Moving: What I Learned…

The Big Move of 2018 is over.

I am settling in to the new digs.

I love my salmon-wall office. Except for hanging a few pictures, everything is in its place – including the critters and flowers.

The perfect spot for morning sun.

Office mascots. I’ve had the big white bear since 1989.

I have to say that the move had very few mishaps, at least nothing that couldn’t be fixed or rectified or laughed over. The planning, organization, meetings and ongoing anxiety worked together to make last Wednesday a successful day.

Extremely busy day, but successful.

I also learned a number of things before, during and after the move that I thought would be of benefit to anyone also planning a move. I hope you find these tips helpful.

• Moving is a lot of work. It’s tiring. It’s exhausting. It’s a lot of work.
• Don’t get sick with the stomach flu four days before you move. That is not a good time to go on a diet and feel tired.
• If a friend offers you moving boxes from her work, take them. I thanked Natasha afterward as we used every.single.box in our collection, including the ones she gave me.
• It helps to not only mark what room the packed boxes go to, but also what’s in them. My bad.
• BTW, the stuffed bears and lions add that plastic bags are a little suffocating, so please pack them in a box. Thank you.
• Moving is a lot of work.
• Make sure you “purge” the junk before the move. We had a purging day at the end of December and ended up with many boxes of stuff to donate. Someone at Goodwill had a field day with used binders, assorted coffee cups and several flower vases.
• Habitat for Humanity/Restore will take your well-used furniture and file cabinets. They will NOT take cubicles. No one will take cubicles these days, except for Waste Management.
• Do not wait until the day of the move to find an electrician to cap off the wires leading to the cubicles. My bad again, but the boss made some calls and saved the day.
• Make sure you have a “team” willing to help with orchestrating the move, even though you are positive you can do everything yourself. I was glad to share duties and keep my sanity with two very helpful and energetic peers.
• On the day of the move, have food and beverage available. A potluck is nice. A landlord who provides breakfast is nice. Food is energy and power and yummy.
• Resolve to stop eating at your desk, especially after the embarrassment of finding out how many crumbs have been hiding under the keyboard and paper trays.
• Did I tell you that moving is a lot of work?
• If you’re the new landlord, make sure the vendor puts the security door on the right way. Oops, their bad.
• Appreciate the new place for all that it’s worth. Appreciate that you don’t have to cover the cracked bathroom window because the opaque coating has worn off. Appreciate you have a new landlord that will not allow such atrocities to occur.

• Never try to learn the new key card system at the end of moving day when you’re not braining. Nothing good can come of it (witness the three cards I screwed up on Friday). Ugh, my bad.
• Being a obsessive/compulsive before, during and after a move can be both good and bad. Bad is when your O/C co-worker asks you, “Does the shredder look good there,” then moves it six inches to the left and asks, “Or does it look better there?” I gave her the look, even though we are kindred spirits. She moved it back to the right and walked away.
• At the end of moving week, schedule a massage and game night with friends. And make sure you add an adult beverage into that schedule. It’s important.
• Although moving really is a lot of work, the benefits of a beautiful new place, a good landlord and the smiles of employees that are happy to be there are well worth all of that work.