Should you ask your friends to help you move?

When it comes to moving, the process is anything but calm. As much as we try to get ahead of it, the entire moving process can feel stressful, overwhelming, and an unorganized mess. You’re swimming in stacks of boxes and your home that once felt spacious now feels like it is swallowing you alive. 

Whether you are moving across the country or just a town over, one thing all movers share in common is that they want the process over and done within a blink of an eye. 

Asking some friends for a helping hand is one of the most common ways to tackle a move – and if your friends are anything like our friends, they probably are expecting you to ask them! As much as we’d like to believe that everyone loves to help a friend move, no one enjoys waking up early to carry a bunch of heavy boxes. Before you entice your friends with just some free pizza, you’ll want to follow some additional etiquette tips as you make the ask. 

Read on below to learn the five dos and don’ts of asking your friends to help you move. 

1. Acknowledge what you are asking them to help with

The worst mistake you can make as a friend is acting like helping with a move is no big deal. While you need to move regardless, your friends are not required to help you. When you make the ask, make sure you acknowledge how much of a help they will be and how much you appreciate their help. Doing this simple thing will show your friends you know what you’re asking them to do is a big deal. 

1. Plan your move ahead of time

Your friends have other things going on so don’t wait until the last minute to ask them to help. Friends will appreciate the heads up as well when physical labor is involved. Also, along the same lines, make sure you have a moving vehicle and any other moving supplies ready to go. There is nothing worse than getting a friend to help you only to have them stand around while you get everything in order the morning of. 

1. Create a moving day schedule

Since it is your move, all your friends are going to turn to you for direction – so be prepared! Make sure you know the schedule of your move and what you want people to lift, and in what order you want items brought in. This is a delicate balance though because you never want to over-delegate. That means that once you ask for help with one thing, let your friend execute what you asked them to do before you delegate a new task.  

1. Treat your friends

Even though we said to do more than just supply pizza, you’ll still want to be a good host and supply your friends with some food, water, and other refreshments. Moving can be exhausting so it’s important to have food handy for your friends to fuel up with and some water to keep everyone hydrated and energized! 

1. If a friend says no, move on

As much as you beg and plea for your friends to help, sometimes your moving day doesn’t work for anyone’s schedule. Whether they have a prior commitment, or just can’t dedicate an entire day to moving, sometimes life becomes too busy for friends to help. If this happens, that’s okay! You can continue to ask other friends, or you can seek out professional moving help.