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Don’t you love moving out? It’s so wonderful to have the stress of an entirely new environment and preparing for it coupled with the hassle of leaving your old place! I just can’t get enough of moving.

Okay, reality: no matter how cool our next stop is, we all hate moving. But there are some simple tips and tricks you can employ to make your life substantially easier:

• Toss It

Go through your things and get rid of everything you can. If it’s still in the box from your last move? Toss it. If it’s something you can’t say you will ever use again? Toss it. In fact, if you don’t use it or have a deep attachment to it? Toss it. This is your cardinal rule.

• Bag It

Instead of packing everything in a drawer separately or trying to find little, useful things another home, keep it together. Use big freezer bagsto just lump those drawers together—once you’ve made sure you tossed everything you should have. When you’re at your next place you’re going to have a junk drawer just like this one; just dump it from your freezer bag into its new home.

• Check It

Before you take off into the sunset, go back through once more—when you’re not in a rush. Check closets, drawers, and cabinets. You may be forgetting something, and it may not be important (like when I forgot our fake Christmas tree), but then again, it might be (like when I forgot the dog food).

• Clean It

Maybe you have a lot of time to give the white glove treatment to your old place as you’re busy moving into the new one. But if you do, I’ve never met you, and I’ve never been you, either. Don’t drive yourself crazy: hire a service, lower your stress, and get your deposit back.

• Crate It

Whoever your best friend is—dog, cat, fish, or 8 foot python—keep it out of the way and away from the move. If your friend is furry and has four legs, crate them at a minimum, and consider kenneling them for the moving day or letting grandma watch them. It’s less stress from them, too, trust me.

• Organize It

Hardware for shelves and furniture? Bagged, labeled, and placed near the things it goes with. Remotes, cords, power strips, and other electronics-related gear? Taped to your appliances that use them. The stuff you need one Night Zero? Packed in an overnight bag, with you. In other words, stay organized.

• Study It

Got kids? If so, get everything you need to know about getting them into school done before you’re moving. This isn’t something you should wait on. Check out what the new district needs in advance; it may be different from the current place you live. Most districts have a website with FAQ like this.

• Start It

Especially if you’re moving out at a busy time of year like the end of the semester, plan ahead. Don’t think the cable company cares about the fact that you’ll be waiting for days and that you can’t miss your show; they don’t. Plan ahead so you are sure all of your utilities and services will be turned on by the time you get there. And while you’re at it, set stop dates for your old services and utilities. You’re generous, but no one needs to pay for the new tenants in their old place to crank the AC down or watch HBO.

• Stop It!

Don’t be the customer that your moving company hates (or that no friends want to help). Treat your moving company and its employees respectfully. Be calm and ready to deal with challenges; stuff goes wrong when you move sometimes.