As technology improves, more and more people can work from the comfort of their own homes and their home office. When you move, packing up the home office requires organization, prioritization, and planning to ensure your work is not too severely interrupted by the move.
Here are some tips to help.
Create a List
Before you start packing up your home office, create a list, and a plan. Write down all the contents of your office and prioritize an order for packing everything. Include packing materials required to properly pack documents, equipment, furniture, and other office supplies.
Your list and plan should also include a moving and working timeline. Select dates for everything, such as packing, that you need to do and which days and times you can still get some work done. Make the decision now if you plan to continue working during the move or plan to take some time off.
Start Organizing
Use your list and plan to go through everything in your office and get organized for packing. During this time, discard old paperwork, broken supplies, or anything you no longer need. Purging unnecessary items lightens the overall moving load, making it easier to pack and move.
Backup Digital Files
Before moving, back up all work files. Having a backup offers peace of mind knowing you will still have access to all the crucial work files. You can either back your files up in a cloud-based storage system or use an external hard drive or thumb drive. If using a hard drive, pack the device in a separate box from the computer to ensure that if the computer gets damaged, the backup files do not.
Packing Equipment
Have all the necessary supplies ready — boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, etc. — before you start packing your office equipment. Your moving company may offer packing containers explicitly designed for office equipment. Wrap fragile pieces of equipment with bubble wrap and secure them in a box.
Here’s a quick office packing tip. Before packing up your home office, take a few photos of your setup. This way, when it is time to start unpacking, you can see how you were set up in your last location and can set it up the same way.
Office Furniture
When it is time to start preparing your office furniture for the move, you have a significant decision to make. Do you want to move the furniture or get rid of it and replace it when you arrive at your new location? Sometimes, office furniture can be enormous, bulky, and heavy; it is cheaper to replace it than pay to move it.
If you want to move your office furniture, check to see if you can disassemble it. Moving office furniture in pieces may be more manageable than trying to move the entire item. Use furniture blankets to protect your furniture and carefully wrap any glass elements.
Managing Work
Moving can easily disrupt the day-to-day flow of working from home. When planning your move, schedule specific times during the day to pack and to work. Or, if possible, plan to take time off from work during the moving process.
Let Us Help
Do you need help planning your move with a home office? Contact us today for more information about how we can help seamlessly move you and your home office.
