How to make your move stress free

Moving house is not something many people particularly enjoy doing.

It can be a highly stressful task – but it doesn’t have to be.

Here are some top tips to help make the moving process – including the all-important moving day – as painless as possible.

1. Hire a professional mover

Don’t try and complete a move making 28 trips with your uncle’s Ute.

Make moving day as simple as possible by booking a trusted and professional moving company like Fragile Removals & Storage.

Professional movers can take a weight off your shoulders – quite literally – and can plan and perform the agreed transport work. Confirm acceptance and preparation for special items.

This can reduce the work you need to coordinate yourself as well as more time for you to unpack and make your new house a home.

2. Create a plan of attack

Once you know your moving day, it can be a good idea to sit down and write a to-do list – complete with a timeline.

Make sure you do this as soon as possible.

Work your way backwards from your moving day and write down what you would like to get done each day or week in the lead-up.

Also remember that you may need to add some additional tasks to this to-do list over time, so the earlier you get started on your plan, the better.

Sticking to a plan and ticking off smaller jobs along the way can help make the task of moving a lot less daunting and can save some unnecessary last-minute stress.

3. Request some time off work

Trying to juggle a move with a full-time job can be difficult.

If you are in a position to do so, request some days off work before and after your moving day to allow some extra time for you to get organised.

4. Start packing as soon as possible

Don’t underestimate how long it takes to pack up a property.

Get started with your packing as soon as possible.

Some people like to start packing up one room at a time.

Start by packing rooms or items that you rarely use or can cope without and leave rooms or items that you use the most until later in the process.

Labelling boxes with the items they contain can also be a big help when it comes to unpacking at your new property.

5. Declutter as you pack

In the process of packing, you might come across some items that you haven’t touched in years.

It is little point taking items to your new property that you no longer want or need.

Consider whether such items could instead be given away to family or friends, donated to charity or placed in your rubbish or recycling bins.

Check your council’s current hard-waste collection, eligibility, accepted items and charges before relying on it for larger belongings.

6. Ask for help

If you need help from family or friends with you move, be sure to ask in advance.

If you have young children or pets, it could also be worth asking family members or friends if they can look after them during your moving day.

7. Pack an overnight bag

Keep some basic essentials in a separate bag or suitcase so you don’t need to go searching for important items when you want to go to bed at the end of a busy moving day.

Include toiletries, medication, pyjamas, a change of clothes for the next day and anything else you are going to need in the first 24 hours after your move.

Want help for a stress free move?

At Fragile Removals & Storage, we are moving experts and offer affordable and reliable services for residents across Australia.

We have branches in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney and can help with moves big and small.

For a competitive quote, contact us today on 1800 500 584

Reduce unresolved decisions before adding more tasks

Identify the questions that hold up other work: when you can enter the new property, what the mover will handle, which goods you are keeping and who will care for children or pets. Give each question an owner and a next action. A shorter list of settled decisions is more useful than a long checklist with uncertain dates.

Use the moving house checklist as the central record. Keep the accepted booking and key contacts accessible. If someone else is helping, tell them where the current plan is and who can approve a change so conflicting instructions do not reach the crew.

Schedule work around the time you actually have

If time off work is possible, arrange it through your normal process and confirm it before building the whole plan around it. Otherwise, divide packing and administration into sessions you can realistically complete. Include the time needed to obtain materials and make decisions, not just the minutes spent filling boxes.

Use packing time guidance as a starting point and review progress against your actual contents. Leave less-used goods packed and keep a separate list of items still required for daily life. Reopening completed boxes repeatedly can make progress harder to track.

Ask for specific, confirmed help

Instead of a general request to help with the move, identify a task, date and responsible person. Examples include supervising a pet, meeting a collection, labelling completed boxes or being present for delivery. Confirm the person's availability and what they need to know.

Keep tasks within the helper's abilities and the item’s requirements. Do not assume that extra willing people make a difficult lift safe. Arrange professional assessment for heavy or specialist belongings and keep those tasks outside ordinary household help unless an appropriate plan has been established.

Keep the first-arrival plan simple

Prepare an accessible essentials bag for the actual gap before your goods arrive. Include the contacts and documents needed to reach and enter the property. Make the intended placement of larger furniture and first-needed boxes clear to the person receiving the load.

If the journey is interstate, confirm the delivery window and what you will need during it. Do not plan every arrival task around a precise time that has not been promised. Use storage options where the property dates do not align, and clarify the resulting access and delivery arrangements.

Make a fallback for the few changes that matter most

Decide who to contact if keys are delayed, a helper becomes unavailable or the packing is incomplete. Keep the relevant booking references with those contacts. A fallback does not need to predict every possible problem; it should identify the person who can agree the next step.

Tell the mover early about a changed load, access or date. Obtain the revised arrangement and any cost effect in writing. If you are unsure whether a task is included, resolve that question before moving day rather than relying on the crew to make an unplanned addition.

Check off the move in stages

At collection, confirm the inventory and important instructions. At delivery, check placement and raise visible concerns promptly. After arrival, complete the remaining account changes using the change-of-address checklist and keep unresolved issues visible until they are answered.

This planning approach can reduce avoidable confusion, but it does not guarantee a stress-free experience for every person. Focus on the next practical decision and use the support available to your household. For booked packing and moving help, provide the details through the quote form.