In a perfect world you would have plenty of time to pack at your leisure and prepare for your move, but sometimes the circumstances aren’t so ideal. Unfortunately, life can come at you fast and might leave you rushing around for a last-minute move. In this case, figuring out how to pack quickly is a necessity and luckily there are things you can do to ensure a quick, organized, and efficient move. 

Enlist Some Help

It’s time to call your family, friends, kids, and neighbors and get all hands on deck. It typically takes about 3-4 weeks to pack up a home so in order to accomplish this task in under a week you are going to need some help. This is not the time to be shy about asking for help and most people are willing to lend a helping hand. A simple “thank-you” or gesture of appreciation such as buying pizzas can be a great way to express your gratitude. If you don’t have friends or family that can help, it might be time to hire someone to help with the job.

Gather Plenty of Supplies

You are in a time crunch so you don’t have time to be making multiple trips back and forth to the store to pick up boxes, tape, and other packing supplies. Your best bet is to stock up plenty of boxes, even if it means buying more than you need.  Oftentimes, you can return any unopened or unused supplies. Don’t forget other packing essentials such as tape, bubble wrap, packing paper, and packing peanuts.

Pack Now, Sort Later

If time allowed, it would have been nice to pack each room, sorting your belongings along the way. Unfortunately, however, it’s time to move quick and that means you can’t waste time sorting everything into neatly organized piles. If you want to accomplish this task in under a week, you are better off just packing items as you go and waiting to sort through them until you arrive at your new home. Do go ahead and label your boxes as best you can so you will at least know what is inside each one.

Don’t Take What You Don’t Need

A great way to pack faster is to take less stuff! The less you have to pack, the easier it will be and with a last minute move, easy is key! As you are packing boxes you will inevitably come across items you no longer need.  Set those items aside to be taken to the trash or a donation center. Resist the urge to pack them, as this will simply take up more of your time.

Don’t Think, Pack

Packing in a hurry means you don’t have as much time to spend on making sure everything is perfectly packed, labeled, and organized. Instead, you just want to make sure it is in a box and out the door. Don’t worry about keeping like items together. Rather, just pack items wherever they fit. Pack clothes the way they are and don’t worry about organizing them. Hanging clothes can be packed in a pinch by wrapping them in a garbage bag and tying a knot at the top. You don’t have time to write down an organized inventory of each box. The goal at this point is simply to get everything into a box.