Having more than three weeks before moving day, you might be thinking that there is still much time before you start worrying about the details. But a thoroughly planned move is essential for organization. It is still not the time to pack your items or clean the house, but there are other things you may consider doing.

If you haven’t changed your address yet, it’s time to do it. After your change of address do not forget to inform your friends and relatives, the post office, newspaper subscriptions, doctors, dentists, membership clubs or associations, credit card companies, banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions. You can do this online, over the phone or by mailing a copy of your change of address form.

Contact gas, water, electricity companies and telephone, internet and cableproviders to schedule disconnection of services on the day following your move. Call the utilities in your new city to arrange for service to start the day before your move so that it will be functioning when you arrive. Also schedule experts to disconnect appliances and connect them at your new place.

Arrange your new home to be thoroughly cleaned, or plan to clean it yourself as close to move-in as possible.

If you have marked out the things you want to get rid of (old toys, clothes, magazines, plants, etc.), trash them, donate them or schedule a garage sale to earn some extra money. This way you will also reduce the number of items you have to pack and move.

At this stage in your move process, be sure to let your moving company know if there are any changes around your move date or if any of the details that you reviewed during the in-house survey or phone inventory have changed.

Moving companies know the best methods for keeping items safe and packing items efficiently for transportation. But if you have decided to pack yourself, make a list of your decorative items and other items you can put in storage and start packing them first. Your children can give you a hand on packing, but do not forget to watch them over. Keep the boxes light enough – it’s best to pack heavy items in small boxes and light items in large ones. Label the content of the boxes to easily identify what’s inside.