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Moving house? Dreading the thought of packing those boxes at one end, only to unpack it all again at the other? Moving house is one of life's most stressful experiences, but if you take a business-like approach to your move and manage it well, you'll find that everything runs smoothly.

1. Sort out your stuff

We all know how easy it is to accumulate possessions as we go through life. From the things we bought but never used, to the stuff we can't bear to get rid of; our attics and lofts contain a physical, tangible history of our lives. Moving house is usually an indication that you're making a fresh start so put aside a few hours ' or a few days if you're a real hoarder ' and go through everything to make sure you're only taking the really important stuff with you. Hire a skip for those things that are broken or of no use, and fill bags for charity shops, goodwill stores, and jumble sales. Hold your own garage sale, give children's clothes to relatives or sell stuff on eBay ' but make a real effort to reduce the amount of things that need to move with you.

2. Write it down

The most organised people often have a written list that helps them to see what they've done and what needs to be achieved. When you're moving house, you need to think about what needs preparing for packing, what needs leaving until last and, most importantly, where everything is going to go in your new home. This sort of preparation makes your life much easier. For example, when you unplug your computer, label the cables, write down instructions for setting it up again and make sure everything is bagged or boxed together.

3. Hire a good removal firm

The quality and experience of your removal firm can make all the difference to your move. You may be moving yourself, in which case you need to be a lot more organised, making sure that you have hired the right size van and that you have enough boxes and packing materials to move all your possessions safely. On the other hand, a professional removal company will handle all the packing and moving for you, leaving you free to tie-up any loose ends, make sure your old home is ready for its new occupants and get to your new place in plenty of time to supervise unloading. With full insurance cover for everything they pack and move, it's the ideal way to remove stress from the moving process.