Let’s face it, everyone hates moving. Packing everything takes forever, then you have to move all of those heavy boxes, things get broken and lost, and then you have to unpack everything. However, moving can be a breeze if you use some easy life hacks.

Label Everything

Whether you use duct tape or the actual packing labels you can buy at the store, labels are important. Just remember a few things:

• Put your labels on the sides of your boxes so you can see them when they’re stacked.
• Write big. Labels aren’t any good if they’re tiny and hard to read.
• Label rooms. For example, if you’ve got dishes, write “Kitchen” in big letters, and then “dishes” in small print below it. That way, you know which boxes go in which rooms.

If you want to get really fancy, you can also color code your labels, so that you can see at a glance which boxes belong to which room. Making sure that you pack rooms separately will also help you to be more organized while packing, transporting, and unpacking.

Use Good Quality Boxes

The last thing that you want to deal with when you’re moving is boxes falling apart. You can probably get away with regular boxes for lighter-weight objects, but if you’re packing heavier items, like dishes or books,  you’re going to want strong boxes.

Some of the best boxes for items like books are apple boxes from your local grocery store. These boxes are strong, since they are made for carrying apples, and they often have handles on the sides, making carrying a lot easier. Most grocery stores will even let you have these boxes for free if you go in at the end of the day and ask.

Pull Out Your Smartphone

Or if you don’t have a smartphone, you can use a regular camera. Technology is here to make our lives easier, so you might as well use it. If you’re worried about losing things, you can take a picture of each box before you tape it up. When it comes to electronics, you can snap a quick picture of how all of your wires and cables are connected, making setup quick and easy at your new place.

Taking pictures is also a great idea if you’re leaving a rental or moving into one. Take a picture of your clean house before you leave to ensure that you get your security deposit back, and take a picture of your new home before you move in so that you have photographic evidence of what everything looked like when you arrived.

Start Early and Declutter

Starting early is the best way to make moving less stressful. Don’t wait until the week before your move to start packing. A few months before the big day, make it a goal to pack at least 1 box a week—but make sure you don’t just toss things in at random.

Before you put each item in a box, look at it and think, “Do I really want to pack this, move it to a new place, and unpack it?” If you don’t love the item, if it has no sentimental meaning, and if it’s not something you use, you should probably get rid of it. Decluttering as you pack will save you a lot of time, since you’ll have less to pack, move, and unpack later.