Moving to a new state is a big undertaking. In addition to uprooting your family and often changing workplaces, the act of physically transporting your life from one location to another one far away can be stressful. To help you have a successful interstate move, here are 5 organization tips.

1. Hire Professionals. A do-it-yourself move can be manageable if you don't have many belongings or you don't have to go far. But transporting the entire family's life hundreds of miles is a larger scale project. It's best to hire professionals and contact some moving companies to help navigate it. Depending on your budget, you could hire movers to pack things up in addition to loading and carrying them. Or you can opt to do some of the work yourself to save money. 

2. Make a Master List. Don't rely on your memory at a time like this. Start creating a master checklist of things you need to accomplish. Prioritize items that are more important by labeling them in a separate color. If possible, assign tasks to family members so that everyone can share in the work and no one gets overwhelmed. 

3. Purge As You Go. Your stuff will all need to fit into the moving truck and any other vehicles you'll be taking with you, so it's better to be conservative about what you have room for. If it has sentimental or monetary value, then, by all means, you should keep it. But if it doesn't touch you in some way or it's easily replaced, decide if it makes more sense to get rid of it on this side of the move and replace it at your destination.

4. Plan a Calendar. Moving to a different stage means that you need to be ready when the big day arrives. Start early and create a calendar to include timelines for accomplishing various tasks and deadlines for being done. Keep the calendar in plain view of the whole family, perhaps on a large whiteboard. If you're more technologically minded, sync up everyone's calendars or create an app calendar specifically for this project. 

5. Pack a Bag. Finally, pack a bag for each family member (including pets) that will travel with them to the new home. Pack clothing and toiletries to get everyone through about a week just in case there's a delay with the moving truck. In addition, pack a couple of boxes of kitchen and bathroom items as well as some linens for that first week. 

By doing these few organizational and planning activities as you prepare for your big move, you're sure to reduce stress and look forward to your new adventure more.