I always pack a few boxes of sentimental things I would absolutely die if the movers lost and move them myself in my car.
If you have animals/kids, leave one small room that closes (we have done the youngest kid's bedroom) relatively unpacked until the day of the move. Keep kids/pets in there during the move, and pack it while the rest of the move happens. In the new house, you can set up that room first -usually it will be last in/first out of the moving van - so that everything is fairly normal in at least one room by the end of the day.
Don't be tempted to leave stuff in drawers..it makes the furniture heavier and more likely to get damaged,
Remove any shelves or hardware and put in in a ziplock bag taped to the ack or underside (take pictures before disassembling if you think you might have trouble putting it back together).