Moving Day | A Soothing Sleep Podcast for Overthinkers

Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano and Nidhi Khanna explore moving day, packing, and the small details of transitioning to a new home in a relaxed, low-stimulation discussion perfect for bedtime listening. From organizing belongings to thinking through logistics, this episode turns everyday tasks into a cozy and calming listening experience.
The conversation gently drifts into gift giving and refurbishing furniture, reflecting on thoughtful gestures and the quiet satisfaction of restoring well-loved items. With soft-spoken storytelling and unhurried pacing, this meandering podcast episode helps ease racing thoughts, reduce anxiety, and create a peaceful environment for sleep.
Whether you’re searching for a sleep podcast for insomnia, calming background noise while you work, or a gentle way to unwind at the end of the day, The Insomnia Project offers a comforting, reliable escape.

​Moving Day
(Original airdate July 24, 2016)

Marco:  Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a conversation about the mundane, the ordinary, simple things. One thing we can promise is that our conversation will be relaxing, lesson, fascinating, possibly fun, so you can feel free to just drift off. Thank you for joining us. We hope you will listen and sleep. I'm your host, Marco Timpano.

Nidhi:  And I'm your co host Nidhi Khanna.


Marco: I put coconut oil in your coffee and I actually liked it

Marco, before we start today's episode, you've made me a lovely cup of coffee and when you brought it to me, I was a little bit, uh, perturbed.

Marco:  Yes.

Nidhi:  Because there was an unexpected oiliness on the top of it, me being a good house guest. I did not want to say anything about your coffee making skills, particularly because we all know Italian coffee is one of the best coffees out there.

Marco:  Sure.

Nidhi:  But I did finally mention it because when I took a sip of your coffee, there was a bit of a hint of coconut and I, uh, couldn't quite understand what was going on. But why don't you tell our listeners what you put in our, uh, coffee today?

Marco:  Well, Nidhi, you know, we did an episode where you were talking about coconut oil a while back and, and I had read recently that if you put a bit of coconut oil in your coffee or tea, it doesn't really mar the flavor of the coconut oil or sorry, of the coffee rather, but it adds a health benefit to the one who drinks it. And, um, so recently I've been doing that, adding coconut oil to my coffee and my tea. And while I was making it, I had put some in mine and I figured, oh, I'll put some in yours, because I know you are a fan of coconut oil. And I thought, I've got more coffee if it's not to your liking. And, uh, then, you know, I said, so what did you think? And you asked, and I said, yeah, I put a little bit of coconut oil in your coffee. And, um, what did you think?

Nidhi:  I actually really liked it. I, as you said it, I can still taste the coffee very distinctly. But when you're, it's almost like when you're going to take that sniff or that sip, you get a whiff of the coconut, which is nice. Um, so thank you for thinking of my health.

Marco:  Well, the one thing I will caution any, um, listener who wants to try coconut oil in their beverages is to start with less because coconut oil can be a little intense on the system.

Nidhi:  We can.

Marco:  And, uh, so I just put like not even half an espresso spoon full in your coffee. So it was very little. Um, but yeah, if you want some health benefits, definitely put some coconut oil into various things that you consume.


Nidhi: Marco is moving from an apartment to a house

Now, Nidhi, you're going to be moving in the next couple of weeks.

Nidhi:  I am.

Marco:  Um, and so let me ask you, what have you done to prepare for your move?

Nidhi:  Well, Marco, I'll be quite honest. Uh, I am looking at this move as a very serene one. I really want to, um, luckily the place that I'm moving from, I have the luxury of time, so I can kind of move slowly and Calmly kind of get my clothes in various furniture items and then kind of see what I need. So I'm, um, very excited, good and happy. And what's really what I enjoy about moving Marco is that it's such a great time to kind of, um, change up your style or the look and feel of the, of the place that you're in. This time I'm really relying on, um, friends and family to kind of, um, give me some really cool pieces of furniture and things that are making it m. Me have a vision for my space in a different way.

Marco:  So, um, I just pointed out a desk that I think you're going to be taking.

Nidhi:  So. Yes, I am. And, uh, I am going to be living in sort of, um, floor of a house.

Marco:  Oh, cool.

Nidhi:  Which is new for me because I'm more of an apartment dweller.

Marco:  Right.

Nidhi:  Or a condo dweller. So this is going to be an interesting, um, transition in terms of my, um, look and feel of my place.


