. @emilyherself is moving and I, a person who has moved about a million times, have some advice. Please add yours to this MOVING TIPS THREAD

First: moving brings up your early childhood trauma and, inconveniently the early childhood trauma of people around you. Friends get WEIRD when you move. They disappear or are mad at your for reasons they don’t understand.

My last move (to the Arctic, a year ago), I didn’t hear from one of my best friends for the last 3 weeks. She apologized but I was only a little mad because I knew it was out of love and attachment. It sucks but it’s fine, you can still be friends. Just...be prepared.

Second: Depending on your financial situation now and growing up, you will have a desire to keep everything. As much as possible, resist. Does it make sense to pack, ship, & unpack a half-full container of q-tips? No. You can often give pretty display soaps to a women’s shelter.

You always have more stuff than you think you do. If the movers can help you estimate how much you have before you book them, take advantage of that. They will give you a ridiculous quote that can’t possibly be right. Believe them.

Third: your war room. You need a spot from which to organize everything. People who work in logistics are basically moving things around all day. You work in logistics. This is your job now.

I like to get a huge piece of paper, tape it to the wall, and write out all the tasks, divided by family member (tho I’m doing all the tasks). List people to whom you need to return items you’ve borrowed. Supplies to get. Important numbers, dates. Etc

Fourth: Don’t try to see everyone one-on-one before you go. I *always* do this and it *always* creates stress. You’re having a long open house/goodbye party at your place the weekend before you move, everyone is invited, and this is also when you will foist your stuff on them.

Fifth: It’s nice to have clean things when you move in. If you can, wipe out your dresser drawers, take the grimy pads off the bottom of the chair legs. Again, you are moving, moving is your job now. It’s one of the great stressors of life, up there with the loss of a loved one.

Seriously, it is! It increases the likelihood of a severe depressive episode, so watch out for that.

Other random things: kitchens take the longest to pack; if you’re tight on space, use clothes as packing material.

DO NOT try to sell your stuff yourself on FaceBook. It takes much more time than you expect, and you get so little in return. If they’re antiques, talk to a dealer. Otherwise, unless you need the money, just give it away. A bit painful. I did this the last move and it was great.

And finally: if you’re leaving a rental, don’t hire professional cleaners. I’ve seen this happen many times: their job is to focus on the things you use daily (faucets, mirrors) and landlords are looking at the back of the oven. If you want your deposit, gotta do it yourself.

Remember: you will move! It will, one day, be a thing you did! It will happen because it has to. And you will survive.