Moving can be physically and mentally overwhelming in the best of times, and the ongoing COVID-19 worries add new challenges. The recommendations on social distancing mean you’ll need more coordination to manage your move to ensure that you and those working for you stay safe.

Here are several strategies to help you stay organized no matter when you move.

Create A Master Plan And Schedule

It’s important to understand the big picture of all the tasks that need to be completed and all the people who will be involved in each part of a move. Creating a spreadsheet or a calendar of events helps to visualize the overall timeline as well as your current progress.

A defined plan can prevent you from getting buried in or overlooking any of the details. Having a plan also makes it easier to delegate tasks. Add contact information of the key people involved to your schedule, including your real estate agent, packers, movers, inspectors, architect and designers.

Tasks to include: real estate agent meetings, packing deadlines, moving dates, inspector visits, donation pickups, trash removals, and utility cancellations and setups, among others.

Declutter Before You Move

Packing can be hard work. Most people must make decisions about which items to move and which to let go. This can be mentally exhausting, especially if you’re downsizing to a smaller space and have accumulated many items over the years. Your first instinct may be to pack everything and review belongings once you’ve moved. But I recommend putting in the hard work of decluttering before the move.

Decluttering before will make unpacking at your new home more efficient and less chaotic. Also, the fact is that many people find that they feel no urgency to declutter immediately after a move. Instead, they end up storing unopened boxes for long periods. Plus, most moving companies charge by weight.

Try to start your decluttering process as early as possible. It may take longer than you expect and you can minimize exhaustion by spreading out the work. Inevitably, you might not be able to decide on every item ahead of time, but do what you can to filter out unwanted belongings before your move.

Remove Unwanted Items From Your Home

Once you have decided what you won’t be taking, get those unwanted items out of the house, you’ll have more space to focus on what you’re keeping. In addition, you’ll eliminate the possibility of accidentally moving unwanted belongings to your new home. 

Return Items: 

Many people have items at home that aren’t their own, such as kitchen containers, tools, books and clothes. I recommend you gather all these items and return them to their owners. This also applies to items your grown children have left behind. Have them pick up their items or give you the OK to dispose of them.

Charitable Organizations: 

Now it may be more challenging to find an open location, so check ahead with your local organization on their hours and COVID related policies.

Junk-Removal Services: 

Many fee-based junk-removal companies are offering no-contact pickups. These services accept and coordinate appropriate distribution of almost everything — trash, donations, recycling, yard waste, large appliances, furniture and more. However, if you have hazardous waste, you may want to check with the company, as some may not accept it.

Rent A Dumpster: 

If you have either lots of trash or many large trash items such as old couches and mattresses, consider renting a dumpster. You won’t have to worry about bagging items and you can typically rent the dumpster for as long as you wish, allowing you to clear out at your own pace. If the dumpster needs to be placed on public property, such as a street or sidewalk, be sure to verify whether you need a permit.

Hire An Estate Sale Company: 

If you prefer that someone else deal with the items you don’t want to keep, consider hiring an estate sale company. It will present your items for sale, give you a small percentage of the profits and help you dispose of the rest. Different companies offer different services, so be sure your desired services are covered in the contract.

Sales And Consignment: 

Consignment and secondhand shops are a good way of selling your goods, but there are also endless options for selling your things online. Some sites require you to list and manage the sales yourself and some will handle the entire process for you and even donate items that don’t sell. If your time is limited, consider selecting a company that will handle the full process. You may not earn as much, but it might be a good tradeoff for having more time to manage other parts of your move.

In addition to these options, there are many organizations that handle specific items. For example, schools may welcome office supplies, animal shelters may appreciate old towels, and specialized companies recycle textiles. Find your best match with a quick internet search. If your time is very limited, hiring a junk-removal service to take it all away and distribute items as appropriate may be worth the cost.

Keep Track of Your Packed Boxes

When you’re ready to start packing, invest the time to track what you’ve packed. This will make it easier to direct movers when they unload at your new home or, if you’re the one moving your boxes, to know where to place items yourself.

