Suppose you’re self-employed or work as a freelancer. In that case, there are two things that you often miss about more traditional job roles: weekends and vacation time. In the seven years I’ve been working as a business content writer, I’ve learned how to balance the need for an offline life with my online roles. There is no better example of that coming together than when moving!

I moved locations about a year ago, and it meant that I was tasked with the immediate time-gobbling problem of packing while still working full-time, 7 days a week. Here’s how I made that work for me while still keeping my sanity!

How to work full-time while moving

What you’ll see here is that most of these tips are going to focus on moving because, well, that’s what’s new about your otherwise regular work schedule! These are real tips that I used to help me.

• Start packing waaaay before you think you need to: If you’ve ever moved before, you likely already know this. Packing always takes twice as long as you believe it will. This is especially so if you keep your total hours and pack in the evenings (or whenever you sign off for the day). You’re battling fatigue and disorganization on top of your stressful job. Don’t make it worse by hemming yourself into a too-tight deadline.

• Make a schedule for how much you want to pack per day: I’m an ultra-organized person, so the first thing I did was schedule every day. I put in my work hours for the morning and afternoon, and then after supper, I had 3 hours set aside every day for packing. I’d focus on the same room each time until that was packed and then move on. I put the schedule on the fridge so that I could always see where I was with my plan.

• Meal prep, meal prep, meal prep: Wait, what? How’s that connected to moving or working? Seriously, meal prep is essential. Remember that you’re already stressed and tired and most likely cranky by the time you pull out the boxes for your 2-3 hours of packing. Don’t make it any harder by being hungry! Meal prep ahead of time and have meals ready to pop in the oven/microwave every day that taste great and fuel you for your productive evening. Or, give that task to someone else in your household!

• Take a breath and stay focused: There will be days where you just wonder how anyone does it. That comes from trying to balance an intense and draining work schedule with the overwhelming task of packing up your entire life. Take a breath and take it one day at a time. That’s what the schedule is for! If you stay on task, you will get there in one piece!

You’re a pro!

Without question, moving while trying to keep up full-time hours as a self-employed professional is challenging and stressful. But, it is possible. Plus, when you get your new space and know that you did it, it’s a great power trip!  

Any tips you want to add to help others who might be planning a move in the future? Any questions on how I actually made my schedule? Ask away!

Business content writing business content writer business writing freelancers moving tips professional writer professional writers professional writing self employed self employed professional working and moving