It’s a moment you never thought would arrive: the moving van pulls away from your house and you’re left in your new home in Calgary, AB (or elsewhere in Canada). There is so much to do! But what to tackle first?

Take a breath

Breathe! Take a minute to relax, open a bottle of wine or make a cup of tea and congratulate yourself on all the work you’ve accomplished so far. It’s a big deal! You’ve relocated your life, and even if it was a local move, it’s a significant accomplishment.

Before you embark on the next phase – getting settled into your new home – give yourself a well deserved break. Allow yourself to get excited about your new home. Take a tour and think about all the ways you can make this house your home.

Find your Open First Box

You do have an Open First Box, don’t you? The best Open First Box is a clear plastic, see-through bin so it’s easily identifiable. You don’t really need to unpack it first; you may want to put it in a convenient spot, open it up and grab from it as needed.

Check out our list for putting together your Open First Box.

Unpack the bedroom and bathroom, and then the kitchen and laundry room

Unpacking and putting away is the longest, most drawn out part of a move. So it’s a good idea to get a jumpstart on it immediately. Even if you only get a few boxes unpacked, you’ll be glad you started the process early.

When I only had a couple of moves under my belt, I made the mistake of rewarding myself by doing the “fun stuff” first. My husband and I put all the food in the cabinets, organized our CDs, and even hung some pictures on the walls. Then exhaustion hit us out of the blue and we were sorry that we didn’t even have the beds ready.

First day unpacking should be bedroom and bathroom essentials, and then kitchen and laundry room essentials. If you don’t do another productive thing, you’re still in a good spot!

Don’t stop thinkin’ about tomorrow

No matter how much energy you have – and you may be running on pure adrenaline – it’s bound to catch up with you by evening. So plan ahead.  While you’re still able, get things set up for the next morning. Get your coffee pot plugged in, charge your devices, and set up for whatever tasks you have on tomorrow’s agenda.

Take advantage of business hours

Check utilities, cable, Internet service and anything your relocation company or real estate agent was responsible for providing. If something is amiss, you’ll want to get it reported and solved before the end of the business day.

Recharge

You’ve likely had a rough day. Plug in your phone, keep yourself hydrated, grab something to eat, sit down and put your feet up. You’re off to a great start!

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Diane Laney Fitzpatrick is a writer, blogger and author of Home Sweet Homes: How Bundt Cakes, Bubble Wrap, and My Accent Helped Me Survive Nine Moves. She writes about moving and other adventures in coping at www.DianeLaneyFitzpatrick.com.

About our Company

Viktoria Professional Movers Calgary is a professional moving company operating out of Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, providing high quality local and long distance moving services throughout Calgary AB and across Canada. Thanks to our country-wide network we are also able to service our clients’ long distance moving needs throughout Canada. By helping to educate our clients on topics that can help them plan and execute a successful move, we are fulfilling our directive of taking the stigma out of hiring professional residential movers in Calgary, and helping to make the moving process a stress free experience overall. To hear first-hand about our high quality moving services, please visit Homestars page where you can read reviews on our company submitted by many of our satisfied customers.

Call Viktoria Professional Movers Calgary: (587) 779-7729 or Toll Free: 1 ( 877) 399-1315 for a FREE Consultation in regards to your residential or office moving needs.