usually, a two-week head start will be a good amount of time to get your material life sorted. If you have an established adult life or fall under the "pack rat" category, I recommend starting with bits and pieces three to four weeks before your scheduled move.

• You'll need to sort through things a couple times to really make the whole packing and unpacking process less stressful. The first time should be a pretty basic and quick sort (keep, donate/ebay, garbage). The second run through should see your things in the keep pile getting sorted into categories based on when you will need them as you unpack (right away & first week, later). Then, from there, you can pack according to your style of packing. I am über organized when I pack because I hate unpacking and want to make it as easy on myself as possible. When I pack, I pack according to where the things will generally belong at the destination (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, office). It makes it easier to work on individual rooms in the new destination and make quicker progress with the unpacking process. I won't scare you with how detail oriented I get sometimes with the individual area boxes.

• Unless you are absolutely positive you can make the move in one trip with your car, get a moving van or truck. There is nothing more annoying than cramming the car full, rearing and ready to move your life and then realizing you have to come back and do it all over again. I'm famous for calling up one of my best friends and asking to use his big snowmobile trailer to move my stuff.

• Don't forget to bring or purchase food and drink for the first wave of unpacking. It's near impossible to think straight when you're hungry or thirsty.

• Remember, you don't have to pack and unpack everything all at once. Pace yourself.

The OCD/anally tidy part of me has lots of other little tips, but to be honest, I think they might overwhelm or confuse the not-so-regular movers and shakers of this readership. And besides, part of the thrill of moving is starting a new life your way.

Happy Moving!