Wow, I've moved 7 times since I've been married (31 years), including one across the country move. The last 4 were done by professionals, but we always do our own packing. We make a checklist and then get to work. First comes selling stuff, if necessary, or taking it to the dump or Goodwill. That is done months, or at least a month in advance, which sometimes means doing without things you need for awhile. Then, everything that doesn't get used frequently gets packed, such as china, things in the dining room and kitchen, and tools, outdoor stuff. DH can wrap and pack dishes and glasses super fast. We've gone to U Haul to get boxes in our last 2 moves. We make a map of the new house on the computer and use it to help the movers put everything in the right place. Boxes are labelled with the location they are to go in the new house... not where they came from. This was really important for my last move, as the configuration of the house I am in is quite different. The last 2 moves were local, from one town to another, about 15 and 9 miles. I took all of the clothes in our closet and other valuables, including our bikes in the car. That took a few trips. The clothes get hung and put in the appropriate closets before the move.
When the movers arrive, they have been instructed to unload the kitchen boxes first. I start unwrapping and unpacking while they are still unloading the truck. The kitchen is done and put away by the time I go to bed. It really helps in waking up the next morning, to know your stuff is where you need it when you get up for breakfast. The other stuff can wait, but generally, we are done unpacking in a week or less.
I never had lived in a house with a basement until my last move. We had to dump a lot of stuff, even though I was going to a bigger house. The next one will be worse, because we will be downsizing, but even though it's not going to be for 5-8 years, we've already started discussing what's going to go, what's going to be donated, and what's going to a kid. The key for us has been to never accumulate any junk and throw out stuff that doesn't get used on a regular basis.