Wirecutter - Make moving less miserable

1. Get rid of excess. Every item you move adds to the total cost, which is why it makes sense to cull the things you no longer use.

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2. Box everything. Avoid the chowder: the bric-a-brac of loose and awkwardly shaped things that have to be moved one at a time and slow truck packing to a snail’s pace. Put everything you can in a box. It will make any move a lot quicker, less physically demanding, and cheaper (if you’re hiring movers).

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3. But don’t just use any box! Ideally, the boxes you use should all be from a set and similar sizes, like these. The more uniform the boxes, the easier they are to move and stack; this will save you time and reduce the chance of things breaking during transit. I’ve loaded three-bedroom houses into a truck in just under two hours because everything was packed efficiently in medium-size boxes.
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4. Avoid packing heavy. It may seem efficient to leave your drawers packed with clothes, but a dresser loaded with clothing is remarkably heavy. And moving a heavy piece of furniture is a good way to hurt yourself or your movers and to ding your walls. Instead, pack all of your clothes in boxes, too. 
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5. Get reusable storage bins. In certain circumstances, it makes sense to use storage containers to pack things you don’t plan to use right away, including items you’ll store in a garage for months after your move. (But I don’t suggest moving an entire house in bins like these, since they could break and don’t stack as easily.)
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More of my packing tips here→

If you want to pack like a pro, this is where it starts.

• Packing paper: Packing paper and honeycomb wrap are great for protecting plates, bowls, glassware, and any other delicate items.
• Bubble wrap: Bubble wrap is a good safety measure, but it can take hundreds of years to decompose. In the lead-up to your move, consider saving any bubble wrap that arrives in packages. Or get compostable bubble wrap or biodegradable packing peanuts to fill out the empty spaces in your boxes. (Or opt for newspaper—might I recommend The New York Times?)
• Mattress bag: Consider a heavy-duty mattress bag for easy mattress-moving.
• Stretch wrap: Get some stretch wrap to secure everything in place, especially furniture with doors and drawers that might swing open.
• Tape dispenser: The Uline H-150 Tape Dispenser is Wirecutter’s favorite tape gun to seal boxes faster and with ease.
• Sharpies: To know what’s what during a move, you should label every box, bin, and bag. The best way to do that is to have plenty of Sharpie markers on hand. To label plastic bins or odd boxes or items, you can write on Scotch Masking Tape.

For when the big day is finally here. Prepare for heavy lifting.

• Hand truck: If you can’t borrow or rent a hand truck—and you aren’t hiring movers—the HaulPro Heavy Duty Hand Truck is a modest investment compared with the price of future chiropractic visits.
• Lifting straps: If you’re attempting to move a few heavy items like fridges, old wood dressers, or appliances, consider emulating professional movers and use lifting straps. These transfer the weight of the load to your back (rather than your arms), and they make moving large or awkward items much easier.
• Moving blankets: If you’re prepping your own truck or storage container, you’ll want at least a few Cheap Cheap Moving Boxes Pro Moving Blankets. Throw them over expensive wood items, pad the floor before lowering a mattress, or tape them around large but fragile objects (their usefulness is endless).
• Big trash bags: Moving never fails to produce extra waste. And strong trash bags are invaluable for clearing out the various kinds of trash you accumulate when moving. The 42-gallon Husky Contractor Clean-Up Bags can hold everything.
• Spackle: If you’re moving out of a rental, prepare to patch some walls. The 3M High Strength Small Hole Repair All in One Applicator Tool is great for touching up small holes from nails or hooks.
  
  Best of luck, movers.