This is how to use AI to plan a move, part 1: the six weeks before

This is how to use AI to plan a move. This one’s different from everything else on the site so far: not a moment, a project. A move takes six weeks of decisions, and this is the playbook for running all of them with the same AI conversation, start to finish.

Projects work differently than moments: one ongoing chat, revisited every few days, plus a simple offline checklist that remains the source of truth. Chat memory and context limits vary, so the AI helps maintain the plan but never becomes the only copy.

Set up the project chat

Open a fresh conversation and give it the shape of the move. Use broad locations and relative timing. Leave out exact home addresses, account and confirmation numbers, children’s names and schools, access codes, and copies of identity documents.

The project kickoff:

This chat is my moving project. The situation: we close on the new place about six weeks from now and must leave our rental four days later. Two adults, two grade-school kids, one anxious dog, 1,400 miles, budget around $6,000 all-in. I have not moved in eleven years and I do not know what I do not know.

First ask what you need to build the master plan. Then organize the plan by week and flag decisions with early deadlines. Tell me which details belong in a secure offline checklist instead of this chat.

Swap the details for your own situation. The structure is the part that matters.

The questions are the value: whether the dates can slip, whether work is paying for anything, whether school timing matters, and what the dog needs on a long drive. The useful output is a week-by-week draft plus a short list of decisions that may expire early. Copy the confirmed plan into your offline checklist so a forgotten chat detail cannot become a missed deadline.

The recurring rhythm

Twice a week, ten minutes, same chat:

1. "Here’s what got done since last time. What slipped, what does it push, and what are the next three actions?"
2. Keep quotes and contracts offline. Type a small comparison table containing only rounded totals, service categories, exclusions, deposit percentages, and cancellation windows, without provider identities or addresses. Ask what differs and what still needs direct confirmation in the originals.
3. End each session with "what am I not thinking about for a family like ours?" It’s the question that can surface renters insurance overlap, prescription transfers, and the elementary school records request.

The purge, the boxes, the paper

• Purging: move labels, mail, faces, keys, and address details out of view, then photograph a tight group of ordinary items and ask "sell, donate, or truck?" against the cost-per-pound of moving it 1,400 miles. Things look different next to their freight cost.
• Address changes: ask for the master checklist ranked by consequence-of-forgetting (the DMV and the IRS forgive slowly; the streaming service doesn’t care). Work it top down.
• The binder: have it maintain a running summary of providers, deadlines, status, and next actions. Keep confirmation numbers, addresses, access codes, identity documents, and payment details in your protected offline record, not the chat.

Where the dial applies

Mover quotes, deposits, and anything contractual are Zone 2 on the trust dial: AI compares and drafts questions; binding numbers get confirmed against the actual paperwork. Routes, hotel rules, school requirements, and deadlines also change. Confirm them with the provider or responsible agency before booking or submitting anything nonrefundable.

Part 2 covers moving week itself: the load-out, the drive with kids and dog, and landing without chaos. It picks up the same chat where this leaves off: part 2 is here.

• Share only: Broad regions, relative timing, household size, distance, rounded budget, and ordinary constraints; keep the exact move record and all provider details offline.
• Verify: Mover terms, deposits, routes, hotel rules, school requirements, permits, utility dates, and deadlines with the contract, provider, or responsible agency.

This is how to use AI.