If your first association with the phrase "house move" is a long, tiresome and expensive process, then it's no wonder that it may frustrate you or leave you feeling stressed out. However, a house move can be a quick and efficient process, without too much hassle or chaos. How can this be done? By using the professionals and doing as they do, even if you can't hire them for the entire move. Here are the basic steps.

1.    Plan ahead. Since the first few days of the moving process are critical for its success, you might decide take a few days off work to really get down to business. What you need to do is plan your actions well - a checklist of tasks to complete throughout the process, each family member's personal duties and of course, a budget plan. The budget plan, however, cannot be prepared before you take the full inventory. This is a lengthy process and you might need your family's assistance on it. The way to do it in the quickest way possible is by going from room to room and writing down all the belongings you have. Once you've done this, it's time to decide what to keep and what to throw away, sell or donate. This is a tough process which also takes an unnecessarily long amount of time, because people find it hard to part with items that they've had for years and years. However, it simply needs to be done. It's rather unreasonable to move items that you don't even use.

2.    Get the packing material ready. You might be weeks away from packing, but it's always best to be prepared, because lots of items can be packed at an early stage of the moving process. Moreover, this way you have more time to find discounted or used packing material from shops and department stores. Since you will need a number of sturdy cardboard moving boxes of various sizes, it is best to start shopping around as early as possible.

3.    Organise your helpers. Every move requires lots of efforts and physical labour. Dealing with the move entirely on your own will make you easily frustrated and tired on a daily basis. Communicate with your family and let them know that their involvement is more than appreciated. The same applies for your closest friends - if you want them to help you pack, simply talk to them and try to organise a time when most people are free and can stop by for a few hours. If you want to manage quickly you need to think of efficient ways to deal with the helpers, packing and moving.

4.    Do one thing at a time. If you don't have many people helping you, it's best to focus on one thing at a time. After you get it done, proceed with the next, whether it's a room or the next box. This is an easy and quick way to pack and get organised and to keep track of the inventory.

A house move doesn't have to be slow, tiring or frustrating. It is an exciting time for the family - a new location, a new town, a new house, a new neighbourhood, new friends and new things to do. All of these changes take time to get used to, but it is the way in which relocating is. Don't get too stressed about it and remember it's all about the safety of your belongings, so don't rush too much either.