I recommend recording the following information in a spreadsheet as you pack each box:

Box Number And Contents: 

Number each box and record the number on your spreadsheet. This will help you keep track of the total number of boxes to be moved and easily identify any that get lost. List the contents of each box on both the spreadsheet and the box itself. This doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it should be specific. For instance, instead of writing “Kitchen Things” or listing every item in the box (which takes a long time), use short, descriptive labels such as “Baking Supplies” or “Summer Shorts and T-shirts.” Packing in categories will make labeling, locating items and unpacking easier.

If you’re short on time, you can skip listing the items on the box and just list them on the spreadsheet. But number your boxes.

Room Destination: 

Label each box with the room you want the box to be placed in. I recommend putting the room destination in large letters on the same spot of each box (such as the top) where it can be easily seen. To make it stand out even more, print the room destination on a white label, using a different font color for each room, such as green for the kitchen, red for the master bedroom, blue for the living room and so forth.

High-Value And Fragile Items: 

Add to your spreadsheet an inventory of high-value items. Most moving companies consider anything worth more than $100 per pound to be high-value. Quality jewelry, valuable comic book collections, art collections, sterling flatware and currency are in this category. Be sure to complete the high-value inventory form provided if you are using a mover so that if anything happens, you have the best chance of being covered for the full value of your loss.

Also label fragile boxes. Preprinted stickers are widely available and will save you much time by not having to handwrite “Fragile” on each box. Stickers may also be easier to see.

Box Size: 

This isn’t too important to record. It’s just an extra step for identifying a box. It takes very little extra time to record the box size, and since the movers count this information, you can keep track of it as well.

Pack Essentials for the First Few Days

You may want to pack some essentials to get you through the first few days in your new home without having to open a bunch of boxes. Label these boxes “Pack Last” and these will be loaded last, meaning they’ll come off first. Of course, if your move won’t be completed in a single day, some of these items will need to travel with you and not be loaded onto a moving truck.

Include items needed to care for yourself and family members, including pets. Pack as if they were going on a short trip, including such items as:

◦ Towels

◦ Clothing and shoes

◦ Toiletries

◦ Pet food and supplies

Include essentials to help you settle into your new home smoothly, such as:

◦ Scissors and box cutters

◦ Basic tools for furniture assembly

◦ Tape measure

◦ Pen and paper

◦ Flashlight

◦ Scotch tape

◦ Paper towels

◦ Toilet paper

◦ Dish soap and sponge

◦ Hand soap

◦ Household cleaners

◦ Disposable gloves

◦ Trash bags

◦ Paper plates and disposable or compostable cups and utensils

◦ Shower liners and rings

◦ Pillows and bedding

Keep Valuable Items With You

Some items should always stay with you and not be out of your possession, even during a move. These would include things like:

◦ Important documents such as passports, deeds and trusts, birth certificates and Social Security cards

◦ Medications

◦ Mobile phone and charger

◦ Electronic devices and chargers, such as work laptops

◦ Cash

◦ Checkbook

◦ Credit and ATM cards

◦ Keys

◦ Valuable, sentimental and irreplaceable items. For instance, while a large jewelry collection may be too much to keep on your person during a move, you should definitely keep irreplaceable pieces like wedding rings and heirlooms on your person.

Delegate As Much As You Can

Moving is an enormous job that involves both big-picture management and attention to small details. No one should have to do it alone!

Accept help from friends and family who kindly offer, even if it’s something as small as asking them to drop off a meal on moving day. If your budget allows, entrusting certain parts of your move to professionals such as home organizers, expert packers and move managers can ease your burden and keep you sane amid the process.

Whether you work from home or just manage bills and other household finances, setting up a dedicated workstation is a great way to stay organized. Resist the temptation to use a corner of the kitchen table as your office area. Unless you’re extremely diligent about putting things away, clutter can build up quickly.

Perhaps you’re fortunate enough to have a spare room that can be used as a workspace. If you don’t have this luxury, don’t despair. Whatever your budget or the square footage of your home, this guide can help you create a dedicated home office area that’s not only functional, but stylish and inviting too.

Home Office Essentials No Matter Your Budget

◦ Flat surface such as a desk or table

◦ Comfortable chair

◦ Office supplies such as a stapler, label maker, pens, scissors, paper clips, envelopes, stamps and notepaper

◦ Drawer or storage box for storing supplies

◦ File drawer, file box or stand-alone filing cabinet

◦ Hanging folders with labels

◦ One inbox

◦ Magazine file boxes — recommended for storing paper collected when managing a large project. Typically, brochures and other paperwork from large projects won’t fit in a hanging file.

