True Confessions Wednesday: Packing it In

True Confession #5: I'm a pack-as-you-go kinda girl. 

In the first year seminar I teach, we watch Adam Grant's TED Talk about "originals" which includes the concept of precrastination -- that laudable habit of starting in on something right away, as soon as possible. 

Yeah. I don't have that. At least not most of the time. 

But, when it comes to packing for a trip, my husband comes pretty close. Sure, he doesn't start packing the minute after the reservation is confirmed, but he usually begins his preparations at least a week in advance.

I do not do this. I'm a procrastinator under many circumstances, but packing probably tops the list. As someone with an I need to see it personal style, my packing plan can be loosely described as, "it gets worse before it gets better."

I suspect that my approach makes him uncomfortable, and I know his approach pricks at my conscience. If I'm not careful, it can also get the shoulds rolling.

But I've learned over time that my method works -- or at qualifies as workable, at least -- for me.

The first step in my packing process is the mental list -- thinking through what I want to bring along. Sometimes I do this at night before I fall asleep, which kinda rules out making actual lists. Other times, I do it during normal waking hours and actually write things down.

Right now, we're preparing for a trip. Earlier today, I seriously considered packing only clean underwear and toiletries in my suitcase and bringing my dirty clothes in a laundry bag. Then, I can  wash them when we arrive and, voilà! Outfits.

In some ways, this plan seems so much easier -- I mean, my clothes in the laundry bag aren't mud-encrusted or gross or anything -- and I'd avoid generating new laundry. Though I'm leaning toward something more traditional, I'd be lying if I said I'd ruled out the laundry bag plan entirely. The second step in my somewhat organized personal packing plan (the one that involves only clean clothes) is, after all, making sure everything I want to pack/wear while I'm away is clean. That's part of the purpose of planning what to pack.

Conger Design via Pixabay

Sometime over the next few days, I will get serious. Clean, seasonally appropriate clothing that can be mixed and matched will make it into a bag. I will wait, though, because the longer it's in the suitcase, the more wrinkled it becomes, and my make-up and some of my toiletries (the ones I haven't pre-packed) will be the last things to go in the bag.

Do I forget things? If I'm honest, the answer is yes, I sometimes do, but I usually don't forget the
really important stuff. That's the stuff that makes it onto a list or gets packed first.

There are lots of reasons for my approach to packing, but that's another post. As for this trip and this approach, I'm currently at the plan-and-pile stage.

Seems only appropriate for an I need to see it girl.