Good packing isn't about speed, it's about order. Pack in the wrong sequence and you spend moving day digging for a screwdriver that's in a bin at the bottom of the truck.
This is the order that works.
Four weeks out: the dead zones
Start with anything you haven't touched in a season — holiday decorations, guest room closets, garage shelves, the attic. Nothing in these areas is needed before the move, so they can be packed and stacked out of the way.
This is also the right time to donate. Every bin you don't pack is a bin you don't unpack.
Three weeks out: books, decor, and formal rooms
Bookshelves, wall art, china cabinets and anything decorative. Keep book bins under half full — they get heavy fast.
Two weeks out: closets and secondary rooms
- Off-season clothing and shoes.
- Guest bedrooms and secondary bathrooms.
- Kids' toys except the daily favorites.
- Anything in the home office you're not actively using.
One week out: the kitchen
Leave out one pan, one pot, and one place setting per person. Everything else gets packed. Plan on eating simply for the last few days — it's part of the schedule, not a failure of it.
Moving day: load in reverse
- Load furniture and mattresses first, along the truck walls.
- Stack bins in uniform columns in the middle — heavy at the bottom.
- Load the essentials bins last so they come off first.
- Keep documents, jewelry and medications in your own car.