Now, may I give you a piece of advice with regards to furniture that you might acquire

Marco:  Now, may I give you a piece of advice with regards to furniture that you might be acquiring, including the desk that I'm going to be giving you?

Nidhi:  Absolutely.

Marco:  So you saw the desk. Isn't anything particularly, you know, striking about it?

Nidhi:  No, but I know what I'm gonna do with it.

Marco:  Okay. Because my, my suggestion would be like, paint it a bright color. Like if you get a piece of furniture or you have a piece of furniture that's been in your family and looks dated or doesn't have an appeal to it anymore, I say go out to your local hardware store, pick a bright blue or a bright glossy yellow, and just splash the paint all over it and it'll bring new life. And if it's not what you like, then it was a piece that was gonna be discarded anyways or donated to a local, um, you know, shop that salvages this kind of furniture and then resells it and gives the, um, the money to charity. I always recommend that as well. So that would be my advice.


So what are your plans with some of the furniture you acquired recently

So what are your plans with some of the furniture success, since you say that you do have plans.

Nidhi:  So with that particular desk, actually I am going to be putting it in. Um, so the place that I have, um. It's funny, it was listed as a two bedroom, but it's kind of like a bedroom and a really large closet.

Marco:  Okay.

Nidhi:  Um, so the second so called room is not big enough for a bed or. But it, uh, is not a den either.

Marco:  Okay.

Nidhi:  But. So I'm making it sort of into, uh.

Marco:  Would it be considered a nook? Would you consider it A nook.

Nidhi:  It's bigger than a nook because it does have a closet in it. But you wouldn't be able to fit like a twin bed really. So that's why I think I was able to get this place because probably a lot of people were looking for or a two bedroom went in and we're like, there's no way I'm gonna fit anything in here. But because it has like a closet and a lot of really bright light, I'm um, gonna use it as sort of like a dressing area.

Marco:  Oh, great.

Nidhi:  And so that desk I'm gonna put in that room because it's small enough, it's like the perfect size to be able to kind of have like a dresser.

Marco:  Right.

Nidhi:  Um.

Marco:  Oh, tell me more.

Nidhi:  So I will be using it. Um, it'll have all sorts of, I don't know, you know, my makeup will be in there, my brushes, all the fun kind of hair brushes.

Marco:  Kind of like an old Hollywood sort of, um, dressing table.

Nidhi:  You got it.

Marco:  Okay. So you need a mirror above that. Okay.

Nidhi:  But I have a big full length mirror. And so I want to get the mirror put on kind of one of those stands, like a mirror stand, so that it's like a little bit slanted but upward. Um, either that or I'll hook it to the, to the wall.

Marco:  Another thing you can do is change hardware on furniture. So remove the sort of poles and the knobs and put new knobs or knobs, vintage knobs you might get at a salvage store. And it'll change the piece as well. And sometimes, sometimes spending the money on an interesting pull tab or knob can really make your piece stand out. So I would say, you know, get the paint, splash paint and then get an interesting, or you know, a knob that really sort of speaks to you and put it on there and then you'll see how the piece transforms. You know, I have a friend, her name is Karen Parker. I'm going to send a shout out to her. She does a lot of sort of, um, and, and she had mentioned to me that she wants to be on an episode of our show. She's a listener and she's like, I really want to. And I'm like, anytime, Karen. So we will do a follow up episode with Karen Parker and talk about, um, things you can do with furniture. And, and she does a lot of stuff.

Nidhi:  You know what Marco idea is coming from me? That episode that we do with Karen Parker. Why don't we record it in my new place?

Marco:  Oh, I love this. The way this sounds fantastic.

Nidhi:  Maybe perhaps on, um, the desk that you're gonna give me.

Marco:  And hopefully by that point, she will either give you tips on how to refurbish it or you will have done it. We'll take a photo.

Nidhi:  Perfect.

Marco:  Sounds great. But, uh, what about boxes? Do you have boxes for your move?

Nidhi:  So it's funny, I just actually emailed a friend of mine who recently moved, and she has moved, um, moving boxes. So they're not the cardboard boxes. Because the cardboard boxes, you know, forget those. I think they're a little bit annoying. They're. You gotta find them from somewhere, etc. These moving boxes are just sturdy and easier to grip, so.

