Moving and Paying for it..

I’m about to make a big move.. really big in the fact that I’ll be paying about $400 – $600 more in rent per month. Basically, I’m moving to New York City. I live pretty close by right now, but I feel the need and urge to move closer to the city. It’s an irrational need and thought I guess so I thought I’d share it here. Here are the pros and cons:

Cons:

• 400 – 600 more in rent per month (about $6k more/year!).
• Moving in with a roommate again..

Pros:

• Convenience to the city and work (i.e. no more +1hr commute back after going out in the city).
• Experience of having said that I actually lived in the city (I’m contemplating starting a consulting career in one year which might take me away on a regular basis).
• Splitting utility and cable bills
• Splitting some food costs
• Slight savings in commuting costs (only 1 monthly pass for the MTA)

I’m not sure if these make sense and worthwhile the $6,000+ annual expense given my current status.. It does seem quite irrational. I’ve tried to tell myself that I’ll start taking lunch more often to work and eating dinner at home on a regular basis to make up for the lost amount of money. I guess anything to convince myself that this is a change that needs to happen. In a month, this move will happen and I’m quite nervous so I thought I’d follow Kotter’s 8 Steps to creating organizational change and apply it to making this move:

1. Create a sense of Urgency
   • Done. I have to move out by the end of the month.
2. Form a Powerful Coalition
   • Need to work on this.. So far only my roommate
3. Create a Vision for Change
   • Trying to envision living in the new place and being a true New Yorker
4. Communicate the Vision
   • This post.. I’ve also been talking with friends
5. Remove Obstacles
   • Don’t talk to nay-sayers and come up with strategies to make the move have almost no impact (i.e. new ways to save/earn money)
6. Create Short-Term Wins
   • Start by making changes this week, lunch and dinner in everyday
   • Think about the new apt and all the pros
7. Build on the Change
   • Continue the short term wins and build on them every week to create new goals
8. Anchor the Changes
   • Turn these changes into long term habits by continuing to practice them

Well, that’s about it, off I go to work and to start my change process… 1 step at a time.
If you want to read more about actual organizational change you can check out Kotter’s 8 steps by clicking here.