I've read these articles and always begin the packing process with the best of intentions. My goal is to have everything I need, and nothing I don't. My goal is to be done with the entire process early the day before a trip. And I really want to do it with as little stress and angst as possible.
I'm here to tell you that this has never worked out for me. Not even once.
I leave fewer important items behind than I used to. I generally have outfits that work for the trip. But never have I ever been done early the day before. And never have I ever not gotten at least a little bit stressed (read: turned into a crazed maniac) over the whole process.
I would love to say that this is not the case, but it would be a lie. It's only the levels of stress that have varied.
Step 1: Plan Carefully
I used to be really bad at this. I thought this lack of planning was the source of my stress.
I now know that it is not.
These days I do more planning than the Allied Powers did for D-Day. I use an app called StyleBook and have every item of clothing, jewelry, and shoes in my wardrobe entered in the app. I decide on the outfits I want to wear during the trip ahead of time and the app creates a packing list for me. All I have to do is to check off the items as I put items in the suitcase.
Easy, huh?
Step 2: Execute the Plan
But then the trouble sets in: where are all of the items you want to take? Why does every outfit require a different pair of shoes? Why is your luggage scale registering way beyond your limit? What if it rains? What if it gets really hot? What if there's a sudden blizzard at the beach and you need a down jacket? Is this even the right thing to wear at this event? Did I wear this outfit the last three times I saw these people? Will I need a swimsuit? ...
Step 3: Have a Melt Down of Epic Proportions
The real problem is rarely with the actual packing...that's just the trigger for an avalanche of issues.
You realize you haven't asked anyone to watch the cat, or that you haven't gotten cash to leave for the cat-sitter, you realize you haven't paid a bill that you won't be able to deal with later, you realize you won't be back before trash day so you need to ask someone to take out the bins...or bring them in. You realize you haven't finished online training with work and you won't have an opportunity while you're gone. You realize your tax information hasn't gone to the accountant yet and he'll have to have it before you leave. You realize you meant to run a load of wash and half the items you want to pack are in that basket. And on and on and on...
So, you either call some unsuspecting person...or wait for them to call you. Then you suddenly remember that everything in the universe is wrong, wrong, wrong, ...and needs to be dealt with right then.
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I'm not saying this is a good technique. I'm not saying it makes any sense. In fact I freely admit it's a huge waste of time energy and the patience of people you care about. I'm just saying this is my standard M.O.
Eventually though, as I hear myself whine, I tend realize that all of this would look better if only my bags were already packed and sitting by the door...t
If that was done the clouds would part and I might even feel a little bit excited about the trip.
Step 4: Just Get on With It Already
Then I start power-packing to beat the band and am done in no time. (And by 'no time' I mean...eventually.) Still, done!
And life looks good again.
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I'm really not sure why, after all these years, I haven't learned to bypass Step 3. It's like I have to get worked up to build the momentum to get through it. I'm not proud of this.
I should clarify that I'm not talking about throwing a few things in a bag for a quick weekend trip. I really mean the kind of packing we've been doing these past few years.
I'll just use this trip as an example: I'm trying to pack in two big bags: a king size quilt and shams, 2 sets of 95" x 100" black out curtains (turns out black out curtains don't just take up a lot of space; they are also incredibly heavy), a vase, a decorative box, a magnifying mirror (it's important to put some breakable items in there to make it more challenging...if you get doomed to seven years of bad luck if they break; awesome! Game on!), then some bubble bath (possibility of leaking on everything else...extra points!) soaps, extra toiletries, wooden coat hooks, ....
Plus, oh yeah, the actual clothes I need while I'm there for an extended stay.
And, oh yeah: last but defintely not leat...let's up the ante a little and put a cat that hates to travel to the vet in the mix...plus her paperwork, medicines, carrier, treats...and attitude.
This time it may just be more than the luggage allowances, and my patience will contain. I really, really, need that 'breathe for 10' habit I recently started.
Ohmmmm....
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