How to Make a Schedule Before You Move

Research indicates that the divorce rate among military families is higher than the average divorce rate in America. One reason for this high rate might rely on the fact that military families move on a regular basis. When you or your spouse receives new orders, you need to prepare both yourself and your family for a new town and a new home. Creating a schedule that shows you what you need to do during each step in your move can cut down on your stress and help you get through the process easier.

Decide What Needs Done

The day that you receive those new orders is the perfect time to start planning for your move. Before you write down a single thing, decide what you need to do. Do you need to contact the utility companies and turn off the water, power and television at your old address? Do you need to go through a storage locker filled with things from your last move? Do you need to contact your children's school and make arrangements to send their records to a new school? There are many things you'll need to do to prepare for your move.

Make a Schedule

Once you have an idea about what you need to do, you can create your schedule. Depending on your rank and other factors, you may have six months or longer before you move or as little as two or three months. Write down each thing you need to do and when you need to do it. Some things, including cleaning out your refrigerator and taking a final walk through, can wait until the last few hours. Other things on your list, including dropping off donations to a charity or packing out of season clothes, are things you can do early on.

Follow Your List

After creating your schedule, follow the list in order. Take care of a few things every week until you can cross off those last few steps. This helps you keep track of what you still need to do and lets you see the progress you made. Check your list every few days or at least once a week to add any new things you need to do before moving. Click here to see some other tips from military families about what they did and how they prepared for previous moves.