Let’s be honest: very few people like the process of moving, and it is a long process. The most loathed aspect of moving is the actual packing process: people put their lives into boxes & essentially move what they have into their new domicile, frequently will little thought put towards whether they really need to carry all that stuff along with them.

If you think from the end goal of having an easier move, you may very well save yourself some time & backache during your new move. In truthfulness, some of what’s transported from old house to new can be pared down into a more manageable batch of boxes.

Here are a few great tips on how to get organized BEFORE you move, courtesy of Houzz:

Picture how you want your new home to feel. The best thing you can do to prepare for any move is to let go of excess belongings. Get motivated to clear clutter by viewing this as an opportunity to streamline your belongings and let go of stuff you have been wishing you could get rid of. Now is your chance!

When you are considering whether to keep an item, imagine packing it, physically carrying it from your old house to the new one and unpacking it. Is it worth the effort? How would it make you feel to see this item in your new home — if the answer is “weighted down,” let that be your cue to let it go.

Gather important papers in a fireproof lock box. Like backing up computer files, saving important documents in a lock box is something that we all should be doing, whether or not a move is in the near future. Gather birth certificates, passports and other vital records and sensitive financial documents in your box. When moving day arrives, this box should come with you in your car (or put the contents of it in your carry-on bag if flying).

Streamline DVD and CD collections. If you have a large movie or music collection, save yourself a few boxes by moving the discs into binder sleeves and discarding the cases. If you already have your music collection on your computer, consider getting rid of the CDs altogether.

If you haven’t used it in years, don’t move it. Many items in our garages, attics and basements sit untouched and forgotten about for years on end — which raises the question, why are we holding onto this stuff? If you can’t even remember the last time you wanted to use something, get rid of it. Once you’ve pared things down, items in the storage areas of your home can be packed and labeled for the move.