The time has come for you and your significant other to make a big step forwards in your relationship. No, we aren’t talking about sharing a Club Penguin account – we are referring to the act of moving in together. This is a big step in any relationship, and, if the proper planning and preparation isn’t considered, well, things can easily go awry.
Action Moving & Storage prefers to live our lives drama-free. We know first-hand the sort of mayhem that a big move can wreak upon a couple’s lives – the stress of packing and unpacking alone is enough to push anyone to their limits. The wrong set of circumstances can lead to some tense moments and, who knows, maybe you’ll end up calling the whole thing off.
Rather than sow the seeds of discontent by having a disorganized move with your partner, why not follow some of the instructions listed below, provided by yours truly (the blog guys) over at Action Moving. Follow these tips and it is guaranteed that you will find yourself in a happy and accommodating moving situation (and relationship):
Who Does What?
At this point in your relationship, you likely both have an intimate understanding of one another’s strengths and weaknesses. Use this knowledge to your advantage by assigning roles to one another based off these traits. The organized person should perhaps be responsibly for allocating what goes where, while the time management expert should sort out schedules as needed.
Enter this conversation with an open mind, or you may find yourself in an argument. You may have to swallow your pride and surrender to the fact that you are not as patient or capable at handling certain situations as your partner.
This role-assigning exercise will help you be more well prepared overall, and can also help strengthen the bonds between one another.
Checklist Time
Action Moving & Storage loves checklists. We probably love them as much as you love your significant other. It’s kind of weird. We know.
Every house move should start off with a nice, well thought out checklist. Sit down with your partner and start thinking of every thing that you must do in order to relocate. We recommend starting with the big picture items, such as choosing which moving company to help out, first, and then move on to more granular tasks, such as finding a dentist in your new neighbourhood.
Since this act of moving involves combining two separate households, it is vital that you keep an accurate inventory of the items that is coming from each. While doing so, you can start to determine which items you want to get rid of. Two homes worth of items that may seem disposable to you can go a long way at your local charity!
There is a good chance that your new home will not accommodate the entire collection of personal possessions that you two bring to the table – make sure you pack as lightly as you can or you may find yourself surrounded by clutter. As weird as it sounds, a third party, such as a friend or colleague, can come in handy when determining what to keep and what to throw away. Having this extra opinion will reduce the chances of you fighting over whether or not you should keep that dusty old sofa from college (you shouldn’t, it smells like dead rats, friend).
As mentioned above, try to have a detailed understanding of one another’s strengths and weaknesses. Once this is done, you can compile (yet another) list that covers who does what. This needn’t be overly complicated, and can be easily written up on a piece of lined paper, or a shared online document.
No list is worth your while unless it is actionable*. Make sure your assembly of tasks and activities makes sense and is manageable to take care of within the time you have allocated for your move.
*actionable – see what we did there?
De-Stress
Moving is a time to be productive and get things done! The last thing that you and your significant other should be wasting time doing is fighting amongst yourselves. Rather than get into arguments about the tiny details that don’t matter, make sure the both of you sit down and find some time to de-stress prior to moving or packing anything at all.
In order to do this, take some time to partake in activities that you enjoy – go see a movie, take a walk in the park, or, since you won’t be there much longer, lounge around one of your living rooms. If one of you is feeling particularly stressed our or anxious about the change, sit down and talk it out. Even the simple act of writing down and/or discussing your feelings will help ease your concerns.
Keep Living Your Life
Between the hassle of creating lists and moving large pieces of furniture, you are probably going to get sweaty, hungry, tired, and all of the above. Even though this is the case, don’t forget to take care of yourself. While it may be tempting to top the day off with some greasy takeout, think about if this is really going to help you in the long run. It is good to treat yourself now and then, but doing so on a regular basis can easily turn into a bad habit – don’t let moving your home be the catalyst here.
Instead, drink lots of water, keep a positive attitude, eat as you normally would (maybe save some treats for the end of the ordeal) and keep on trucking!
Moving may seem like a big fiasco, but unfortunately it is a necessary part of living that almost all of us must go through. At the end of the day, you should be happy you have someone that you care about by your side every step of the way… until they start using all your toothpaste.
If you are continuing to be concerned about the magnitude of the move, consider looking into hiring a professional moving company. These guys can take care of everything – from heavy furniture to packing, to transportation. If you make this decision, you and your significant other can sit back and relax, and prepare for some new beginnings.
We aren’t couples counsellors, but we are happy to help! If you are curious about what moving with your partner will look like, don’t hesitate to give Action Moving & Storage a call.