Moving during a pandemic has its ups and downs. If you’re working from home, you probably think packing is going to be a breeze, until you remember that the kids are also home all day. How do you pack and take care of your kids at the same time?
Even if you’re only doing a local move, it takes some dedicated time. Yes, you can have your Bay Area moving company pack for you, but that’s not everyone’s choice. We totally get it. Some people like to take packing time as a time to organize and purge. Others want to save money, and who can blame them? Living in the Bay Area is expensive, especially if you have kids.
Set aside two hours a day
Setting aside time might seem a little daunting. It probably is. But if you can pack when your kids have some screen time (we won’t tell if you give them a little extra screen time while you’re trying to organize your move), you’d be amazed at how much you can get done. We know that as much as you adore your kids, the time after you put them to bed is sacred, but if you begin to imagine your sacred time in your new home, you might find some motivation.
Schedule a number of boxes per day
When I’ve moved, I have found five boxes a day a very reasonable goal. I try to pack at least one box of breakables (which are the difficult items) per day. You may find that you can do more or you may find that five is too ambitious, but remember that you have a fixed amount of time before your move, so plan accordingly.
Recruit help
If your kids are of school age, they can help pack. Ask them to go through their toys and clothes. Perhaps there are items they want to donate. Most certainly there are clothes that no longer fit. Also, clothes are easy to pack. Have them put their clothes and toys in boxes and you can seal the boxes up. It’s okay if they aren’t completely neat. You’re trying to get stuff done, remember? Just make sure they leave a few outfits out to get them through the time before the move. Better yet, if possible, ask grown up friends and family to help.
Ask us to help
Packing is not a zero sum game. It’s okay if you don’t get everything done. If you can, give us a little heads up in case we need to add an additional guy to the job. If it’s a few boxes, that’s never a problem. You can even save the hard stuff for us. We got your back in this Bay Area moving thing.