How IT Cured My Moving Anxiety
Last weekend I was up to my elbows in packing paper and cardboard boxes as I prepared for a big move. It hit me that packing up a home and tackling an IT project follow the same playbook. Both start with a jumble of items that need sorting and end with them arriving safely in a new place. Along the way you ask yourself; who handles fragile pieces, how you track every item, and how to keep surprises to a minimum. By treating my move like an IT project, I can order my steps and reduce my (and my family’s) stress!
I began by wandering from room to room and realizing that I have a lot of different things, from books to plates, and bulkier items like TV stands and desks (I can't forget my grill either!). In IT projects I do the same: I inventory structured items like databases and spreadsheets alongside unstructured files such as photos, documents, and config archives. That clarity lets me know which pieces will need extra care or security. This is also a great time to trim anything I don't need anymore, like the clothes that haven't fit since high school or unused baby registry items that we should donate. The same goes for IT, sanitizing data and making sure they're in a format that works for you will save a lot of time going forward.
Next comes the storage choice. At home I have to choose between cardboard boxes and plastic bins, or maybe vacuum bags and duffles. In IT I pick between NFTS or exFAT, and container images or blobs/dumps. Each option has quirks around compatibility, storage requirements, and ease of unpacking at the other end. I always ask whether my environment can handle what I plan to bring, and what kind of hardening is available to make sure my stuff stays secure.
Labeling transforms chaos into order. I tape a packing list to every box and keep a running manifest of everything. In IT I use clear file names, append version numbers, and comment every script. That way when it's time to unpack I can trace each item back to its origin and skip guessing games.
Transport planning covers truck size, load weight, route, timing, and the number of trips. For an IT project you choose a transfer protocol. Execution then becomes a game of tetris, finding the most optimal order to pack things in, and in IT running commands in the correct sequence while monitoring logs for hiccups.
By treating a move like a project in IT, I tame chaos, build confidence, and make sure nothing gets lost along the way. I already feel a sense of tranquility knowing that everything is neatly stored, labeled correctly, and is staged and ready to hit the road!
