christopher ming lee

Introduction

Rule One: bring less. It’s easier. Regardless of other variables – how many people, destination, your Chinese zodiac sign – this doesn’t change. Repeat it like a mantra. Repeat it regardless of your vehicle, because whether you have a single car or a fleet of U-Hauls, the rule applies:

Bring less.

Letting things go seems scary if you can’t imagine yourself without the furnishings surrounding you as you read this. They’ve been there for the past 20 years, after all. But most things can be repurchased or replaced. So minimize.

How to Minimize

Go through your belongings. Sort everything into three piles: Bring, Store, Toss. Take your time with this. It might take a few rounds to strip yourself to the essentials. Be ruthless. The smaller your vehicle, the better. Space limitations force you to leave things behind.

Use a “six months” guideline: if you haven’t looked at it or used it in six months, Store or Toss. Preferably toss. This will include a great deal from your college days; be ready to skip down memory lane (but don’t spend too much time reminiscing): postcards, posters, shot glasses, certificates, matches, old CD’s, batteries, headphones, notebooks, souvenirs from the summer in Cancun, old cell phone manuals, the computer maintenance kit. If you’re only keeping something for sentimental reasons, toss it. Resist the urge to Store everything. You’re wasting space.

In regards to manuals/computer CD’s/music CD’s – most of this stuff you’ll be able to access online. Save it to the computer, then back it up. Get rid of hard copies.

Take pictures of things you want to remember.

Start early. Start small. Most importantly, start and keep going. Clean out this drawer, or that book shelf. This part of the desk, those pile of papers, that section of the closet. Work 15 minutes at a time, then take a break – for five minutes, or for the day. In a month you’ll eliminate a majority of the inessentials.

Anything in the Store or Toss piles, see if you can’t donate, or sell on Craigslist or eBay.

Find a place for your Store belongings. This might be a storage rental or someone’s basement.

Examine the Bring piles. Do you really need everything? Will it all fit into your vehicle? On the first few attempts, the answers will likely be no. Start the process over again.

Some sticking points:

1. Furniture
   Don’t get hung up on not having furniture when you arrive at your destination. Even if it is possible to bring furniture (if you’re taking a single vehicle out, it’s not) it’d be expensive, time consuming, and labor intensive.
   You might rent a furnished apartment.
   You can always Craigslist sofas, bed frames, dressers.
   You may crash with someone who has furniture.
   The furniture situation will sort itself out. David Horvath said about his living situation after moving from Los Angeles to New York: “When we decided to start for real, I slept on my sister’s floor for 9 months, eating not much more than cereal, plain white bread, and salads… Rent was a few hundred backs, paid for by selling everything I owned in LA, keeping 5 days of clothes and not much else. I bought an air bed but had no table…”
   It’s an extreme, but it shows what can be done if you want something bad enough.
2. CD’s/DVD’s
   Get an iPod. If the movies are that important to you, subscribe to Netflix for $9.95 per month. Then leave the DVD’s at home. You won’t have space for them.
3. Collections
   Doll collections, pet rock collections, Final Fantasy 7 figurines, exploded hard drives, liquor bottles, bottle caps, Pokemon cards, movie posters, notebooks, coin collections, toe nail trimmings, spare voodoo dolls, stamps, Matchbox cars, Cabbage Patch dolls, sticker collections… whatever it is you choose to collect, leave it at home. Take pictures of it if it’s that important to you – Saran wrap things, store them in a cool, dry place and out of the sunlight, but whatever you do, don’t bring it.
4. Books
   If you haven’t picked it up in a year, donate it to your local library or give it away. If you can’t bear the thought, box them up or find someone else’s shelf space, because they’re not coming with you. Bring only the bare essentials to your work (cook books, writing books, acting books, comedy books) – and only the Canon, not something with a nice cover that’ll look good on the coffee table you won’t have. Books that have been dog eared and bookmarked and highlighted – those are the books you’re going to use.
   Bring one, non-Canon, can’t-live-without-book.
   Or buy a Kindle.
5. Shoes
   I got my trainers, of course. Then my gym sneakers, my dress shoes, and my sandals, but that’s it. Oh, and my boat shoes, too , the Sperry’s, because they’re kind of that versatile, casual-yet-slightly-dressy kind of shoe, and it’ll definitely be worth it to bring them. Oh, can’t forget my cleats – no, I haven’t played baseball/golf/soccer since college, but who knows, right? My rock climbing shoes, of course, don’t want to have to shell out another $70 on those. And boots, too, for riding the bike and in case it rains or snows, you got to have them…
   Just like that – you’re at eight (8!) pairs of shoes.
   Chances are ladies may struggle even more with minimizing their footwear.
   Guideline: one pair of trainers, one pair of sneakers, one dress, one sandal. Done. It is difficult, but remember: wherever you’re going, they have shoe stores.
6. Clothes
   Strip your closet down to its Core. For a more in-depth discussion, see Minimalism Attire.

Sorting through the material things in your life is time consuming, and it’s only the beginning. Read about how to minimize in small steps.

Other Pre-Move Steps

Next, schedule appointments with all your medical professionals before you leave. If you have health issues, better to find out now than when you’re on your own. This means doctor, dentist, orthodontist, dermatologist, chiropractor, and anyone you see on a yearly basis.

Handle your finances. Calculate your estimated monthly expenses in your destination city (health insurance, car insurance, rent, gas, cell phone, gym membership, food, miscellaneous expenses) and have a minimum three times that in a savings account.

Anywhere from six months to a year emergency reserve is better, but the three month buffer is the minimum.

