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When you move, you do not employ traditional packing and moving strategies when relocating your home office. After moving, it takes a lot of organization to hasten your return to a normal work routine. Follow these suggestions to move a home office - they should make unpacking and returning to work at home a lot easier.
Begin by organizing your office gear. Before start moving anything, make sure everything is organized. This way if you need to access work-related stuff while you're in the middle of moving, you will be able to find it. Get papers filed into groups or piles and toss out unimportant papers. One essential tip in preparing your office for a move is to shred unnecessary paperwork - you don't want to waste time moving it then toss it out later!
Stack the filing cabinet. A filing cabinet should be pretty organized already, so it should be simple to pack up! A great idea is to have banker's boxes to easily move your files. On the other hand, if you are only using regular boxes to move your home office, it's best to stabilize your file folders before you tape the box up. Disorganized files can be a hassle to reorganize if they have been jostled around in the move. Keep files shut by using big, sturdy clips and put elastic bands around papers to keep them stable.
Take everything out of your desk drawers. There are usually lots of small items within your desk drawers. Tidy up first so you are not left with a huge jumble of things when you go to unpack the box. It is important to find small containers or bags that can be used to keep small items organized. Unbreakable things can go straight into boxes and you can even use them to fill up spaces to pad other items.
Packing up books. Books are quite simple to pack. One negative thing though, is that they're heavy! Make an effort to use the smallest boxes while packing of your books in your home office. This will lighten the load - just put a few books in each box. Check that the books are still needed before you pack them - if they are not, toss them out first. Your unpacking at the other end will be much easier if you have fewer books that need to be moved out of your home office.
Packing up the computer. Can you recall how long it took you to get your computer hooked up and working properly when you first got it? You can save yourself the hassle of rediscovering where each wire goes on your computer if you take a few moments to label them. Mark which wire goes in which outlet on your computer before you unplug anything. Next, neatly wrap each cord individually using an elastic band or twist tie, then store all of the wires in a zipper bag together. If you really want to simplify, write computer on the outside. Follow this same idea for all other electronic equipment in your home office.
As soon as your drawers and shelves are emptied from your home office, you will have to start moving out the furniture. When preparing for the trip, take apart whatever is too big or bulky, making sure to bundle it in enough padding to withstand the jostling and bumping. As well as staying organized, this is your best approach to moving a home office.
About the Author:
Tiffany Provost writes about home office and other business tips for HowToDoThings.com.
