Let’s face it: unpacking can be a real buzz-kill. There you are, excited to be in a new apartment and happy that your move is over, but unable to really kick back and enjoy the situation because you have yet another chore to do: unpacking!

Unpacking after your move may not seem like much fun, but the bright side is that once you get past this step, you’re free to enjoy living in a comfortable new space. If you’re feeling daunted by the thought of unpacking box after box, these moving tips will help show you how to unpack without driving yourself absolutely crazy.

Easy does it
If you want to unpack all of the boxes in your place without feeling overwhelmed, you’ll have to remember to take it easy. You certainly didn’t pack everything up in one day, so why try to unpack everything all at once now?

Prepare yourself mentally to spend several days unpacking. This way you will avoid burnout and allow yourself to complete the task at a reasonable pace.  Taking a few days to unpack will also allow you valuable time to organize your belongings.

Unpack the important stuff first
So you’re going to spend a few days unpacking — great. Now where do you start?

Start with the biggest priority. For most people, that means unpacking the aptly-named priority box, the box of essentials that you packed last in your old apartment. This box usually contains items like a shower curtain, bed sheets, towels, and toiletries — all stuff that you’re going to need right away.  Find your priority box and unpack this one first. (Assign other family members the task of finding their personal priority boxes and unpacking these first as well.)

Tasks like setting up your shower and putting your bed together should follow along naturally with opening up the priority box. Complete each of these tasks first, and you’ll be set to clean up and crash at the end of your first day of unpacking.

What next? After you deal with your priority box, it’s time to assign priority status to each room in your apartment. You need to eat and sleep, so you might give priority to unpacking the kitchen and bedroom next, for instance.

Place your furniture
Since there’s really no point unpacking things until you have somewhere to put them, it’s necessary to arrange the furniture in your apartment before you unpack the boxes. Not only will setting up the furniture make it easier to organize as you unpack, but seeing your furniture in its rightful place will help you feel more comfortable.

Sort out the boxes
You’ll make the job of unpacking go much easier if you start by sorting out all of your boxes according to the rooms their contents belong in. Now is the time to get as many boxes as you can into the correct rooms. This will save time and frustration with your overall unpacking process.

When you start to unpack boxes for each room, do your best to empty a box before you move on to unpack another one. This will help you reduce clutter and feel more relaxed.

One room at a time
As you move through your priority rooms first, unpacking carefully as you go, remember that you can handle the rest of the unpacking in due time. It doesn’t have to happen in one day or even one week. Unpacking at a manageable, steady pace — cleaning up and disposing of boxes as you go — will allow you to set up your new place in a peaceful and orderly way. Think of this unpacking process as the next step in enjoying your new apartment home.