Collect Supplies
Try to estimate what you'll need and make sure you have enough on hand. Start collecting boxes from your place of work, from friends or from stores. Or purchase moving or packing kits online or from moving companies.

Pack Non-Essential Items First
Start packing items you can do without. If you're moving in the summer, pack all your winter clothes, sports equipment and heavy blankets. You’re probably not going to use that fishing rod in the next month or so either ... you get the idea.

Get Organized
Label boxes. While you're packing boxes, make sure you label the top and sides of boxes with contents, location of contents in your house and if there are any special instructions, such as "fragile" or "open first". This will assist the movers in putting the boxes in the correct room and will warn them of any fragile items. Also, by keeping a complete list of the contents on the outside of the box, you'll save time digging through 10 boxes marked "kitchen" just to find the can opener.

Inventory list
Consider clearly labeling each box, or number the boxes and keep a running inventory list and check them off when the movers are unloading them into your new place. This way, if a box goes missing, you can easily identify which number it is and what is contained within it. Insurance companies love this kind of detail if you have to make a claim.
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Make Sure Your Items Arrive Safely
Properly label boxes with stickers that instruct the movers on how to handle the contents. Clothes, towels, linens, pillows can be used to keep fragile items safe. Just make sure you mark this on the box for when the box is unpacked. If the person who is unpacking the box is unaware that a crystal vase is wrapped inside a fleece blanket, they could easily unfurl the blanket sending the vase crashing to the floor. Make sure you properly wrap all fragile items in several layers of bubble wrap and pack them on their edge (plates, mirrors, picture frames, etc). Bubble wrap is preferred … it's inexpensive and will prevent dishes and other fragile items from bumping against one another. I've used newspaper to separate plates and have had a few broken pieces as a result. Tape any stray items together into a bundle. Ski poles, brooms, mops, lamp stands, etc ... can be taped into one package for easy carrying and storing. When moving furniture, make sure you keep all parts together with the item itself. Screws, bolts and other small pieces can be put into a self-locking plastic bag (sandwich bag/freezer bag) then taped to the furniture itself. If you're moving a table, unscrew the legs, tape the legs together then tape the parts bag to the underside of the table top. You can even tape the legs to the underside of the table top just to ensure that the legs don't get scratched or dented in the move. Wrap all scratch-able furniture in protective padding. Table tops, coffee tables, headboards, etc... can all suffer from scratches and bruising during the move. Furniture padding can be rented from moving companies or storage facilities. I don't recommend using your own linens to protect furniture; linens can be ripped and become stained during a move. In addition, furniture padding is just that - padding. It will better protect your belongings.