The Things That Slow You Down Most on Moving Day

It's 8 A.M., and everything seems to be getting off to a good start. The moving crew got here on time, your kids are up and dressed, the truck is outside, and you're sipping your coffee, happy to know you won't have to rush with anything today.

How smart are you for remembering to pack on time and organize everything a few days before?

Then you blink, and it's 1 P.M. You're still here, barely moved an inch, because every single trip back inside the house somehow ended up taking forever.

What went wrong?

You checked every box on the list yesterday; it should have been a smooth ride.

Two people enter a room; the woman in front carries a white wooden box with green plants, whilst the man behind, feeling the usual moving challenges, carries a cardboard box on this hectic moving day.

Where Time Slips Away

Moving is extremely stressful, which is why people take their time to prepare and pack on time. Then the moving day comes, and it seems like all that organization was for nothing because the day still ends up being one big mess.

Here's why that happens.

Loading Takes Way Longer Than You Think

I see this happen all the time. People count the boxes and think the loading will go fast because there's only so much to bring into the truck.

Besides, it's all packed anyway, and boxes are practical to carry. 20 boxes? That's 30 minutes tops.

But the boxes are the least of your issues. It's things like your couch and the bed frame you forgot to take apart that are causing issues. You need 10 minutes just to get the couch out the door, and the bed frame?

Well, now someone has to find a screwdriver while the rest of the crew stands around and waits for it.

People, Timing, and Access Don't Line Up

I have a friend in Atlanta who was moving recently, and she hired a moving company in Atlanta GA.

With Atlanta's traffic, she expected them to be about 30 minutes late, and she worked that into her schedule. By the time they were done, she actually had some extra time on her hands because of that, only to realize that she couldn't get the keys to her new place for the next 3 hours.

So, everyone sat there and waited.

The reason why I'm mentioning this is that it's not unusual for things not to line up, no matter how well you plan them. There's just too much stuff to coordinate when you're moving, and there's a good chance that AT LEAST one of those will go awry.

There's a decent amount of waiting around and doing nothing when you're moving, and that takes up a lot of valuable time.

There's Always Something Left to Pack

Your kitchen and bathroom are liars.

That sounds absolutely ridiculous, but hear me out. The things in these 2 rooms are the things you use every single day, so you can't really pack them a week in advance. And because of that, there will always be something left to pack on moving day, so prepare yourself for that.

Try to pack whatever you can before the movers get to your house because they can't move at a steady pace while you're still packing, so that's a huge waste of time.

That you're paying for.

Getting In and Out Isn't as Easy as You Thought It Would Be

You want the moving truck to be as close to your door as possible because nobody wants to carry boxes half a block. The problem is that you can't actually reserve a parking spot, so if the space is occupied, you'll have to carry boxes further than planned.

If you have to use an elevator to get out, and that elevator is slow and narrow, that's even more time you lose.

And remember, you'll probably need to go in and out a few dozen times, so it could be that you end up with 2 hours of extra time spent on carrying boxes around.

No One Knows What Should Go First

The truck door opens, and then… Everyone stands around because what's supposed to go in first?

After a few moments, you grab a lamp, your partner awkwardly grabs a box of books, and all this time, the mattress is still in the bedroom. Of course, nobody can get to it because the hallway is blocked.

So, things get moved 2 or 3 times, then you have to open a box to find your phone charger.

Everyone stops every few minutes to ask what's next, your kid is screaming because they're overwhelmed, and you're standing there, wondering how it's possible that it's noon and nothing's done yet.

Conclusion

Moving is a mess, and there's no advice I can give to make it pleasant.

With that being said, I think you now have a decent list of things to keep in mind that can seriously slow you down. And let me tell you, no matter how much time you spend thinking about all of it and organizing around it, someone will still be late, and there's also a chance you'll forget something.

That's moving for you. Go with the flow, and if you're still a sane person at the end of the day, that's a success.