Studies have shown that moving house is one of life’s most stressful events; more so than divorce. I can’t say I agree with that and my inner-nerd wants to know how that study was conducted, what constitutes ‘more stressful’ and whether all respondents had, in-fact experienced both of these events. But putting my geekiness aside, I think we can all agree that moving house is stressful! And that is what I am doing at the moment.
Five family members, a dog, a trampoline, a business and far too many appliances. And because I never like to do things the easy way, my husband can’t move at the same time as the rest of the family. He needs to wait for his transfer to come through, whereas the kids need to start school before that happens so the kids and I are moving first. Meaning one set of household goods needs to be spread across two households. I’ve got dibs on the microwave.
I’ve moved houses a lot but this is the first time I have had to move a business at the same time. I work from home, as do all the staff at Whitney Consulting, so that adds another layer to this painful exercise. Luckily, we have staff in Pingelly and Perth and I am moving from Pingelly to Perth so it shouldn’t change the dynamic of things too much. And I already travel a bit for work (and will be taking every chance I can get to come back to the regions!) so I don’t see the business changing as a result of the move. But there is still so much to do and life/work don’t stop just because I am moving house. So here’s my plan:
Get help. I’ve already worded up my team members that I might be a bit manic this month and asked for their understanding and help. Family members are also on standby!.
Don’t take on too much. I have been very deliberate about what work we accept this month and ensuring that deadlines take into account my limited availability. Adding to the stress by piling on too much work would not benefit anyone, especially not my husband, who would probably get the blame! This goes for social events as well. We can’t do everything and be everywhere so some things have to give.
Little bits, often. Kind of linked to the above point. I’ve been trying to do a little bit of sorting, packing and organising most days since the move was decided on. This is just how I cope. I need to methodically work through things rather than leaving them until the last minute and trying to cram everything in. I find this helps me to not get overwhelmed and also means that I have the brain space to think of little things that otherwise might have been overlooked
A list or two or ten. Everything is written down on a list! Organisations to contact to change address – on a list. Jobs to do on the house we’re leaving – on a list. Furniture to buy for the new house – on a list. And so on. The lists are also written on really nice stationery cause that makes me happy!
Accept imperfection. This one I struggle with but I know it’s important. The house (houses) will not be how I want them to be. Things will be in the wrong place and other things will sit in boxes for a bit longer than I would like, but that is ok. It does not all have to be done right now – I just need to keep telling myself that. I need to give myself permission to sit down with a cup of tea and take a breather while that box sits there waiting to be unpacked. Because it does not need to be done immediately! It will happen eventually but for now, it can wait.
