If you've hired removalists, you want to optimise their time and try to avoid delays so that you don't end up paying for extra time. To do that, you should be completely packed before the removals team arrives, and in addition, you may want to do a few extra small things. Here's five little things that can really help speed up the removals process:

1. Remove the legs from sofas, chairs and other upholstered furniture.

Moving a heavy sofa out a door can be hard even for an experienced removalist, and in many cases, large sofas or chairs don't fit through standard doorways with their feet on. To gain a bit of extra room and help the removalists work quickly, remove the feet from your furniture before they arrive. Pop the feet and hardware in a well-labeled box so you don't lose it.

2. Dismantle flatpack furniture.

In addition to removing legs, you may want to completely dismantle some of your furniture. If you have any flatpack furnishings in particular, take them apart and have them in a tidy stack ready to go. This saves room in the removals truck. Also, keep in mind that if you have any large chests, armoires or shelves, they may have elements that can be taken apart as well.

3. Repack any heavy boxes.

If you have any boxes that you suspect you have overpacked, take a few minutes to repack them. As a general rule of thumb, small or medium size boxes work for heavy items such as books and dishes, while large boxes should be reserved for lightweight items such as clothing or linens.

Repacking heavy boxes takes a bit of time now, but it saves time on moving day. If boxes are overpacked, they may break amidst the move, causing everyone to stop, scrabble around for a box and repack it. In some cases, you may even end up cleaning a bunch of broken glass or whatever was in the box when it broke, and that's a time waster you don't need on moving day.

4. Keep out a bag of essentials.

When moving, you should always have a small bag and possibly an extra box of essentials. The bag should contain enough clothing and toiletries to last through the move, and the box should have your last-minute kitchen essentials such as frying pan, a coffee maker, a couple paper plates or whatever you anticipate needing for the last day in your old house and the first day in your new house.

Having your essentials set aside prevents you from having to dig through boxes to look for this or that while the removalists are trying to move them.

5. Make a door plan.

Finally, before the removalists arrive, look at your doors and consider whether or not they will be easy to move through. Remove any welcome mats or other potential tripping hazards. Have a door stop or a stone ready to hold the door open, and if your screen door takes up a lot of room, consider removing it while the removalists are there and then popping it back on.