S is for stress.

As most of you know( At least those of you who were at the brunch on Saturday :)),
I am a very paranoid person.
Maybe not in the usual,'normal' ways some people are but I do have some strange practices.
Forgetting something is my biggest fear.

Like when packing.

When it comes to packing for ANY trip it gives me a huge headache.
Cause unlike a boy who just throws a couple tshirts into a back back, I am very thorough.

It usually going something like this.

1. Write out a detailed packing list including EVERYTHING I need, might need, probably don't need but there might be one instance where I might need it for some reason. This list goes down to the nitty gritty of everything I must take.
I play out every part of the day through making sure I have written down anything I need for anything.
I write this list out on the computer because a. it's easier b. it makes for a cleaner sheet of paper since I rewrite this list several times. c.I like to highlight and bold everything in different colours according to what they are used for, what area of the house they belong to, and if I have packed it or not.
Are you feeling the strain on your head yet?

2. Write out a planner.
Here is where I just get ridiculous.
I map out what I will be wearing together and which day they will be worn. Along with any accessories etc. that I might need.
This is more for my flighty mind which might start wearing bright orange shirts with bright red shorts because I just randomly grabbed it from my bag.

3. Gather everything together and try as hard as I can to actually fit all of the stuff from my list into my bag. That includes all the might needs and don't needs. Since I find that there is no way all of the stuff will be able to come that is when I being elimination process.

4.ELIMINATION: The basic idea of this is holding up every article I have just put in the bag and asking the obvious question,"Do I really need this?"
That usually gets rid of the toques I've packed for a summer getaway or the 17 shirts that I'm planning on wearing on my 3 day weekend trip.

And that's the simple way of putting my complicated procedure.

Notes: I mentioned color coding my list. And you might think that is crazy but I'll give you examples.
Blue for things that I cannot pack until the day I leave cause I need to use them up until that day.
Red for clothes I need to bring but I'll be wearing it the day I leave.
Green for things I want to have close to me all the time so I should carry them in my purse rather than my bag.

This was just a little tidbit of what I'm going through today as I try and prepare myself for leaving in 4 days for HAITI!