Lessons Learned from Moving

In case you're wondering where I've been for the past several weeks, the answer is simple: I moved this month, and it has been a gargantuan task which has consumed almost all of my time over the past six weeks. There are still many boxes yet to be unpacked, but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Needless to say, blogging, social media and pretty much all other "non-essential" tasks fell by the wayside during that time.

Whether you move your home or office (and I moved both), you are bound to encounter some challenges. There are always headaches associated with the coordination and planning of such an undertaking - particularly where there are other people involved. But this post isn't about moving itself. Instead, it's about some other lessons that I learned as a result of the move that I think can apply to your practice as well.

We all simply have too much stuff. This was twice as true for my office as it was for my home. I'm pretty good about purging every once in a while, but this move made it clear that I need to purge more often. It's much easier to find what you need when you only hold on to the essentials. That file cabinet full of 'reference' materials rarely gets touched, especially with all of the files I already have on my computer, or the internet searches which usually bring up much more current information than what I have 'on file.'

If you can't find it, you might as well not have it at all. This goes hand in hand with the above. More time gets wasted looking for the 'good stuff' that you know you have somewhere - you just can't remember where - than it's worth. Everything needs to have a 'home' so that you can find it when you need it. Otherwise you're wasting time looking for it or money (and time) obtaining it again.

Don't rely on your memory alone - document, document, document! When you're packing for a move, it's easy to think that you'll remember where you put the scissors or what box your important client files are in, but don't count on it! We've got so many important things to occupy our minds as it is. Rather than relying on your memory, write it down. Once you've written down the list of things you need to do or the steps you need to follow to post or change content on your website, you can forget about them, because your documentation will save you when the time comes.

Don't assume that you already know everything just because you've done it before. This wasn't my first move, so I thought I knew how everything would go, and I thought I had it under control. I didn't ask questions that I thought I already knew the answers to. But this moving company did things a little differently than the last moving company I worked with. As a result, the move didn't go as smoothly as it could have, resulting in a lot of extra stress and frustration at an already stressful time. If you're working with other people, particularly if you haven't worked with them before, make sure that you're all on the same page.

Just because you did it that way before doesn't mean you should continue doing it the same way. When you're used to living or working in a particular space, you develop routines and habits around that space. Not all of those routines or habits necessarily serve you in a new environment. The initial setup that I envisioned for my office just doesn't work in reality now that I'm here; I'll have to make some adjustments. I'm sure that some of them will even be improvements that help make me more productive - as long as I'm willing to be flexible and give up some old habits.

 

Comments

[Leanna]

I recently moved, too. My big tips are:

1. Hire professionals you trust! I thought about going with a cheaper moving company but decided that having trust worthy movers was more important than saving a few hundred dollars. As it was, my move came in under budget because I was working with scrupulous movers who valued my time and respected my budget.

On the other hand, the cleaners were unknown to me and recommended by someone I only sort of knew. Because I hadn't planned ahead when finding cleaners for the apt. I moved out of I just went with them, and ended up not being pleased with the result.

2. Outsource as much as possible. I ended up hiring someone to help me unpack, since I wanted to be somewhat settled the same day I moved in. Paying someone (rather than having a friend help) allowed us both to be very efficient in our work and get a lot done. I am also having her do the research on the new town so I know where and how to get the stickers for the beach and the dump, etc.

3. Don't make client appointments that you don't immediately put in your calendar. Since I moved the day after Labor Day, everyone was finally "ready" to move forward with the legal work that they put off over the summer. While the movers were moving, I was on the phone and made a last minute appointment with someone that I didn't put in my calender. I forgot to show up at the office for it the next day since I was still dealing with post-move stuff. He was very understanding, but I was horrified. Either have an assistant field your phone calls that day or let them go to voice mail and return them when you aren't trying to do 87 other things.

4. Budget in extra time for everything. And get more boxes and tape than you think you'll need so you don't find yourself running to the drug store for more packing tape an hour before the movers show up.

5. Tell you bank or credit card that you are moving and may have several large charges. My bank card got a "risk hold" put on it because I was paying the movers and buying a washer and dryer on the same day and the sudden high expenses flagged it in the system. Not the hassle I needed in the midst of everything else. (The same can hold true if you are buying several large items for your business, call to give your bank a head's up so you aren't standing in the Apple Store trying to get through to the Risk Management Dept. to convince them it's really you trying to buy the iMac and iPad.)

6. Recognize a job well done (or not so well.) I made sure to have cash on hand to tip the movers and pay the people who were helping me, and I left them all reviews on Yelp so that others would know how great they were. I was lucky that most of the people I hired did a fantastic job, and I want to make sure that other people know about it.