Anyone else suffer from chronic procrastination and dithering when packing or assembling stuff for a trip away? I have a list which is kept in the box where my bikepacking bags reside which helps but if we're going away in our camper or on holiday somewhere, I get real anxiety attacks and end up throwing everything I'm likely to need in the van and bringing half of it back unused. I think it stems back to when I travelled a lot for work. I would hate staying in hotels and would regularly drive 3 hours back from a meeting just to turn round and go back to the same area the following day. It's not improved since giving up full time work and I'd be grateful for any tips on overcoming it.

pistonbroke wrote:Anyone else suffer from chronic procrastination and dithering when packing or assembling stuff for a trip away? I have a list which is kept in the box where my bikepacking bags reside which helps but if we're going away in our camper or on holiday somewhere, I get real anxiety attacks and end up throwing everything I'm likely to need in the van and bringing half of it back unused. I think it stems back to when I travelled a lot for work. I would hate staying in hotels and would regularly drive 3 hours back from a meeting just to turn round and go back to the same area the following day. It's not improved since giving up full time work and I'd be grateful for any tips on overcoming it.

I use lists, a lot. List for holiday trips, lists for bikepacking trips, lists for walking trips etc

if it's a basic list then it's on my phone, if it's a detailed list then it might be on a spreadsheet. means I don't forget key things like a charging cable or a headtorch etc

Get a mindfulness app' and practice that. The problem might not be the packing per se, but that you have a bit more or are prone to stress and anxiety, it then pops up in some situations and packing is the common one. If you can manage yourself and the feelings of getting stressed (i.e. mindfulness - I know it's a phrase with a bit too much hippy / hipster baggage ;-)) then the act of packing might become simpler / easier / a manageable task.

I fully admit this is half-arsed psychology

I could do with a list. First night of my recent trip I was desperate for a brew when i eventually stopped to find I'd packed a different stove and I needed a lighter....which I hadn't got. Had to settle for just an ice cold banana for dinner

I get exactly the same thing before a trip away. Invariably through everything into the van (even multiple bikes), then have another massive gaff the morning before the ride, consulting the latest weather forecasts then deciding what to take. I’m actually quite good at the TLS thing, but have accumulated far to many kit options to choose from, and always seeking ways to optimize, often resulting in more kit purchases, and the production of elaborate spreadsheets, with all the items (and weight, of course), grouped into functional areas... I also have a lot of space in the van!

Definitely OCD.

If you’re in a camper or in holiday, then who cares. If I go away, some things will be packed double (might take two waterproofs in case something happens to another). Packing a van or going in holiday is different to carrying stuff on the bike, to which I’ll take the minimal that I think I’ll need

Lists are the answer for me. Write it a few days before and I find the worry of forgetting something goes away, plus my subconscious is adding things I've forgotten. It's always paper so I can cross things off as they go on or in, plus I keep the list for the next trip to use as a reminder.

The secret is to not have so much stuff in the first place. You don't have it, you can't pack it and you certainly can't dither over which item to take.

But thanks for the reminder that I need a cull around here. :)

Greetz

S.

Is it simply not part of your nature / make-up Duncan, one of those things that makes you who you are? I'm probably at the opposing end of the scale and should perhaps learn to give a larger percentage of toss about stuff

voodoo_simon wrote:If you’re in a camper or in holiday, then who cares. If I go away, some things will be packed double (might take two waterproofs in case something happens to another). Packing a van or going in holiday is different to carrying stuff on the bike, to which I’ll take the minimal that I think I’ll need

Yep. That.

slarge wrote:Lists are the answer for me. Write it a few days before and I find the worry of forgetting something goes away, plus my subconscious is adding things I've forgotten. It's always paper so I can cross things off as they go on or in, plus I keep the list for the next trip to use as a reminder.

Exactly this.

The very act of writing something down helps you remember it... of course, the fact that you've also written it down decreases the chance you'll forget it either way

I'm generally terrible for being organised, however I have managed to make a spreadsheet for my next trip, it's a 3 weeker so i'm desperately trying to be good and bring the 'bear' minimum. There was a bikepacker who made an online kit list generator where you entered the item and its weight, and it created a lists and pie chart too. Looked pretty good, but can't remember for the life of me where I saw it. any ideas?