Moving Day Timeline

Who this is for

Moving day, hour by hour. Each task has a time, a place and a name against it, and the key times and contacts sit at the top so anyone helping can see the plan at a glance.

Households with a fixed completion or handover time, and anyone relying on family, friends or a removals crew who all need to know what happens next.

What this helps you track

• When the removals crew, the keys and the handover are due
• Who to ring if something slips
• What happens at the old home, in transit and at the new one
• Who is doing each task, and what is done
• The essentials that travel with you rather than in the van

How to use it

1. Fill in the date, the removals arrival time, when keys are collected and handed over, and the phone numbers you will need.
2. Work backwards from the fixed times and write each task against a time, with where it happens and who does it.
3. Go through the essentials list the night before and pack those things into one bag that stays with you.
4. Print a copy for everyone helping, or share the browser version, and tick tasks off as the day goes.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How early should the timeline start?

From whenever the first task begins, often the last packing or taking beds apart. The fixed times at the top, such as the crew arriving or the key handover, are the points everything else is planned around.

Why a separate essentials list?

Because things packed into the van are out of reach until it is unloaded. Keys, documents, chargers and medication kept in one bag with you can be found at any point in the day.

What if the times slip?

They often do when a chain is involved. Write new times beside the old ones rather than starting again, and ring the contacts at the top as soon as a fixed time moves.