Buying a home is one of the most thrilling experiences in a person’s life. However, moving into it is another story entirely. Moving is stressful. There is no way around it. First you have to find boxes to pack your stuff in, then you have to pack everything you own into those boxes. Then you have to carry all those boxes and your incredibly heavy furniture out to the moving truck. Then you have to drive to your new home – that could take minutes or days! Then you have to carry all of that stuff back inside. After all that, you still have to unpack and organize your home. That’s a lot of work! Enough to make anyone want to run the other way, but you just bought a new home, and you are going to move into it. Don’t worry! It will be over sooner than you think. In the meantime, here are five things you can do that will help make moving a little less daunting.

1. Start Early

Usually we find ourselves scurrying around a day or two before a move putting things into boxes. This creates unnecessary stress, and it can mean that your things aren’t packed carefully. Start a couple weeks ahead of time and pack up everything you don’t absolutely need for the coming weeks. Take extra care packing china. Get storage closets packed up and make sure there is nothing lurking in the backs of drawers, under beds, or behind the couch. A week before your move you can pack up the kitchen dishes and most of your family’s clothing. You can live on paper plates and microwave dinners for a week, I promise. Sort out the clothes that you will need for the week and pack up everything else. This way the day before your move, there won’t be much left to put in boxes.

2. Label Everything

Label every box as soon as you finish packing it. Make sure the label clearly states what is in the box and which room you want it to go in. This way, no matter who takes the box out of the truck, they know which room to put it in. Make sure the labels are easily visible. It will save you tons of time sorting out which rooms the boxes go in later.

3. Enlist help

Call your dad, your sister, you best friend, and your neighbors over to help you out. Don’t feel bad about it. The more people who help, the faster and easier it will be. Just remember to help them out the next time they move.

4. Confirm your moving day schedule

If you are moving out of a rented place, make sure you know what time your final walk-through is. If possible, leave someone behind to go through with your landlord after all of your things are out. Also, it is a good idea to send someone ahead to the new house and have them make sure they can unlock the doors easily. If you are not getting the keys until you arrive, then double check the time for key pick up with your Realtor or previous owner. Send someone ahead for this if you can. Have this person open all the interior doors in the house. It will make dropping off boxes and arranging furniture so much easier.

5. Clean before you move–in

Home buying can be a dirty process. If at all possible, clean your new home before you start moving things into it. If you cannot physically get there to do it, try to arrange to have a maid-service come in and clean before your arrival. The last thing you want to do after a long day of moving is clean the bathroom, so you can take a shower. Plus, you don’t want to try to put things away in a dirty kitchen. It’s an extra step, but one you will be happy you took.