1. Organize and stay so.



Planning is the key to keep your sanity intact in the moving process. With plans in place you will be less stressed out by controllable and uncontrollable factors that keep cropping up every now and then.

Start with a list. Take a piece of paper and a pen, and jot down every task big or small that you have to do in the moving process. Sort them as to big or small, as to which you can do alone and which you will need help on, and according to priority. Some tasks may seem simple and you get that tendency to ignore them without realizing that they are requisite steps before you can proceed to other tasks. So prioritize.

Plan ahead of time. Your planning today is pointless if you are moving tomorrow. Don't cram and wait till the actual moving day or week before you start eliminating the tasks from your to-do list. Give yourself deadlines and meet those deadlines by all means. Otherwise, you just lump up everything again to the actual moving day.

Provide a budget for the moving and never waver. Stick to that budget and don't overspend. Part of the stress of moving is in the cost side where you sometimes find yourself penniless or not knowing where to get the next dollar to pay for an item or a worker or so. Identify and classify the costs by listing them down and find creative ways of reducing if not eliminating some of them.

2. Get help.

If you skipped item 1 on organizing, you will need help from a psychiatrist halfway through the moving preparations. But if you're organized, you would have identified already which aspects you will be needing a lot of help on, or you might even be paying for help on, and you are thus readied in advance.

Get the family to help on some of the moving tasks. Divide the labor; when you share the responsibilities, you not only keep your sanity but you empower the other family members as they take ownership of some aspects of the moving. Your spouse can probably do the canvassing and negotiating with the movers, your bigger kids can arrange for the packing, the younger ones can stay out of the way. Make sure everyone is doing his or her share.

Don't be afraid to pay for help especially for the movers. Get referrals on reliable moving companies and take the time to evaluate their track record. Ask about their insurance policies; clarify issues on breakage or loss. Reduce the minutest detail into writing and incorporate that into your contract with the moving company. Then decide on the most favorable one for your needs.

3. Keep rational.

By sticking to your plans and budgets, you retain your senses and are not swayed by impulses.