Basic Solutions

Setting up a home office doesn’t have to be costly. If your budget is limited, consider repurposing a small table or desk from another part of your home or buying one used. Thrift stores or charity stores sell inexpensive furniture. Consignment stores are often more costly.

If you don’t have space or budget for a small file cabinet, I recommend using an inexpensive plastic file box, a fabric-covered file box, a basket designed for hanging files or a bankers box. Consider storing only active files in your office. Remove files that aren’t current, such as old tax returns or old bills and financial statements. Consider shredding anything not necessary. Store necessary documents that are no longer active in a bankers box at the top of a closet or another out-of-the-way place.

If you don’t have an extra room, set up a dedicated workstation away from the household hangout area. Choose a place where your supplies won’t be disturbed — perhaps a bedroom, an infrequently used dining room or a corner of the living room.

Another option is repurposing a closet as a home office. The easiest approach is to remove the closet’s doors and add a freestanding desk or table, a file cabinet and shelving. You might also consider installing bifold doors that you can close so your belongings can be housed out of sight.

You might want to install wall-mounted shelves to create a small and functional desk.

If you’re coming up short in terms of where to put your dedicated home office, tour your house to see if there are any wide hallways, nooks or crannies that might fit a small desk and some shelves.

Do keep in mind that you’ll need a power source for your electronics and you may need to install lighting. Hiring an electrician will add to the overall cost.

Midrange Solutions

Many furniture stores sell office furniture in a variety of price range. Steer clear of low-cost new office furniture if possible, the drawers often do not pull out smoothly and pieces can break in a few years.

If you’re not in a rush and like to shop, consignment stores can be a good source for high-quality used office furniture.

Stock cabinets might be an alternative to freestanding furniture if the available sizes fit your space.

In some homes it’s possible to remove the wall under the stairs to create a small space for a home office. Do not attempt if this will affect your home’s structural integrity. Check to see if permits are required in your area and proceed only if you’re working with an experienced professional. Remember to factor in the cost of hiring an electrician to install an electrical outlet and lighting.

Deluxe Solutions

Custom cabinets designed to fit the exact dimensions of your room create storage customized to your specific needs. You’ll be able to choose from many attractive design and finish options that are perfectly suited to your space. These types of cabinets are generally quite expensive.

Not all custom cabinetry is created equal, research the options and reading reviews carefully. A product might look great when new but may not hold up over time. Some manufacturers use inexpensive hardware, which means the drawers won’t roll smoothly. That said, there are many reliable companies and craftspeople who provide high-quality products that will stand the test of time.

Custom cabinetry can provide you with many features, including larger file cabinets.

For those who don’t like visual clutter, built-ins can be designed to hide office equipment such as printers and shredders.

Home offices can double as guest rooms. If the room is small and you would prefer not to have a bed crowding your workspace, you might opt to install a fold-down bed as part of your custom cabinetry build.

High-end freestanding office furniture is also available in the luxury price range. Contact a designer or furniture maker to find appropriate pieces to fit your style and needs.

Final Notes

Take measurements carefully before purchasing or acquiring any new office furniture. Be sure to measure the space and also get the measurements on the furniture itself to make sure it will fit.

It is important to establish a dedicated personal office space in your home. This space should be off-limits to other household members. Some of my clients do not work outside the home and spend their time parenting young children. Many are frazzled by the clutter in their homes but never thought about making space for themselves. Managing household business on the kitchen table littered with toys and cracker crumbs can be stressful. Everyone deserves their own personal space, even if it’s only a small cubby.

As with any large-scale renovation, the costs of a landscape remodel can quickly add up. With the right design moves and decisions to stretch your budget, you can pull off the look and feel of your dream garden without letting the budget get out of hand. But where it can make sense to save — without compromising quality or style — may not always be where you’d expect.

Here are some of the best places to save money on a landscape redesign.

