Moving day help sign-up

Split the day by job

Moving is really four jobs: packing, loading, unloading and unpacking. They need different people at different times, so make each one a shift:

• Packing, the evening before, three people with boxes and tape
• Loading, first thing, four people who can lift
• Unloading, at the new place, four people, ideally some fresh ones
• Unpacking the kitchen, two people who do not mind deciding where the mugs go

Keep lifting shifts to about two hours. Asking for "Saturday" sounds like a whole day. "Saturday 8 to 10am" sounds like a favor.

Kit is a slot too

The van, the dolly, the ratchet straps and the blankets are as important as the people. Put them on the sheet as their own lines. A friend with a pickup truck who claims "Bring a truck" has just saved you a rental.

Say what you're asking

Be honest in the description. Say how many floors and whether there is an elevator. Mention the heavy things, like a piano, a sofa bed or a fridge, and how far the van can park from the door. People decide whether to sign up for lifting based on exactly these details, and they would rather know.

Look after the crew

Feed people. Pizza, drinks and somewhere to sit are the usual thanks, so say so in the description. If you are moving for someone else, such as a family the church is helping, put lunch on the sheet as its own line.

Privacy

Keep the addresses off the sheet. Share them by message with the people who sign up, along with your phone number for the day. The sheet only needs the date, the jobs and the times.

A ready list

The starter text above covers a one-day move with a packing evening before. Paste it into Dibs, change the times, and send the link to your group chat. Friends pick a shift on their phone with no account, see who else is coming, and get a reminder the day before, which is when people tend to remember they promised.