HI Mike, have you read all the various sections here on your Ecuador Insider website? That will give you a good idea. You don’t say if you have already visited Ecuador but that’s the first step. You should come and visit the places you think you might likely live. Stay as long as possible and make sure they are for you. Make sure you can tolerate the altitude in the mountains or the infrastructure issues at the coast, etc.
Then, next things to do it to start downsizing your household and decide if you’ll move what remains of your household goods. Get all your banking and financial stuff online so you don’t have to worry about getting mail. Decide what you’ll do about health care once you get to Ecuador.
In other words, do all the planning and “before” work that needs to be done. About 8 months to a a year before the move you’ll need to start collecting all the documents needed to obtain your residence visa in Ecuador. That’s the time to hire an immigration attorney or visa facilitator. No need to do this in advance as rules and regulations are always being revised and changed.