Almost everyone starts packing too late. Not because they’re disorganised, but because a house looks perfectly manageable right up until you begin — and then the loft happens.

Here’s a timeline that keeps it calm.

Four weeks out: the clear-out

Don’t pack anything yet. Get rid of things instead.

This is the highest-value week of the whole process, because everything you remove now is something you never pack, never carry, and never pay to move.

Walk each room and be honest. Charity shop, sell, recycle, bin. The clothes you haven’t worn, the appliance in the cupboard, the boxes you moved here last time and never opened.

Book your movers this week too. Weekend and end-of-month dates go first.

Three weeks out: start with the forgotten rooms

Now you begin, and you begin where life isn’t happening.

The loft, garage, shed and spare room. These are the fullest, dustiest, most surprising spaces in any home, and getting them done early takes the fear out of the rest.

Also pack: books, DVDs, decorations, out-of-season clothes, spare bedding, and anything ornamental.

Two weeks out: the main rooms

Living room, dining room, studies. Most of the bedroom apart from the clothes you’re actually wearing.

Aim to be 60–70% packed by the end of this week. If you are, the last fortnight is genuinely relaxed.

This is also the week for the admin: change of address, redirect the post, notify utilities, book any parking permits you need on moving day.

One week out: the kitchen

Give the kitchen its own week. It always takes longer than expected.

Pack everything except what you’ll eat off for the next few days. Start using up the freezer. Defrost it a day or two before the move — a full freezer can’t travel, and a wet one is nobody’s friend.

Confirm the details with your movers this week.

The final few days

Bathroom cabinets, the last of the clothes, and the odds and ends that never seem to belong to a category.

Pack your first-night box and keep it out of the van — kettle, mugs, chargers, toilet roll, towels, medication, a change of clothes.

Strip the beds on the morning, not the night before. You’ll want somewhere to sleep.

If you’ve only got a week

It happens — chains move, dates change, sometimes there’s no run-up at all.

Two things to know. First, it’s still doable: prioritise ruthlessly and don’t try to sort as you pack. Just get it in boxes, labelled by room, and deal with it at the other end.

Second, this is exactly the situation professional packing is built for. A team can pack a whole house in a day, materials and all. If you’re short on time rather than money, it’s the easiest problem you’ll solve all week.

FAQ

How early should I start packing to move house? Start decluttering about four weeks out and begin packing rarely-used rooms around three weeks out. Aim to be mostly packed a week before the move.

What should I pack last? The kitchen, bathroom and daily essentials — plus a first-night box with kettle, mugs, chargers, toiletries and a change of clothes that travels with you, not on the van.

Can a house be packed in a day? By a professional team, yes — most homes can be packed in a day with all materials supplied. Doing it yourself, allow two to three weeks of evenings.