Simplify Your Wish List

It’s easy to get carried away when it comes to creating your dream landscape wish list, with elements from patios to outdoor kitchens and pools to fire pits, but costs quickly add up. Focus on the elements you really want and will use often. To save money, scale things back or take out a few features that you could add over time.

Tip: Having a professionally drawn site plan in place will help ensure that you won’t have to disturb an improved area when installing new features at a later stage.

Choose Hardworking, Less Expensive Materials

Hardscape — hard surfaces such as pathways, pavers and patios — is often one of the biggest “budget eaters” in a landscape remodel, as the materials and installation can both be expensive. If you’re looking for ways to help rein in your budget, resilient but less expensive hardscape materials can fill in, either temporarily or permanently.

For example use a mix of gravel and pavers instead of cut stone for a front patio and walkway as a cost-saving measure. Gravel can be an excellent permanent low-cost alternative to cut stone. Use a mix of gravel and concrete or precast pavers to create pads for furniture. Regardless of the material you choose, it pays off to invest in proper professional installation.

Tip: If you need to be able to roll a wheelchair, walker or stroller over your main path, consider gravel as a cost-saving material for secondary paths or patios instead.

Use What You Already Have

While it’s tempting to want to rip out everything and start with a clean slate, it’s better to pause and take stock of what you have. Repurposing existing plants and materials — especially long-lasting, high-quality ones — can help save your budget and enhance your design.

Use existing pavers, relocating established plants or painting a dated item is worth the investment for a relatively low cost.

Select Local and Salvaged Materials

If you don’t have existing elements that can be repurposed, chances are someone in your community might. Check with local salvage yards and material warehouses. You may be able to score a pallet of bricks for a patio or redwood boards for a fence at a fraction of the price of purchasing them new.

If you’re purchasing new materials such as gravel, wood or cut stone, ask which ones come from your local region. They can often be more affordable than materials that have been transported from elsewhere, and can help your new garden fit in with the natural tones of the area. Ask the landscape designer or architect you’re working with if local materials could be prioritized.

Buy Plants Small

Sizing down plants to help with your budget. Plants can easily be purchased in smaller sizes, and they will grow to size over time. It’s smarter to invest in permanent elements like hardscape.

Even planted from small containers, many herbs, perennials, ground covers, ornamental grasses and vines will fill in quickly. Some shrubs, trees, cactuses and succulents can be slower to reach maturity, depending on the species. A few exceptions for which it can be worth the splurge on larger plants: one or two mature trees for dramatic impact and shrubs needed for screening.

Choose Perennials Over Annuals

If you’re looking for color in planting beds, perennials — plants that come back year after year — are a much better investment than annuals that need to be bought and replanted each season. Nurseries will often have end-of-season sales well-stocked with perennials in fall, which is a perfect time to plant.

Tip: Another way to score plants for less is at a plant swap. Communities will sometimes host plant swaps, generally in spring and summer, where you can bring plants of your own or cash to trade for or buy other potted plants.

Professionals can help you save money on plants: The retail nursery cost of a plant can often be one-third to double the cost of a plant purchased by a landscaper at a wholesale growing ground. This can also be true for soil amendments, fertilizers, gravel and mulch.

Depending on your plant knowledge, a professional may have a better understanding of plant spacing and depth, resulting in a better overall planting job.

Use High-Impact, Low-Cost Garden Accents

For permanent and high-use elements, it makes sense to choose the highest-quality materials and craftsmanship you can afford. For smaller decorative accents, this isn’t always the case.

Cute little garden details, like the obelisks, can make a big impact. Other low-investment, high-payoff exterior accents to try: chic house numbers or a standout mailbox.

Buy Containers at End-of-Season Sales

Picking up containers for potted plants at fall nursery sales, is something to look for. Stores will often cut prices by 50 percent or more to clear inventory at the end of the growing season. Stock up on large pots and planters for spring planting.

Design With Maintenance Costs in Mind

Once hardscape is installed and plants are in the ground, your costs going forward will be associated with maintenance. Some hardscape materials require more maintenance than others to continue to look good over time. Plants all require different levels of water and maintenance throughout the year to continue to thrive. It’s best to consider this now, when you’re just beginning your project, to design your plan accordingly.

