Most moving-day disasters are really packing decisions catching up with you. The boxes that weren't labelled, the kettle packed at the bottom of something, the cable that vanished for a fortnight. A move across the city is short enough to feel casual and just long enough to punish you for treating it that way.
Start with a ruthless cull
The cheapest box to move is the one you never pack. Three or four weeks out, go room by room and be honest about what you actually use. Clothes you haven't worn in a year, duplicate kitchen gear, the mystery cables — let them go. You're not just saving on the van; you're saving your future self the job of finding homes for things you don't want.
Sell or donate in waves rather than one frantic weekend. A steady trickle to the charity shop is far less stressful than a skip-it-all panic the night before.
Label like you'll be exhausted — because you will
Write the room and a one-line contents note on the side of every box, not the top, so you can read them when they're stacked. Pack a single 'first night' box — kettle, mugs, chargers, bedding, loo roll — and load it last so it comes off first.
Photograph the back of your TV and router before you unplug anything. Future you, sitting on the floor surrounded by cables, will be grateful. Calm moves aren't luck; they're just decisions made early.
