I had mentioned in a previous post that my husband and I have recently made the move from our home state of New Jersey up North to New Hampshire, and despite the fact that everything went smoothly, from the planning stages to execution, moving is still one of my least favorite experiences.

Prior to actually making the move, I had read so many articles on planning to move, packing, and how to make relocating your entire life a little bit easier. Here are a few tips and tricks I picked up along the way that may be helpful whenever it comes time for your own move.

1- Research your new area. Deciding to live somewhere new is great, but can come with some surprises, so you need to do your research on what you’re in for. This could mean anything from knowing the floor plan of the house up the street that you’ll be moving to, or looking up the climate of a new city or state.

2- Start planning logistics early. This may be a no-brainer for some of you planners out there, but not necessarily to everybody who may be thinking of relocating. Whether you’re moving to a new state or up the street, you’ll need to figure out logistics like how you’re going to label your boxes and how you’re going to transport your bed and the kitchen table that has been with you since college. You will need to find out how much or how little space you’ll be shifting into and how everything will fit. Figure out who will be helping you and what vehicles you’ll have. Find out what your floor plan looks like and start mentally mapping out where everything will go.

3- Start packing ASAP. Start with non-essentials, like the China that you never use, or the extra blankets that you haven’t seen in years and are just taking up space in your closet. I also like to stick to the method of clearing out as I go- as I find items that I am truly never going to use or need or want anymore, I’ll either add them to my donation pile or throw them away without looking back later. Once the decision is made, though, you need to stick with it. It’s kind of like “Marie Kondo- Lite.”

4- Book your travel. If you need a moving company or UHaul, or even your best friend’s pickup truck, book it as far in advance as possible. Write down the details in your calendar- everything from what it will cost, to when you need to pick up or return any supplies. It also won’t hurt to keep track of what supplies you are renting, like moving blankets or a dolly to move furniture.

5- Make a schedule for moving day. Down to the minute. No, I’m not kidding. It helps so much to have a plan of exactly what the day will look like, who is going where, and when everything needs to happen. Our most recent schedule looked a bit like this:

• 6:00am- Wake up, shower, prep for the day
• 7:00am- Husband and brother- in- law to go get bagels and UHaul, including blankets and dolly
• 8:00am- Parents coming to help pack truck
• 10:00am- Brother- in- law needs to leave for other commitments
• 11:30am- Husband gets on the road, driving UHaul from NJ to NH
• 12:00pm- I go to Church with parents
• 1:15pm- Dad starts driving to Boston, where he will pick up my brother to help, then go to NH
• 1:30pm- Mom and I pick up dog after Church then start driving
• 6:30pm (ish)- arrive in NH, unload truck
• 7:00pm- order pizza, and unpack until bed

BONUS Tip: 6- Execute the plan, but be flexible. Everything might not necessarily go according to plan. For us, everything went smoothly- we were generally on time according to the schedule, but it might help to account for traffic on the way, how many trips back and forth you can realistically take, and the weather (including whether it’s going to be dark by the time you reach your destination).