Working Remote and Moving? What to Know About Working From Home While Changing Locations

Remote workers are fast becoming a prominent demographic in business as more employees choose to work from home. 

Pre-pandemic, companies had great resignations about allowing employees to telecommute. But the coronavirus changed all of that. 

According to a monthly labor review from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 33% of establishments in the U.S. last year had increased the amount of telework.

That is almost a third of the country’s businesses. That’s a lot of us who have given up long commuting distances for the flexible work and lower cost of telecommuting. It could easily become the future of work.

With more time spent in the home, homeowners are thinking more about what they want. The pandemic saw newly-remote workers flee big cities for more affordable suburban homes. 

If you work from home and are now looking to move without falling behind in your work, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s look at some clever tips and tricks for being a productive remote employee while moving.

Moving and working from home at the same time

People working remote jobs already might be hesitant to relocate to a better home because of the disruption it might cause. Most of us can’t take an entire month or two off to move the whole home, much less the home office.

Real estate worlds can be tricky to navigate at the best of times. When you work from home and are moving simultaneously, you have to become very adept at multitasking.

Whether you are moving around two streets over, to a new state/time zone, or moving across the country to New York City, San Francisco or Florida, here are some common sense tricks to help you achieve your move.

Pack your essential equipment LAST

When moving your home office space, an important rule is to never pack away anything essential for your remote job. 

Any equipment, files, or essential items for your remote work should stay with you and not go on the moving truck.

Keeping track of your vital tools and essential paperwork will make the transition easier and allow you to get started up again once you’re settled in the new home. 

Find dedicated places for these home office items to keep them safe.

Plan out your new home office space

Document the floor plan and setup you have in place for your current office. Take pictures.

You’re used to having your home-work environment in a particular way, and being able to recreate that can allow a smoother transition and uninterrupted workflow.

Personalize your home office ASAP

If you’ve already done so in your current home office, you know how the personal touches can make or break your work environment. Being able to slip back into a productive mode will make other tasks go easier.

Plus, having your home office aesthetically set up to your personal liking will look good in virtual meetings.

The rest of your new home will be a mess for quite a while. So, it’s also beneficial to have at least one room in the home that isn’t full of chaos that you can escape to if you’re overwhelmed.

Schedule tasks

Set out a master list of all the to-do items and fit them between work responsibilities. Remote working is always about scheduling your day, and moving is just another type of work project.

Additionally, your coworkers will appreciate if you note on your calendar when you’ll be unavailable with moving tasks. 

Pencil in break times

Exhausting yourself is not going to help the situation. After all, part of the reason you might be moving is to improve the quality of your family’s life and your own. 

It’s easy to be continuously “on the clock” when you work from home. Give your eyes a break from your screen and find some time to sit and try not to think about everything you need to do. 

Even just five minutes of relaxation can be enough to get you through your to-do list. 

Pack essentials last and least-used items first

Like your work-life essentials, you use some items daily in your home life while others are used once in a blue moon. Having those “blue-moon” items buried deep at the back of the moving van is less likely to be a problem later on.

Declutter as you go

Rather than packing everything you own, take this opportunity to get rid of unwanted or unneeded items. Donate, sell, or throw things out. Anything you get rid of, you don’t have to move.

Clean as you pack

This task is an ideal job for any friends who offer to help. Cleaning takes no instructions and will save you lots of time. Professional cleaners can help with this task as well. 

Leaving your former home or apartment clean when you leave will make it look great to sell or help you get a security deposit back. You can also go the extra mile and patch over any holes, dents, or scratches in the walls, replace light bulbs, and do other easy maintenance. 

Label all boxes

It is vitally essential for your home office, but labeling everything you pack away will also make it doubly easier to find your most essential possessions in the new home. If you’re using professional movers, this will help guide them where boxes go. 

Keep a positive attitude

Remote office workers know that self-motivation and a positive attitude can go a long way to help you get the job done. Moving is no different.

Relocating can be an overwhelming task but remember why you’re moving and how much you’ll enjoy your new space. 

Keep yourself in a sunny frame of mind and emotion (as much as possible) and stay focused on the task. You’ll be great. You can do this.

Work from home and moving—the final word

Moving your home is a daunting task for anyone. And for remote workers who are trying to juggle a full-time job with moving tasks, it’s—well—a whole different ballgame.

You can make your job easier by contacting the dedicated loan officers at Homefinity. 

We’ll partner with you to make sure you get some of the best mortgage rates and some of the most favorable terms available to match your financial picture.

If you have any questions about relocating to a better home for work, reach out to Homefinity. 

Before long, you could be sipping coffee on your new deck—a whole ten-second commute from your home office.

Photo by Luke Peters on Unsplash