Considerations For Moving A Home Office

1. Organize All The Paper
2. Pay Attention To The Wires
3. Packing Electronics & Books

If you are moving, then you no doubt understand the home office has been cleaned up, packed up and moved as well. Most people dread this one room more than any other due to a stack of papers, folders, books, and dust older than some of your kids. But no matter what you have in the home office, it needs to get done...and here are a number of tips and considerations for doing just that.

Organize All The Paper

The first step in moving your home office will be to attack and organize all the paper. This includes documents in folders and boxes that have been stashed away. Obviously, most of these are probably no longer needed, which is a bit of good news. Here are some considerations when dealing with all your paper:

• Going digital: Yes, put them all on computer files and then back everything up. Honestly, with such powerful abilities to store data these days, it's really hard to see why actual paper files are needed.
• Use / develop a system: Some paper will need to keep, however, like birth certificates, deeds, titles, contracts, etc... Create some type of organized system to help with filing and finding these items in the future. Perhaps even consider creating or investing in a lightweight filing cabinet or color-coded folder system.
• Throw away the unneeded: Whatever you no longer need can be thrown away. If there is any sensitive data on the paper, be sure to shred it first. Believe it or not, the paper is heavy and anything you can get rid of now will lighten your load.

Pay Attention To The Wires

Most offices tend to have a lot of wires behind the desk, with everything all knotted and tangled together. You need to pay attention to this now before it gives you a heart attack on moving day. Some ideas:

• Bring back order: Turn everything off and then begin. You need to separate everything out and work backward until its owner/source is identified. Once they are all separated out, organizing them will be much easier.
• Use zip ties: Next, you can simply arrange each piece of equipment separately and then tie up the wires. Use either zip ties or plastic garbage bag ties.

Packing Electronics & Books

Now, move on to the actual electronic equipment. Pack each piece separately and keep them secured and protected during the move. Ideally, you should have each item in its own box. Then use bubble wrap or other packing material to ensure it will be able to be transported safely. One exception to this rule is that you should include its own wire(s) so that everything needed for it to operate properly is right there.

With books, go slowly and watch the weight. No single box should weigh more than 50 pounds, at most. Also, dusting each book lightly before packing it away is helpful.