It’s a date!

Very recently I started coaching a new client who had been thinking of moving to France for a number of years but had never done much about it because the processes involved had seemed so complicated that she didn’t know where to start. So she didn’t.

This is a situation that I come across with a lot of clients who are considering relocation. Once we have made a start on chunking the enormous task down into manageable steps, one of the first things that I normally ask people in this position to do is to set themselves a moving date (that’s date, not year, season or month!) and write it in their diary or on their calendar.

I should stress that this date is not intended to be a millstone round the neck or something to get hugely stressed about, but fixing a realistic date really helps to focus on what needs to be done between now and then. If necessary, it can be changed, but it needs to be taken seriously enough to spur you into action. Once you know your moving date, you can start to schedule other things into your diary relating to your move: the date you will hand your notice in, the date you will start your language lessons, the date you will put your property on the market, etc.

Having the deadline of a moving date drastically reduces procrastination on all the minutiae of moving details that otherwise can be dragged out for months or years – or even not started at all. In the spirit of my piece above, setting a moving date encourages you to seize the day so you don’t regret not relocating years down the line whilst sitting in your rocking chair. Give it a try!