I've moved, a lot.

Hi, I'm Bradford.

I've moved cross country, twice, in and out of Manhattan and sometimes just a few streets over while searching for an apartment with better sunlight. I've even just moved floors in the same building to avoid noisy neighbors. Whether moving just myself and a few belongings in a car, or coordinating a large, cross-country move, I've always found that the more I plan the better it went. Even when encountering a dangerous late winter snow storm in New Mexico with car issues, at least I was prepared.

My go to plan was always taking a careful inventory, photographing rooms, inevitably not buying enough boxes or bubble wrap, to a finely tuned playbook that just started working. I learned the hard way that banker boxes beat XL boxes—so I built that logic into your packing plan.

While those plans haven't changed, how I prepare and think about moving, downsizing, clearing clutter and getting ready, have changed. Through marriage and pets, and having perhaps too much stuff, the approach I take to moving has evolved. I no longer think about how many trips it might take in my car, and instead have spent time looking for top-rated local movers who will pack and load for me. That might also be because I value my back a little more than when I was twenty-six.

With technology and LLMs, my latest move was shaping up to be different. I started to wonder if I could personalize my checklist, adapt for what my wife needs, and bring some calm into the chaos. There are countless PDF checklists out there (here's one more), but they just didn't do it for me.

They didn't match the gallery wall of quirky art that we've amassed, or the over-flowing walk-in closet with my wife's dresses, bags and other clothes. It didn't take into account the vintage, fragile bankers case that would need to move, or the three piece sectional that would need to be taken apart, and carefully walked up a new flight of stairs.

So I built a tool — one where you share where you are and where you're going, add in what matters most, and it brings a little calm to your chaos. Whether you're moving in a week or three months, it breaks down what matters to you into manageable work blocks and reminds you to switch your utilities or update your address.

Meet Dovetail.

Most move plans are generic; we dovetail yours to fit your life.

Just like all moves, it's a work in progress, and I've probably not ordered enough packing paper or tape. But I would love for you to try it and let me know what you think.

And Dovetail felt like the right name. In woodworking it's the process of joining together two pieces of wood. And that's how we hope all our moves go. Smoothly, and we walk away still married or without too much strife between friends.

At the end of the day, we want to sit on the empty floor of a new space with a box of pizza, or open a couple of cold ones with friends after somehow moving that sofa up three flights of winding stairs.

So, add your move, and see if Dovetail works for you. And if you think it could be even better, send me an email. Just like your move, sometimes an extra pair of hands or a different perspective on how to back up the truck matters.