It would be nice if you always had plenty of warning before you have to move, but this isn't always the case. Once in a while life suddenly decides that it's time for you to get on the road and change your surroundings. Here are some tips to help you manage this very stressful situation.

Manage Your Paperwork

There is a lot of paperwork involved in moving. Everyone that has your address needs to be updated to your new one, mail needs to be forwarded, and utilities need to be shut off at your old home and turned on at the new one. You won't be be able to wait to take care of everything, but you can put off a lot of items if you are smart about it. Here are some of them: 

• You can wait to provide a change of address to a lot of places as long as you get your mail forwarded right away. You don't even have to make a trip to the post office: just change it online for a small fee.
• Utilities probably won't be able to wait, but you won't know until you call. If it is an existing service, the previous tenant's services may cover you for a few days or weeks until you get things switched over into your name.
• Schools, medical offices, and non-utility bills don't need to be switched over until after you move. Just let them know as you run into them and keep a list so that later you can make sure you have everyone.

Set Your Priorities

This is one time when you simply won't be able to do everything or pack everything perfectly. In order to make sure you complete everything that absolutely has to be done, you need to set priorities. Some of them will be easy, such as spending more time packing your china than your clothes, and some may be less so, like whether you should try to save some money by collecting boxes or simply buying them from a local moving company.

Take a moment before you start working to get organized. Group tasks into "must be done," "should be done," and "nice to do." This, along with an outline of your schedule, will help guide you through the rest of the process with a cool head. You will always know what you need to be doing and what you would like to accomplish with any additional time you may get when things are running ahead of schedule.

Consider Hiring Some Help

In the end, there is only one of you, and friends and family may not always be able to help at such short notice. There's only so much an individual can do in the time you have to pack up and move. Ideally, in a situation like this, you should be making executive decisions and distributing as much work as possible to a group of helpers. Unfortunately, without much help available, you won't be able to work this way.

Hiring professional help is the way to get around this. Even with short notice, your favorite moving company will likely have staff available to help you however you need it. Many people forget that moving companies can do more than just load and drive the truck—they can also help you to pack and unpack if you need help with that as well. Even if all you need is help packing up your dishes and carrying the couch, you can get some assistance just with that at an hourly rate.

Moving in a hurry is tough, but it can be done. By managing the time you do have well you can get everything moved and then handle the rest of the paperwork and the unpacking on a more reasonable schedule. Click here to read more about how movers can help you.