Looking to stress yourself out before a big day of travel or moving? Is your aim to lose track of time and lose hope for sleep? Are you the type of person who functions best when you are already behind, angry with yourself and disorganized beyond comprehension?
No? I didn't think so. But do I learn? Honestly, not even a little bit.
Always wait until the last minute.
https://pixabay.com/en/time-alarm-clock-clock-watch-hour-2980690/
This is honestly the first thing, the cliche thing, the main thing that everyone says about packing. About most deadlines, actually! If you choose to save your packing until the final day, you are given the added bonus of stress to the max, which greatly impedes your speed and sanity. Additionally, it will reliably take way, way longer than you could ever guesstimate it would. It's fantastic.
Don't think about what you need to pack.
https://pixabay.com/en/luggage-packaging-travel-vacations-3297015/
Want to cripple yourself in the packing process? Don't think about the essentials, the toiletries, the toothbrush and toothpaste of priority packing elements. Don't think about anything. Just run around your room at top speeds, picking up whatever happens to catch your eye and forgoing the rest.
Don't think about where you're going.
https://pixabay.com/en/hands-world-map-global-earth-600497/
Winter or summer? Casual or formal? Comfort for lengthy travel times? All of these things are just endlessly vital and so easily forgotten (speaking from painful experience). The reason for the packing is such a huge part of the packing journey, providing structure to your packing list and comfort to your heart.
Make sure your room or wherever you're packing from is a disaster.
https://pixabay.com/en/mistake-spill-slip-up-accident-876597/
It's painfully difficult to find the important items you are trying to pack and bring along with you on your adventures when your room is a waking nightmare. Sifting through pile after pile of clothing, mountains of miscellaneous possessions and drawers full of hygiene products is a little less fun than several broken bones.
Yell at everyone in your path.
https://pixabay.com/en/baby-kids-child-boy-hugs-family-1749978/
Don't make other people suffer because you are running behind. I've done this an unpleasant and unfortunate number of times, and all it does is stress out the other people around you and make you feel like an utter jerk for ever opening your mouth. Increasing the tension around you will only make more tension flow into your own heart and mind, which will just make the whole experience unforgettably awful.
Break things, because why not?
https://pixabay.com/en/baby-kids-child-boy-hugs-family-1749978/
When you get behind, your body moves too slowly for your mind, leaving a sizable gap between your functionality and your brainpower. The bigger the gap, the less you can even move, much less packing properly and safely. And the more behind you are, the bigger the gap will always be.
Pack as sloppily as possible.
http://www.thebrunettediaries.com/7-packing-mistakes-that-even-the-most-seasoned-travelers-make
Packing sloppily is just the beginning of a bad cycle. You won't be able to fit everything before you leave, you won't be able to find anything once you get there, you won't be able to repack any of your belongings, and you will likely be unable to find anything when you get back. It'll be great.
Put off other deadlines until exactly when you need to be packing.
https://pixabay.com/en/checklist-check-list-marker-2077019/
I do this all the time. All the time. I'm almost 20 years old, and I still can't get it through my thick head that I can't write a paper, run errands, babysit, work, and pack at the same time. I still don't have a clone, more than 24 hours in my day, or three arms. I'm stuck with what I've got. Thus, planning accordingly is key.
Make other commitments instead of packing.
https://pixabay.com/en/people-girls-women-students-2557396/
I love my friends. I know you love your friends. But if you've already put off packing until the very last second, then there is physically and mentally no way that you can divide your attention and conquer the goal at hand. If you've got friends who will help you or come chill with you while you work, done, bring 'em over. Don't go to the movies and imagine that you work is done just to come home to the transparent reality that hey, it's not.
Overestimate your abilities and underestimate your timeline.
https://pixabay.com/en/crossfit-sports-fitness-training-534615/
There are some paragons of packing. There are some give-me-two-minutes-and-I'll-pack-for-two-months type of superhumans that just make the rest of us look so, so bad. But here's the thing. Most of us are the rest of us. Most of us are your average packing Joes. Packing will take longer than we think and there'll be a lot more of it. We've got to expect the unexpected, prepare for everything, and packing like our lives depend on it.
This article is inspired by my garbage attempts at packing to move into school tomorrow. I'm going to get back to it, but not before I say this: friends, plan better. Even if I don't generally have this, you most certainly do.
Going to the cinema alone is good for your mental health, says science
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