Put your tax documents for the last five years in a folder and bring them with you. Create electronic copies of everything, and create back-ups. Take digital photos of important documents, save them on your computer and on an external hard drive.

Online banking has made money management more convenient than ever. Still, transactions can take longer than desired, and/or you may not have access to the web. Give someone you trust access to your bank account, in case you need to move money around quickly: a parent, a good friend, someone easily accessible. Use Free Credit Score to check your credit.

Unsubscribe to newsletters or magazines you no longer read.

Make someone responsible for your mail, until you’ve notified everyone of your new address.

Developing Connects

Compile a contact list of everyone you know in your destination city. You know more people than you think.

To clarify: you know more people who know more people than you think.

Start by telling a few people about what you’re going to do. Don’t announce it on Twitter or your blog – just close family and friends. Don’t tell people you think will help you out; tell those you know will, because they’ve bent over backwards for you in the past. These people are less likely to flake on you when you really need help.

Tell them, and if they have contacts, ask for their information. If they don’t know of anyone, tell them to keep an open eye. You’re not looking for people in your industry, or someone with an “in.” That’s not why you’re developing this contact list. You’re looking for people willing to talk to you about your new town.

As your departure dates draws closer, and your move enters the “This Is Definitely Happening Stage,” expand your search criteria. Tell more people about your plans: co-workers, friends of friends, friends of family. You’ll get lots of “oh, my friend is out there,” or “I know a guy.” Write them all down. Get phone numbers, addresses, and e-mails; of the referral and the person referring you. You’ll need to ask for permission to contact the person. Again, you’re not filtering for who works in your industry.

Use social networking tools to build the contact list. Scroll through your “friends” on Facebook. See if alumni branched off to where you’re going. If someone headed off to your destination city, don’t send them a message, asking to crash. But mark down their name, so you know they’re in the vicinity if something (a problem, a crisis, a reunion, an opportunity, etc.) comes up.

Once you arrived with your contact list, what do you do with it?

Whatever you want. How you use that tool is a matter of personal preference and comfort level. Just be aware: if it feels wrong, then it probably is. If it feels like you’re just using someone, the other person is probably aware of it, too.

Making Commitments

Start creating your plan of attack: what are you going to do when you actually get there? There are the obvious two objectives: find residence and find employment. But those two couldn’t occupy all 24-hours of your day.

If you’re an artist – writer, photographer, director, actor, painter – make the commitment now to keep working your craft. Twyla Tharp said her body knew when she took a day off from dancing. “When you walk away from your craft, even for a little while, your skill begins to diminish,” she wrote. Stay committed to whatever daily goal you have for producing your art. If you don’t have a daily goal, create one. Commit to it.

Pick someone you’ll call on your contact list. People have to eat, right? Choose someone who knows you’ll be in town – preferably someone who’s friendly and wouldn’t mind talking about the neighborhood. You have a lot to learn, and just having a conversation about it will be a good start.

Make a list of the touristy stuff you want to do. The city will lose some of its glamour after a few short weeks. Before it does, explore it like the neophyte you are. One day you’ll be too seasoned to look at everything with a naïve eye; enjoy it while you can.

Find out where the library is, and get a card.

Look out for any MeetUps of your interest.

Plan to subscribe to the local papers and your trade magazine.

Make a list of the “spots” you must uncover. This includes your go-to: coffee shop, farmer’s market, Asian supermarket, chain grocery store, beach, and pub.

Use Craigslist not only to keep tabs on employment opportunities, but on sales of the big ticket items you couldn’t bring with you – namely, furniture.

Goodbyes

Start saying your goodbyes. Visit friends and family. There’s something classy about “Goodbye” and “Thank-you” notes. Unfortunately, few people adhere to common courtesies in these run-and-gun, tweet and gChat days. That means if you do adhere to these rules, you stand out as someone with composure and maturity – two qualities also in short supply.

Who’s been particularly influential in your childhood, while growing up? These could be teachers, parents of your friends, coaches, and mentors.

Who gave you rides to baseball games, or cheered for you on the soccer field when your parents weren’t there?

Who was always supportive of what you wanted to do? Who encouraged you?

Whose influence made you into who you are today?

Who is an example of the type of person you strive to be?

The very least you owe these people is a note telling them how important they were in your life.

A Complete Packing List

Clothing

1. (7) T-shirts
2. (4) Boxers
3. (4) Pairs of socks
4. (2) Long-sleeves
5. (1) Leggings
6. (2) Zip-Ups
7. (7) Button-Down Shirts
8. (2) Pairs of casual pants
9. (5) Ties
10. (2) Pairs of athletic shorts
11. (1) Suit
12. (1) Down Vest
13. (1) Pair of Swimming Trunks
14. (1) Windbreaker

Shoes

1. (1) Trails Shoes
2. (1) Crocs
3. (1) Dress Shoes
4. (1) Walking Shoes

Electronics

1. iPod Nano
2. Laptop (w/ charger)
3. Camera (w/ charger and spare battery)
4. Dana Word Processor
5. Spare Cell phone

Camping

1. Cooler-Bag
2. Extra zip-lock bags
3. 2-Person Tent
4. Sleeping bag
5. Sleeping mat
6. Swiss Army Knife

Food

1. Peanut butter-Jelly sandwiches
2. Fruit: apples, bananas, cherry tomatoes
3. Mixed nuts

The Car

1. Jumper cables
2. Check tires
3. Spare Fluids
4. Spare tire and jack
5. Road Atlas

Other

1. Toiletries
2. Toilet Paper
3. Notebook
4. Skateboard
5. (2) Books

Sidebar: The Contact List

Continue to XC2LA: Part 3 – Planning the Road Trip

Return to XC2LA: Part 1 – Why?

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