Many people think of moving as a time of chaos, but it can be organized. In fact, things will go much more smoothly during your move if you are organized. It doesn’t take a whole lot of work to make sure your move is orderly. Here are four tips for organizing your move that you can believe in.

Can Moving Be Organized? 4 Tips You Can Believe In

Pare Down Your Possessions

It’s much easier to organize your move if you have less stuff, which makes moving the perfect time to take stock of your belongings and get rid of things you don’t really need. Go through clothes and household items and decide what can be donated and what can be thrown away. It’s also a good idea to take a hard look at large items like furniture. Do you really need to take that ratty old recliner with you?

Use Moving Services

If you can afford a full-service move, then worrying about organization will be less important because your moving company will take care of most of it. But even if you can’t afford the cost of a full move, you still may be able to afford some moving services that will help you have a more orderly move. For example, you might pay a moving company to pack some or all of your belongings or you might pay to have movers load and/or unload your truck. Some companies, like Bekins Van Lines Inc., know that being able to outsource some of the work will help you better concentrate on organizing things.

Label Everything Thoroughly

One way to ensure moving chaos is to not know what’s in your boxes and where certain ones are. To avoid that issue, make sure everything is labeled properly. Each box should have written on it not only what the contents are but also where it goes in your new home. For example, you might write “master bedroom linens.” That ensures you know what is in boxes and that the movers put them where they are supposed to go.

Take Inventory

You should have a list of all your items and boxes when you leave the place you are moving out of, and then you should check it after the movers are done to ensure everything made it.

Though moving is a lot of work, it doesn’t have to be a pain. Taking the time to organize will make things go much more smoothly. Following these tips can mean the difference between a pleasant move and one that you will regret.