Marco:  Oh, that's great.

Nidhi:  I'm gonna use those. Um, and a shout out to Alexandra Cote, who is the one with the moving boxes.

Marco:  How does she have moving boxes at her disposal?

Nidhi:  So Alex is actually a realtor.

Marco:  Okay.

Nidhi:  So, uh, one. I guess it's in her blood to have all sorts of moving components available. Um, but she recently moved as well.

Marco:  Okay.

Nidhi:  Um, but she was actually the realtor who helped me find this place.

Marco:  So, you know, I would love to have Alex on a show where she talks about advice. If you're selling your home, how to get it prepared for viewings.

Nidhi:  She would love that because one of the favorite. The most favorite parts of her job is actually, I think, staging and, uh, finding ways to, well, anything to sell a home.

Marco:  Of course, well, that's in her best interest. But sometimes people like my sister, have a love for, um, design and moving items in a home to sort of keep them new life. And in fact, Niti, the reason I was telling you to paint and do the hardware is because my sister Mary Lena does that and will often, and she really enjoys sort of refurbishing, uh, old pieces and giving them pizazz.

Nidhi:  You know, Marco, I think we need to get Alex, Karen and Marlena on the show and have sort of a theme show dedicated to staging, selling, designing furniture, reupholstering, I guess. I don't know.

Marco:  Yeah, that sounds great.

Nidhi:  So I think future. Future episode idea right there.


Marco, you're preparing for your friends to help move. What is some of the advice

Now, Marco, you bought your place, uh, that we're in right now, uh, about ten years ago. Okay, so you haven't actually moved in a while, Right?

Marco:  I've helped a lot of people move, though.

Nidhi:  So that was gonna be my question. You've helped people move. What is some of the advice or tricks or tips that you have for someone who is preparing for their friends to help move?

Marco:  Okay, so I'm gonna give. It's gonna be a two part Thing

Nidhi:  you were ready for this question.

Marco:  I'm certainly ready. So nitty. This is my advice to you since you're the person. Movie 1 Get Rid of the things that you've sort that sort of don't bring you joy. I know that there's this whole sort of um, thing going on with Spark Joy and Marie Kondo's books about tidying. But what I would say is as you go through the things that you are going to bring over to your new place, get rid of anything that you kind of are keeping for reasons that you can't really, um, I don't say can't explain, but you're keeping for non joyful reasons. So like, it's like, oh, this is an expensive top that I bought but I don't enjoy wearing it. But I spent so much money just get rid of it. Or I never used this, but I had it when I was in university.

Nidhi:  Clothing and books and things that clutter up your life.

Marco:  Get rid of the clutter before you move. The other thing I was going to mention is as you start boxing your items, box them and label the box. So for example, like uh, a little sticker color coding system so that this is kitchen stuff you mark with let's say a little red sticker so that you know that box is all kitchen. So that box can go directly into your kitchen and you know what's in it. Try not to mix rooms or items. So try to keep. Even if the box is somewhat uh, empty, try to keep one box that is dedicated to one room or one area of your house. That's the other item I would say. And lastly, don't make the boxes too heavy because what people like to do is that they'll just fill a box with all, let's say books is one of the biggest culprits, right? You fill a box all with books and then it becomes extremely heavy. And if you're carrying it up and down stairs, you can hurt yourself or the person helping you move. Especially if you're not going to use movers. Are you using movers?

Nidhi:  So I am not using movers. I am going to use um, my two brothers who will be my makeshift movers. However, I agree with you completely. I think those are common mistakes that people make, especially the one about uh, not labeling boxes correctly or making them too heavy. I think people also sometimes assume that if your friends are helping you move somehow you don't need to be as organized. I don't know, there's sometimes um, I know I was helping a friend move once and everything was kind of scattered.

Marco:  Right.

Nidhi:  Whereas when you have movers, there's kind of this expectation of like, I don't want them to spend too much time doing this. I want to maximize the efficiency in here.

Marco:  Uh, because you're spending money, right?

Nidhi:  You're spending money. But you have to think of it in the same way when you're using

Marco:  your friends, I think because you're spending their time.

Nidhi:  Absolutely.

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What do you think is an appropriate thank you for someone who helped you move

Marco:  So the more organized you can be prior to your move will help you post your move as well. And I think that that's key. Being organized and being respectful of the people that help you move so that they don't feel like it is such a burden versus oh, you know what, it was easier than, than I thought. And it was really well organized.

