Tag: Organized People

Keep Your Travel Essentials Packed ALL THE TIME

Recently, a man walked up to me before Mass and said “You look like a person who carries band-aids.  Could I have one, please?  My son cut his finger and needs some help.”  Not only did I have band-aids to share, I also provided a cleansing wipe, alcohol pad and a few tissues.

Yep, that’s how I roll.  I carried a mom-bag even before I was a mom.  I’m the one with a safety pin, phone charger, hand sanitizer, gum (even though I don’t chew it), toothpicks and tylenol.  If you need something and I’m in the room, go ahead and ask, I probably have it.

My thoughts are on travel this month and I want to talk about my travel kit. Our “travel kit”, shave kit, travel toiletry bag,  etc. is the bag of travel and hygiene essentials that we all should get used to taking with us when we travel.

And here is a little secret – Keep it packed and up-to-date ALL THE TIME to make life and travel so much easier!  I travel often enough, especially during the summer, that leaving these essentials packed all the time saves lots of time and hassle.

How to?  Here we go!

  1. Determine your list of essentials.  Yes, I actually made a list, printed and laminated it and posted it on the inside of one of my medicine cabinet doors (I had a list for the kids when they were little, too).  My list includes:
  • toothpaste, toothbrush,  shampoo, conditioner, soap / bodywash, face lotion with sunscreen, body lotion, hair styling product and comb, and deodorant.  A travel size of all of these items stay in the kit all the time, as do
  • lip balm, nail trimmers, tweezers, scissors and an extra eyeglass case.
  • Planning for emergencies, I also pack a glass repair kit, mini-sewing kit and first aid kit.
  • When I am ready to leave, I will add: contacts and solution, cosmetics, nail polish (for touch ups), and a jewelry pouch.
  • In the kitchen, there is a bag and a check list ready for packing my vitamins, protein shake, and travel coffee (Starbuck’s Via Packets) and tea for just in case.

2.  Find a pouch or two that will hold everything. Consider your options: washable (mine is plastic and wipes clean);  transparent (best for air travel, and for being able to see and find stuff!) or opaque (for privacy); appropriately sized – not too big or too small! I use two for longer trips, with shower stuff in one and everything else in the other, as they are less bulky in a suitcase this way.

3.  If you have a habit of forgetting your kit in hotel rooms, you could use a resealable quart or freezer size ziploc with disposable items inside.

4.  Check your linen closet or medicine cabinets for extras of the essentials, and populate your kit.  Grab travel sizes of your essentials, or those hotel sized toiletries you seem to collect but never use!  Once you know what you need, and what you already have on hand, take a swing through the travel size aisle at your local pharmacy for the items you’re missing.

5.  Most importantly, when you return from your adventures, check your list and your pouch contents again and restock anything you may have depleted while you were traveling.  Put your pre-packed travel kit away until you pack for your next adventure, when it will be waiting to help you out!

An Organized Person… Marches Forth and Actually Completes Tasks

Last week, we started looking at what Organized People Do.  We started with a plan, which is the best place to start.

The next natural step after planning is to ACT.

How about this for an acronym:
ACT = Actually Complete a Task.  Or, Already Completed a Task?  You choose!

The calendar says Spring is coming, though it’s a ridiculously brisk and sunny 5 degrees here in Chicago.   Despite the chill,  my internal motivators are all pointing to Spring, too.

My coaching friend Mark suggests there are 5 broad areas in our lives – Health, Work, Family, Social and Sleep – where we need to focus our energies.  I was thinking of those as I penned my list for the week, adjusting as needed, and you should adjust as needed, too.

Here are my areas of ACTion this week:   Wellness, Home, Family, Work and Spirituality.

  • I signed up for and started a wellness challenge today.  I weighed in and measured up this morning, (gulp) posting my weight and measurement in a closed FB group for 30 complete strangers to see.  In the spirit of this challenge, today I will also clean the fridge, make our menu and create our grocery list for this week.
    Any ACTions you could take this week for wellness?
  • The painter is scheduled to stop and give me an estimate on repainting our bathroom.  And when I’m done with this article, I have a handful of calls to make for tree removal and planting, awning cleaning and other Spring Cleaning tasks.  Mainly, today I want to get on people’s lists for ACTion when Spring actually arrives, to get our work done sooner rather than later.
    What ACTions could you take this week for Home Maintenance?
  • This month our family will see both celebrations and challenges.  Today, I am sending RSVPs, scheduling events and making plans for those events.   Looking at your schedule,
    What ACTions can you take this week to make room for Family?
  • Not to neglect work, I have quite the long list of tasks to complete for my business and for professional development this week, too.  However, I find that work is always there and I tend to always make time for work to the detriment of some of the other areas of my life.
    What work ACTions have been awaiting your attention lately?  What Work ACTions would move you towards your goals this week?
  • This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, and I take my Lent seriously.  This week, I will add Lenten prayer and reflections to my morning routine, and today and tomorrow,  I will prayerfully discern what other Lenten observations I may want to undertake.
    What ACTions can you take this week to make your efforts more meaningful and spiritual? 

What ACTions can you take this week, friends? March forth!!