Moving is stressful business, and having to work and carry on with life as normal can make an already fraught task even more hectic. You may find that you’re going crazy as you try to pack all of your stuff a few days before you’re scheduled to move, but anyone that gets overly stressed out while moving is doing it wrong.

Planning to move? Here are some tips to help keep the packing and moving as simple as possible:

Start Well in Advance

Don’t wait until it’s moving day to get packing, but start packing a month or two in advance. Start by packing up the things you don’t need, and throw out anything that you won’t use or can’t take with you. Continue packing as the day draws near, filling a box or two every day with your stuff.

Make sure to give yourself plenty of time for packing so you won’t have to box your entire house on the last few days before your move.

Pack Over the Weekend

Moving on Friday or the weekend will raise the cost of hiring movers, but moving on Monday is usually a bit cheaper. Try and have all of your stuff packed over the weekend, and make an effort to have everything ready for the movers come Monday. Take one vacation day from work, and you’ll have almost 4 days for packing and moving.

Get Help

Don’t assume that you can do all of the packing yourself–get help from those around you. Your spouse can pitch in and help, or you can get some friends to come over and have a packing party — complete with snacks, drinks, and a couple of hours of hard work. Even if you have weeks to pack, it still makes it easier if you get help.

Consider Storage

If you want to make your moving easier, consider renting a storage unit. Moving and storage go hand in hand, as a storage unit will give you space to store all of your stuff as you move your personal belongings from your old place to your new one. You’ll be able to store all the extra furniture and boxes that you can’t keep in your new house, thus freeing your new home of clutter.

Get Rid of Stuff

Living in one place is a surefire way to gather a lot of junk and clutter, and you’ll find that you have far more stuff than you really need. You’ve probably forgotten about half of the things you’ve hidden or stashed away, but you need to get rid of that stuff. If you don’t need it or you have no plans to use it in the near future, it may be time to get rid of it. It may feel like losing a part of you, but that’s an important part of moving.

Stay Organized

As you move, make sure that you keep all of the boxes organized. It will make it much easier for you to find the stuff you need before, during, and after your move. Come up with a simple system of organizing the boxes, and use labels or write in black marker on the boxes to keep you aware of what each box contains.