In general, high-quality natural materials such as cut stone and flagstone for patios and walkways require minimal care when properly installed. Gravel and decomposed granite, on the other hand, need to be topped up every so often. Synthetic decking can save the cost of needing to seal a natural wood deck every few years.

For plants, your best bet for cutting down on water costs is to use native plants or those that grow well in your climate. Gardens composed of easy-care shrubs, ground covers and perennials require less care than those designed with high-maintenance annual flower beds or clipped topiary. Choose a style you have the time and budget to care for going forward. Skipping a traditional lawn can also offer major savings in terms of both water and maintenance.

Consider Phasing Your Project

For major landscape overhauls, installing the design in several phases can help in terms of budgeting. For phased projects, bring in a professional at the beginning to draw a complete site plan that will outline the overall design and how phases should be divided according to construction access. Think through everything that one might want to bury in the ground that will be useful or desired in the future. It is no fun to dig trenches or drill holes in finished surfaces.

Having a complete site plan guiding the construction process is likely to bring costs down and prevent work being done twice. For example, with proper planning between phases, a contractor could lay a foundation beneath a patio for a shade structure intended for later installation. 

Working from home is still new to a lot of people. And many homeowners have had to get creative when establishing a home office. That often means converting a small space — a spare bedroom, a window nook, a former closet — into a dedicated work area. With the right design approach, compact spaces can work hard and look great.

Here are somethings to keep in mind, when creating a small but stylish and functional home office.

Floating Desk

There are many upsides to working from home. But it’s important to carve out space that separates the job from personal life. That will help you get focused on the work at the start of the day and allow you to step away at the end.

When it comes to rooms with less square footage, maximizing floor space is at the top of the priority list.

Wall-mounted anything frees up a huge amount of physical and visual space, so consider a wall-mounted desk, as well as wall-mounted lighting. This is especially helpful in a super narrow room where a traditional desk might not fit comfortably.

The overall look of a workspace should be clean and fuss-free. This limits distractions so you can focus. The floating look certainly fits the bill when it comes to creating a sleek aesthetic.

The ability to customize the height of a floating work surface is also one of the strong points of going this route. If you prefer your work surface to be taller or lower than standard, 30 inches, depending on your height or level you like to work at, then going this direction makes sense. It also allows you to make adequate room for your chair, file cabinets or printing equipment.

Another bonus is that cleaning below a floating surface is easier than going under and around a standalone piece.

But there are a couple of downsides to consider. A floating desk is difficult to relocate if you want to change its location or if you move homes. You can’t exactly pick it up or scoot it to another area. Plus, a floating desk is usually smaller than a traditional desk, especially in depth. They work great for a laptop or other compact tasks. If your work requires you to spread out a bit, then you might want to consider another option.

Great Artwork

Research has shown that engaging in cultural activities, including viewing artwork, correlates with better health, more satisfaction with one’s life and lower rates of anxiety and depression.

That’s why filling your home with art pieces that you feel a deep connection with is especially important in a home office.

The reality is, work can sometimes make us stressed and anxious, and if we can take even a few moments out of our day to pause and engage with something that brings us joy, we should do it.

Of course, viewing nature has a strong effect as well. So if you have a great view from your home office, focus on that and use art as a secondary focal point, such as behind your chair or on an opposite wall.

If your desk faces a blank wall, art becomes even more important. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing art, except maybe to listen to your heart. Try not to let someone else tell you what to like. 

And despite what you may have been told, art doesn’t have to match the style of your office. This is one area where you can always get a bit eclectic.

Wall-Mounted Lighting

Good interior lighting plans are all about combining the right lighting in the right places. When we’re limited on floor space, we can naturally look to ceilings and walls for opportunities to shine light down.

Wall sconces can be used to create excellent task lighting in an office setting. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to add some visual adornment that ups the style in the room. You can hardwire sconces — usually with the help of an electrician — behind a wall to eliminate seeing the cord, helping with a sleek aesthetic. Or you can easily install plug-in sconces yourself.

There are also stylish clip-on options, that give you the same look and feel without the need for drilling.

To get the most out of your wall lights, placement is key. A good starting guideline is to hang them at approximately eye level, about 5½ to 6 feet, although the height of your ceilings and the size of the fixture will come into play.

