When moving house, you can’t always have the luxury of at least 4 weeks to pack up your things. Sometimes circumstances beyond your immediate control force you to attempt to pack your house really quickly for an upcoming move. And no, we’re not talking weeks here, we’re talking mere DAYS.
If you have to move out quickly – in the case of a last-minute move, for example – then you will just need to pack your things fast enough so that you’re ready when Moving day comes around.
The good news is that even though packing for a move is the most time-consuming task on your moving checklist, there are some proven steps that will help you speed up significantly the house packing process.
Want to know how to pack quickly and efficiently?
Follow these hand-picked fast packing tips and you should be able to finish the arduous job of packing on schedule.
Step 1. Start packing without delay
The very first thing you should realize is that time is against you. This basically means that you just can’t afford to lose any precious by being inactive – that is, simply waiting for something to happen instead of doing what you have to do.
And what you have to do is start packing immediately, without any delay. As soon as the house move is confirmed, you have to start thinking about packing up your things and then initiating the packing process ASAP.
The thing is that there isn’t any time to lose during an emergency move. Don’t make the rookie mistake of postponing the packing task for “a bit later”. You’ve got one chance to tackle the moving job fast, and that chance is now, NOT later.
However, starting the packing project right away doesn’t mean that you should pack your things randomly – on the contrary, you’ll need a good packing strategy to pull it off.
Step 2. Begin packing in the proper order
In order to pack quickly for a move, you have to be familiar with the correct packing order. While it’s true that the most efficient method of packing for moving is the room-by-room sequence, you still need to know which rooms you should pack first and which rooms you should leave for last.
So, which rooms should you pack first?
Begin packing up your things from the storage areas simply because they contain all sorts of items and will require the most time to be sorted out and packed up. In the very beginning, your energy and motivation will be both high, so you’ll be able to tackle those storage areas – garage, basement, attic, closet, spare rooms – much more quickly.
The trick to packing your house quickly is to finish the tough rooms first and leave the easiest premises for last when you’re likely to be too tired already, even exhausted.
Step 3. Follow a good packing checklist
The most important thing you have to remember when you wish to pack for a move quickly is that time management is crucial. In practice, the only way you can give yourself a fighting chance of picking up and maintaining a good packing speed is to follow a detailed packing checklist.
You don’t need just any packing timeline you can find on the Internet – rather, you need a really well-made packing checklist that will enable you to utilize fully each hour you have for packing up your things.
Another packing trick you can use to your advantage is to break big packing projects into smaller, more manageable ones. This will help you boost your packing morale, especially if you choose to give yourself some kinds of rewards for each accomplished mini-task.
Your packing checklist should not only be personalized but prioritized as well to save you valuable time.
Step 4. Don’t pack any useless things
One of the biggest mistakes that you can make when you’ve made up your mind to pack your things without using professional packing services is to fail to sort out your things and pack EVERYTHING that you own.
Now the idea of getting rid of all unwanted items prior to packing might seem a bit counterproductive at first. Why? Sorting out your possessions will take time and you’re in a real hurry to complete the packing process as fast as possible.
Well, while that is undeniably true, packing up things that you don’t need will take even more precious time, even more money in the form of higher transportation costs, and even more storage space in the new home.
Do a quick inventory of your things and discard the ones you won’t need again, including the stuff you’ve never liked anyway. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t pack and move anything you haven’t used in more than 12 months.
Step 5. Buy brand-new packing supplies
It’s always a good idea to look for various ways to save money when moving house. One proven way to reduce the cost of moving is to use free packing supplies, especially used cardboard boxes. On average, you’re going to need around 60 packing boxes to pack up your belongings prior to moving out.
However, looking for free packing materials takes time and that’s exactly what you don’t have at the moment – enough time to find and collect the required packing supplies without having to pay for them. Getting something for free is always a bonus, especially when you happen to be moving on a budget, but TIME is what matters more in your particular case.
So, if you wish to pack for a move quickly, then you can’t really afford to lose any precious time in search of free moving boxes and other free packing supplies. Instead, you’re going to have to purchase the necessary packing materials brand-new simply because it’ll be a much faster option for you.
You can purchase all required packing supplies from any large home improvement store in your area or from a local moving company.
Step 6. Ask friends to help you pack
Sometimes the only way to pack quickly and efficiently for a move is to ask your best friends to give you hand.
In most cases, it’ll be almost impossible for you to pack up all your things on your own for a very short period of time. Packing for a move is not only hard work but the task itself takes forever to complete, so you’re going to need invaluable friendly assistance to box up your stuff safely and within the deadline of your packing timeline.
What you should do is organize a packing party and invite your good friends to attend it. Reach out to your pals with a call to help but make sure you explain to them that it won’t be all work and more work – instead, you do plan to make it a fun experience by mixing business with pleasure.
Don’t forget to ask your friends to help you pack as early as you can to avoid disrupting their plans too much.
Step 7. Hire experienced professional packers
Without a doubt, the quickest way to pack for a move is to let experienced packers do it for you.
The thing is that nothing beats experience and no matter how fast you try to pack up your things, professional packers will do it way faster because they have both the experience and know-how to maintain the required packing speed.
The pros will also arrive in your home with all the necessary packing supplies so you won’t have to worry about those important details of the house packing process.
Hiring professional packers is the logical choice when all or most of your friends have refused to help you out in such a difficult moment. Another relocation scenario when paying for reputable packers and movers is totally worth it is when you only have a few days before you have to move out of your place.
Great Nation Moving offers professional packing services that can be finely tuned to meet your specific packing needs.
