Low-Stress Office-Moving Hacks

Relocating your office and feeling overwhelmed at the bits and pieces that need to be moved? Moving offices, even to a close-by location, can be stressful. The American Moving and Storage Association reports that the mean cost of an in-state move is around $1,170; but costs and complications can raise this number for businesses. Have a few “hacks” that will inspire you to think creatively about moving prep and using time wisely.

Use plastic wrap or packing tape to easily move files.

Who wants to unpack and then re-pack their file cabinets and other similar organizers? It’s got to be one of the more unappealing parts of moving an office. Use a good length of clear packing tape or a generous sheet of plastic cling wrap to wrap up drawers and shelves and keep the contents nice and tidy. Plop them in the new office, remove the wrap or tape, and ta-da, easy file moving.

Measure and plan a layout beforehand.

Figuring out what you want in your new office, and where, allows you to easily move the layout into perfect position while you have trained office movers there to do the lifting for you. To keep things efficient, measure major office fixtures and create a blueprint for the new office layout (don’t worry, doesn’t have to be pretty).

Hire movers who disassemble furniture for you.

Some office movers will actually disassemble your bulky furniture and then reassemble it upon delivery to your new office. Don’t monkey around with a wrench and snap something on your expensive desk chair. Let the pros handle it.

Use the opportunity to throw out old fixtures.

Your office movers are already moving things for you. Asking them to toss that old broken chair or table in the dumpster on their way downstairs. They likely won’t mind, and now you don’t need to drag it to your next space. Ask your moving company if they specifically offer any waste or donation removal services.

Ask local beer and wine sellers for their empty boxes.

Your office movers don’t provide boxes? You don’t have enough of your own? Ask your local beer or wine vendor if you can snag a few of their extra cardboard boxes that used to hold stock. It’s a nice recycling process since the boxes would have ended up in waste or recycling bins anyway.

Photograph the layout of your computer/office tech’s cords.

If you’re not the most tech-savvy, save yourself a call to IT and a headache by snapping a few quick photos of what cords plug into where before you unplug them to move. This goes for your computer setups, copier, printers, etc. Remember to back up important data on external hard drives and get professional moving help for any expensive or delicate equipment.

Local business? Make ties with local movers.

It’s always a good idea to take advantage of an opportunity to connect with fellow small and local businesses. You never know what opportunities that connection could make, plus you are supporting a peer. Stick to local moving services with good reputations!

Don’t let moving spaces slow your work flow down. Work smarter, and once you’re settled in your new office you can enjoy easy set-up and a fast track to working at full steam ahead again!