It’s moving day: you’ve planned perfectly, all your tasks are complete, and you’re ready with checklist in hand.

However, the movers are running late—and it throws off your schedule.

Panic starts to seep in and cracks in your well-planned foundation are starting to show. It’d be great if you could box up the oncoming stress and shove it into the truck—when it finally arrives.

But don’t let your moving day descend into chaos. You’re the one responsible for organizing the move. Your family, friends, helpers, and professional movers will take their cues from you. You can set the tone for how the day will go.

Organization and planning help with stress. But how you handle inevitable moving day challenges will be the real difference.

Try these nine tips for an easier moving day experience:

1. Accept that a stress-free move isn’t possible. But stress can be contained. Be prepared for hiccups in your plans and trust that you’ll come up with logical solutions.

2. Give yourself realistic goals. There’s nothing worse for your mental state than feeling you’re running behind and aren’t meeting your initial expectations. Take it easy on yourself and roll with the inevitable punches.

3. Go out to eat or order takeout. A break from the chaos will give you and your family a much needed respite. This will allow you to reenergize mentally and ensure hunger pangs don’t affect your mood.

4. When unpacking, do the bathroom first and then the bedrooms. Don’t expect to get all your unpacking done in one day, but you should have the necessities done first.

5. Keep your movers and helpers happy. Provide plenty of cold drinks. Schedule breaks for family and friends every couple of hours.

6. Pay attention to having kids and pets taken care of during the move, whether they are at another location or at the house. It is best to have your pets out of the way for the day and for the kids to be involved in the moving process.

7. Lead by example. If you start feeling depressed or become short-tempered, pause and take a short break. Your attitude will go a long way to keeping everyone feeling positive.

8. Don’t schedule any parting “social events” with friends and family the day and/or night before you move.

9. Get a good night’s sleep before you move!