"We're Moving! How do I pack a box?"

. After I wrote the book on moving (Making the Big Move, New Harbinger 1999), people began to ask me how to pack a box.

My own packing leaves much to be desired. I specialize in unpacking stress centers, not packing boxes. However, after dozens of my own moves, I do have some ideas.

I always recommend that movers do the packing if at all possible. They pack fast and they'll be responsible for damage. If your company pays for the move, they probably include this service.

Moving can be physically exhausting. The moving companies tend to hire very young people as packers. I work out and stay in shape, yet I was exhausted last time I got ready for the move! Get some help, even if you have to bribe the neighborhood teenager.

There are no great secrets to packing boxes. The pros bring a huge supply of boxes. They toss your possessions into a box, seal the box after it's full, and open another box. Some use newspaper as filler for fragile items; others use that popcorn stuff.

When I pack, I prefer to wrap fragile items in clothes, towels, sheets and other cloth items that I'm taking anyway. Why move packing material that you don't need?

The most common mistake is to pack too much into a box. Movers will refuse to lift heavy boxes.

If you hire packers, they will tell you what to do. (Don't even try to argue.) The only question they ask is, "Does this go or stay?"

If you pack yourself:

1. Fill a few boxes for donation to the Salvation Army. When in doubt, DON'T toss items -- there will be a Salvation Army at the other end.

2. Pack one room at a time. Label the boxes. The movers will give you special cartons for breakables and mirrors. They should give you wardrobe boxes for clothes, so you can just lift clothes from closet to box. If you have the original boxes for computers, television, and VCR, use them.

3. Get on the web and look up moving company sites. Nearly every site has a collection of excellent tips for packing. They even have creative ideas like tagging rooms with different color tape. Your own moving company will probably give you more booklets than you have time to read.

4, Start early! Begin collecting boxes as soon as you know you're really moving.

5. Arrange your own insurance for antiques, one-of-a-kind possessions and irreplaceable items. You may have trouble collecting damages from a moving company even if you sue and get a jury trial. Your personal treasures may, in the eyes of the court, have zero value. And the value of your antiques may boggle the minds of the jurors.

6. Have a camera and film handy and be prepared to photograph every aspect of the move -- the documentation will be valuable if you have disputed claims.

7. Take the pets with you in the car or as checked baggage. Count whiskers and paws before the moving van drives off: every driver has a story about kittens who make a long distance move in a dresser drawer. If you move in summer, the airline may refuse to accept animals for shipment. You may be able to bring one into the cabin if you reserve very far ahead of time.

8. Finally, you will have at least one crisis during your move. Something will break, someone will not show up on time, something will disappear (hopefully not the whole moving van).

That is normal. Ask me how to pack an emotional first aid kit. That I can do.