Whether it’s your last or first year attending your college or university, if you live on campus you will have to go through the grueling task of unpacking and setting into your room. Unpacking is one of those things that can feel like a task that will take days, which might be accurate for moving into new house or apartment, but a dorm room can be done within a few hours. This can be achieved by mastering the art of packing.

Obviously everyone packs a little bit differently, but one of the most important things to remember when packing up your room and personal items is to pack with the intention of unpacking space by space. Don’t just throw your clothes into boxes and bins, fold them and pack them according to how you store them. If you keep pants and skirts in the same drawer, pack them away in the same bin. The same goes for things that need to be hung up and things that won’t be pulled out until the winter. This helps make unpacking easier because if you take the time to properly fold you won’t need to fold them again when you put them away. Major Key: if you have limited storage options, try using vacuum bags, still packing things in their categories. You should have all your desk items in one bin, along with any books or magazines or things likely to go on your desk when you unpack. I like to store cleaning items together as well so I know exactly where they are when I need them as I unpack. Remember, the more organized you pack the easier it is to unpack.

When you pull up to your school, don’t immediately unpack your car, most schools have a few stops for you to make before you can pick up your room key from housing. But when you do unpack do it in one clean sweep. Don’t bring in one or two things at a time and unpack them, that will make the progress much longer; it’s better to bring everything inside and take a short break once everything is in your room. Major Key: if you have a wagon, cart, hand truck or anything to move heavy boxes, don’t hesitate to bring it!

Now that everything is in your room you’d think it’s time to unpack, but that’s not the next step. The next step is to open the windows and clean. I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t feel comfortable moving in until I’ve given the whole place the once over with Clorox. I wipe down and flip the mattress, wipe out all the drawers and the closet. I also wipe down everything in the bathroom as well. It helps get all the dust up and get rid of any lingering mustiness that didn’t go when the window was opened.

Now comes the part that makes people want cry—the actual unpacking. The trick here is to take a minute to visualize what your space will look like before unpacking. If you think you know where everything is going, it makes it easier to pick it up and put it in its place. Also if you want to move furniture, this is the time to do it before it’s filled with your stuff. Start in one place. I like doing clothes first, this gets rid of a majority of the storage containers for me. I take out the folded clothing and put it in drawers by items, you might not organize your drawers like me, but not having to refold everything really comes in handy. I hang everything and needs to be hung and unpack all my shoes. Next I move on to setting up my desk and put everything out of the desk box in its place. Then I move to the bathroom and set up the shower curtain and anything else that goes in the bathroom. I set up my appliances and hang any decorations and my room is almost done. Major Key: when you move your boxes in, put them in the area they belong in; for example, put the bathroom supplies box in the bathroom. The last thing I do is make my bed. This gives the cleaner time to dry but also creates incentive to finish the job. The best feeling after a long day of packing is sitting down on a freshly made bed!

There you have it—you’re all done! If you bring someone to help you move in it goes even faster as they can set up any spaces that you aren’t picky about. Just keep moving it and it will all be done in no time. The key is going space by space and fully setting them up. Too often people don’t unpack their clothes for days but that makes it hard to find things when you need them and leaves your room cluttered for the start of the school year. Unpacking all the way is the best way to start off the school year, with everything in its space and easy to find. Happy unpacking!