Nidhi:  So in terms of how you, um, thank your friends for helping you move, now, normally I've gotten anything from pizza and some beer or wine to a little bit of a gift to a nice meal later on. What do you think is an appropriate thank you for someone who has helped you move?

Marco:  Oh, that's a great question. I would say. So definitely have pizza and beer or something for them after the move that you guys can just have sort of, you know, after a long day. It would be great if you had gift in one of the boxes ready to go. So at the end of it, you know which box it is. After you had your pizza, you say, here you go, thank you so much for moving. And depending on your friend, it could be anywhere from a, you know, a scented candle to something, some itunes gift card or, or whatnot. You know, something that they would appreciate.


Do people still give housewarming gifts for rentals? I don't know

Nidhi:  So then this brings me to another question, Marco. Um, what in this day and age, if you are moving to a new apartment and you have a get together, right, to celebrate the new apartment, what is an appropriate housewarming gift? Do people still give housewarming gifts for rentals? I don't know how, um, it all works. This.

Marco:  I think if you're going to someone's home, especially they just moved there, A home is a home, is a home, whether you purchased it, whether you're renting it, whether you're just there for a short term, I always like to give some sort of pineapple themed gift.

Nidhi:  Ah.

Marco:  Uh, because the pineapple is a symbol of, uh, welcome and joy. Uh, it has sort of symbolic, symbolic connotations with, with, uh, the home. And I believe, and this is not going to be 100 accurate, but this is what I remember that back in the day, uh, the pineapple in North America was an expensive fruit. And so if you offered it to your guests, it was quite, quite a display that you cared for your guests. And a pineapple would only last so long. So what the person would do is have a pineapple on the mantle of their fireplace or in a prominent place and have it on display. And you were to leave that home before the pineapple went bad. So it was sort of not to outstay your welcome. And so I think the pineapple has a lot of association with being welcomed a new place and and just sort of, let's say good luck or good fortune. So I always like to give a pineapple themed gift, whether it's a, a little pineapple knickknack, a candle that has a pineapple scent to it, or an actual pineapple itself. Bring that over and include it with my gift to the person.

Nidhi:  Marco, you are a great gift giver.

Marco:  Am I?

Nidhi:  You are. You are very thoughtful. Um, I think we discussed many episodes ago about my lack of booster, ah, cables.

Marco:  Oh, that's right.

Nidhi:  And for my birthday, you got me a set of booster cables along with.

Marco:  Are they in your car?

Nidhi:  They are in my car, where they will forever be.

Marco:  I need to show you how to boost because I don't think you know how to boost a car.

Nidhi:  I do know how to boost.

Marco:  Oh, you do?

Nidhi:  I do. I do. That I know.

Marco:  Fantastic.

Nidhi:  Um, but you also gave me, and I think we talked about, about this on a previous episode as well,

Marco:  a,

Nidhi:  uh, um, gadget that weighs your luggage.

Marco:  That's right. It's sort of like a scale for travel. A travel scale is what it's called.

Nidhi:  Both of those are great gifts. You know why? Because they're gifts that I would not have normally bought myself.

Marco:  Right.

Nidhi:  And I think that that's a wonderful part of gift giving, and I think that that's what makes you a really good gift giver, is that you think of gifts that someone wouldn't normally, or that person, having known them wouldn't normally be like, ah, I'm, uh, gonna spend my money buying myself this. And so you understand a need and you give a gift that the person needs, which is what makes it so wonderful.

Marco:  It also becomes difficult to get gifts for people after a certain age because people tend to have everything they need and they don't want to clutter themselves down. In particular, in a big city where you don't have a lot of space. Like you were saying, uh, that one, that second bedroom is actually just slightly bigger than a nook, but not larger than a walk in closet type thing. Right. So you don't want to inundate them with too many, you know, large things. But, um, when I find something useful that is unique and not the first thing that comes to mind or not something you would necessarily get yourself. I will gift that.


