Forget something?
Taking a break from the "deep thought" posts. It's been sunny the last few days and I've done what I can to take advantage of that.
I start writing lists when I was in college. The first list was what I'd take when I moved into the dorms. Once I joined the rowing program, the lists became items that I'd need on a regatta - uniform, the jacket, jeans, spare clothing, etc. - and the lists slowly began to evolve from those humble beginnings.
The concept of the list came from my dislike of packing ahead of time. I found that whenever I packed early, I'd pack something that I'd want or need - usually want, and usually a clothing item - and so when it came time to leave, I'd forget the item or it would need to be washed. Usually it was straight forgotten. Regattas, or my trip to Oklahoma City last December? Packing the night before. Some times if we're leaving late I pack the day of. Because of this practice, lists aren't just desirable, but a necessity.
How I write down my list depends on the length of the trip. If I'm going to be gone at a regatta where we're gone between 24 - 36 hours, I just write down what I'll need and go from there. If the trip is longer than 48 hours for a trip like WIRAs - 4 to 5 days - or a vacation, then I will end up dividing up my list into categories: clothing, bathroom, electronics, entertainment/misc.
Lists go beyond simply packing for a trip. I use lists for food shopping for a regatta - you really need to when you're working with a larger or hungrier group - chores on the boats or at the boathouse, when I have a rather heavy workload for the day or week, the instances are many and varied. Currently my favorite, "list" tool, beyond the classic pen and paper routine, happens to be Google calendar - though I am regretting linking it to my phone.
I also use lists at regattas so I know when I want to launch a boat, when we should meet, warmups, lane assignments, etc. This way I'm less reliant on being able to brain when things go wonky at a race because they can and do with alarming regularity, and able to better plan and adjust when those random acts of life or nature rear their heads in an untimely manner.
I start writing lists when I was in college. The first list was what I'd take when I moved into the dorms. Once I joined the rowing program, the lists became items that I'd need on a regatta - uniform, the jacket, jeans, spare clothing, etc. - and the lists slowly began to evolve from those humble beginnings.
The concept of the list came from my dislike of packing ahead of time. I found that whenever I packed early, I'd pack something that I'd want or need - usually want, and usually a clothing item - and so when it came time to leave, I'd forget the item or it would need to be washed. Usually it was straight forgotten. Regattas, or my trip to Oklahoma City last December? Packing the night before. Some times if we're leaving late I pack the day of. Because of this practice, lists aren't just desirable, but a necessity.
How I write down my list depends on the length of the trip. If I'm going to be gone at a regatta where we're gone between 24 - 36 hours, I just write down what I'll need and go from there. If the trip is longer than 48 hours for a trip like WIRAs - 4 to 5 days - or a vacation, then I will end up dividing up my list into categories: clothing, bathroom, electronics, entertainment/misc.
Lists go beyond simply packing for a trip. I use lists for food shopping for a regatta - you really need to when you're working with a larger or hungrier group - chores on the boats or at the boathouse, when I have a rather heavy workload for the day or week, the instances are many and varied. Currently my favorite, "list" tool, beyond the classic pen and paper routine, happens to be Google calendar - though I am regretting linking it to my phone.
I also use lists at regattas so I know when I want to launch a boat, when we should meet, warmups, lane assignments, etc. This way I'm less reliant on being able to brain when things go wonky at a race because they can and do with alarming regularity, and able to better plan and adjust when those random acts of life or nature rear their heads in an untimely manner.
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