A critical point to remember is that whatever height you hang your wall light, you shouldn’t come eye to eye with an exposed bulb, unless the bulb is decorative and meant to be viewed directly. 

Investment Pieces

Your workplace greatly affects your psychological and physical health, so it’s important to make sure your space reinforces that. Therefore, the furniture pieces should be the highest possible quality within your budget. This is not an area where you want to skimp.

Invest in a good chair, choose a soothing color palette and don’t forget to add some style with art and accessories. When you feel good in your environment and know that you’ve invested in it, your motivation and productivity will benefit.

Clearing clutter is not usually on our list of fun things to do. Sure, living in a clutter-free space is something we can all get behind, but finding the time and the motivation to make it happen is quite another matter. That’s where quickie clearing comes in. Instead of waiting for that mythical perfect storm of ample time, energy and motivation to appear, take the reins and do one small project at a time.

Food Storage Containers

Open up that messy Tupperware drawer and pull everything out. Match up the containers with their lids, check the dishwasher too, and toss or recycle mate-less pieces. Stack everything up neatly and return it to the drawer or cabinet. Use the dimensions of this space as a physical limit and give away containers that won’t fit comfortably in the space available.

Fridge Door Condiments

Unload the whole sticky mess onto the kitchen counter. Check expiration dates and toss out anything past its prime — as well as any condiments you bought but did not like. Wipe the bottoms of the containers with a damp sponge before returning them to the fridge. If you want to be extra-organized about it, put sweet condiments on one shelf and savory condiments on another.

Utensil Jar

Check out that crock of utensils near the stove — are all the pieces in it tools that get daily or near-daily use? Do you really need all those spatulas? Take everything out of the jar and put back only the items you reach for often. If there are tools you want to keep but don’t need to access daily, move them to a different spot. The prime real estate nearest your stove should be reserved for true essentials.

Pen Cup

First, scoop up all the pens and pencils that are not actually in the pen cup, but instead are strewn randomly around the kitchen counter, dining table and any other flat surface in the area. Once you’ve gathered them all in one place, grab a blank sheet of scratch paper and start testing. Toss out pens that are out of ink and put your favorites back in the pen cup.

If you have 5 million pens and pencils, set them aside to donate. Many school districts and some nonprofit organizations are happy to receive donations of office supplies in good condition.

Sock Drawer

Open up that drawer and pull out all the socks and tights. Match up pairs, and inspect each set for holes and worn areas. Fold the sets that have mates and are in good condition, and return them to the drawer. Bring the mate-less socks to the laundry area and check for mates before giving up on them.

When you’re done, toss all mate-less socks, as well as any socks or tights with holes, into a bag to bring to your local clothing recycling donation bin.

Shower Products

Pull all the products out of your shower and place them on the sink. Recycle the empty bottles and move infrequently used items to a drawer or cabinet. Have some products that you tried but didn’t like? Give it away or take it back. Depending on the store, you may still be able to get a refund — otherwise, pour out the product and recycle the container. Yes, it’s a waste, but letting a product you’re never going to use take up valuable space in your shower isn’t helping anyone. When you’re done, place your favorite everyday products back in the shower.

Laundry Supplies

Check your laundry room for empty bottles of detergent and stain remover, and put these in the recycling bin. Put random items pulled from pockets where they belong. Straighten up the remaining supplies and wipe the counter clean.

Dish Towels

Dish towels seem to get ratty when we’re not looking. Pull out all your dish towels and inspect them. Fold and put away the ones in good condition, and set aside the others to bring to a textile recycling bin or to cut up for use as rags. But don’t go overboard on the use-them-as-rags thing — there are only so many rag towels we really need, and then it’s just creating more clutter.

Magazines and Catalogs

Gather up all your magazines and catalogs in a pile. Go through the stack, one by one, setting aside current issues that you still want to read, and recycle the rest. If there is an article you want to save, cut it out — or (if you really want to reduce paper clutter) check if the same content is available online and bookmark it instead of saving a paper copy.

Entryway

Put pocket change in a cup, recycle junk mail, hang up coats and put away any items that have migrated here from other areas of the house. If there are library books or other items waiting to be returned, take a moment to carry them out to the car so that they’re ready and waiting and not cluttering up your entryway.