Another one of my favorite gifts to give people is subscriptions to magazines

Another one of my favorite gifts to give people, and I'd love to know what your favorite gifts are to give people is subscriptions to magazines. And I think it's because I love, I love getting magazines. Magazines delivered to my home. But it's a Lovely way to be remembered throughout the year. Year, once a month, when that subscription comes to the person's home. Now what I always do. So for example, if I was to get you a subscription to, let's say, um, a home magazine, a home style furniture magazine, rather than give this just the subscription to Nidhikana, I would play with your name there a bit. So it would be like, you know, Mrs. She's all that kinda. Or something like that. So that when you receive it, you know that it comes from me. Because there's a bit of humor to that. Of course, that's not necessarily what I would use for you. It just sort of came to mind.

Nidhi:  I am all that, though.

Marco:  Well, there you go. And for example, my sister, I didn't use her name. I used what I called her as a kid. So she'll get things like that. And, um, that way when the subscription comes, it's sort of a reminder that, uh, you know, I gave it to you. So I would say, you know, when you give a subscription, make it unique in the person's name, even if you put in something in the as a middle name. So Nidhi loves dogs.

Nidhi:  Kanna, that's great. I love that idea.


What is the best gift, Marco, that you've ever received

What is the best gift, Marco, that you've ever received?

Marco:  Well, before we do that, I want to know what the gift is that you usually give.

Nidhi:  That I usually give. Ooh, I don't have a go to, to be quite honest. I really, um, look at, um. I'm not the best gift giver, I have to say. Um, I usually like experience, uh, like to give experiences. So rather than like physical goods. Um, so for me it's more about taking someone, uh, to go do something fun. So, uh, for example, I have a friend that I will be taking to go to the. This adult obstacle course. Like a parkour type of, um, um, um, obstacle course, essentially. So something, you know, this person is really, um, becoming an act, like getting active and starting to like, run and do all these active things. So that would be a fun experience that we could both do together.

Marco:  Right.

Nidhi:  So I tend to go for the that type of, um, gift rather than a physical gift.

Marco:  Wow. Uh, the best gift I've ever gotten. I, you know, it's hard to say the best gift, but memorable gifts that I've gotten. Um, I got a pair of cufflinks from my friend Mark on, uh, one of my birthdays. And it was, um, it's a field with sheep and there's, uh, all these white sheep. And then in the center is a black Sheep with red eyes. So you can tell that the, the, the black sheep is kind of like mean or whatever, like the black sheep of the family. And, and that was a memorable gift that I, that I recall off the top of my head. But it's always nice to get gifts that have meaning to them, whether it's big or small.

Nidhi:  Absolutely, I agree, I agree. Um,

Marco:  and one thing that is interesting is that I'm not a card giver. For me, I've never really been. I don't like to go out and buy cards because I find them to be A, expensive and B, I'd rather just fold paper, draw a little something on the front of the, of the, of the card that I make and then write something inside because I'm not a big fan of, you know, those cards that really go into like a big blurb like, you are my friend. Because in times of need, sentimental like, and they're long to read. Those are those the worst cards you can give me. And I'm not a fan of gift cards. So when I get gifted gift cards or things like that, because I hate going out and having to redeem them. Mhm. It drives me crazy. It really does. I don't know why. Because it's a love, it's the thought behind the gift. So I shouldn't be so, you know, dismissive of it. And it's lovely to receive any sort of thought.

Nidhi:  Yeah. But I know what you're saying, it's sort of like now you have to back, come, go do something. And so I, I completely understand that.

Marco:  I think we once got a gift card to a kitchen store that was an hour and a half. It was only one store or it was one store, but it was so far from our home we had to drive like an hour and 40 minutes to this place to redeem this gift. And then you're in this kitchen store and you're like, I don't like anything that's here.

Nidhi:  Was this from someone who's close, close to you?

Marco:  I, uh, don't remember, but. And I don't want to reveal who was. No. And it was like, what are we going to get? There's nothing here. And it was a significant amount at a kitchen store that you're like, uh, so, so that was that.


The Insomnia Project discusses gift giving for weddings in this episode

Nidhi:  That brings me to another part of gift giving that, um, I was discovered with a friend of mine, um, in terms of giving for a wedding.

Marco:  Oh, you know, Niddy, we're gonna have to save that for another episode. The wedding episode, I guess, is what we're gonna talk about. We wanna thank you. We really moved around in this particular episode, didn't we? You are listening to the Insomnia Project. As always, produced by drumcast Productions.

Nidhi:  You can find us on itunes. And please feel free to write us a review. Let us know what you think about the Insomnia Project. And until the next time, we hope that you listen and sleep.