There is a lot to do in preparation for a move: scheduling a mover, changing mailing address, relocating utilities, and more. Moving day is only one day and you will spend the majority of your time preparing for your move. In order for the move to be successful, you need to devote time at the front-end to prepare for moving day.

Brainstorming is an effective technique to help you generate a list of things you need to do for your move. To get the most out of your brainstorming session, choose a comfortable and quiet place to sit and think. Minimize distractions so that you can focus on the task at hand, and have a method to capture your ideas (i.e., pen and paper, tablet). Brainstorming is a free flowing process. Write down everything that comes to mind, and do not spend time on structure, hierarchy, or sequence as this will shift your focus. Also, avoid wordsmithing ideas. You will block the free flow thought process. It may be difficult to not wordsmith or put structure to your ideas, but your brainstorming session will be more productive when your task is focused on thinking and writing.

To get you started in your brainstorming session for your move, focus on the key areas. Rather than concentrating on who is going to be my moving company, focus on, Do I need movers? We will work through the details of each key area in our next two blogs: collecting data and research.