If I’m going on a trip. whether it's two days or two weeks, I'll somehow find myself overpacking.

This Memorial Day weekend, I decided to pack to go to the lake on the day we were leaving. That's always rookie mistake #1.

If you procrastinate and decide to pack at the last minute, you will always overpack. It's just a fact. You think of things in a hurry and your brain says, “we need everything!”

Now in no way am I saying that being an overpacked is always a bad thing.

You don't always know exactly what the weather will be like, or what you'll feel like wearing on any given day. you might spill on the shirt you're supposed to wear to go out to dinner in.

Options are good. Having multiple outfit choices is great.

Keeping various extra items in your backpack or purse on a day-to-day basis isn’t useless or a bad idea.

Sometimes, in middle and high school, I would have things in my backpack that my friends needed, but they didn't have them. For example, there were plenty of times where my friends asked for some deodorant, gum, a hairbrush, snacks, lotion, hand sanitizer, and more.

One of my friends even called my backpack my "Mary Poppins" bag because I always had so much stuff. In college, I even carried a mini stapler because one professor said he wouldn’t accept assignments if they weren’t stapled. I never wanted that to happen, so I kept that mini stapler in case I forgot. It saved me and other students numerous times; I’m still surprised it never ran out of staples.

I've almost always carried an umbrella - although a compact one to save space - just in case, because you never know when a pop up shower will start out of nowhere. Don't get caught in the rain like the people who don't carry an umbrella at all times.

If you’re an overpacker like me, don’t worry. You’ll be prepared for more things. As long as you don’t bring the whole house, you’re good.

I helped people - and myself - by carrying certain items to be prepared for the unexpected. I know I won’t always be ready for everything, but I’m definitely going to try.