Sometimes, getting ready for a vacation is worse than the chaos of coming home from one! I mean, sometimes it seems like the small to do’s are getting endlessly added to your list!

The best thing you can do to manage the list, is to just focus on one thing at a time. You may even need to consider breaking the list down into logical sections for how you can tackle the lists. You may need to have a list of things you can do in the evening vs things to do during the day, or things you can do with the kids around, or even things you can get others to help with.

You will eventually work your way down your “to do before we go” list. I mean, eventually you just leave, so at that point, it’s done! Right?

If at all you feel overwhelmed looking over your list, and counting down the hours or days before you leave, stop looking at the whole list! There is nothing that says you have to do it all…right now!! So just highlight one thing from the list, then cross it off. Then pick another one, and do that one too!

When you’re stressed and trying to knock many multiple things off your list at once, and you’re focusing on the whole list – it’s easy to forget where you were, or where you were going, or even what task you were actually trying to accomplish. Whether you hastily get your list done in a haphazard way, or if you work on each task one at a time, you will likely end up with the same accomplished tasks. The nice thing about the one by one approach, is that you might actually remember where you packed that random thing you knew you would need right away – because you were focusing solely on that task!

It can sometimes feel like the time is passing too fast and there is no way you can get everything done – so you may need to start prioritizing your list. Or ask others for help!

There’s no award for getting it all done before you go away, just like there’s not likely any real consequence to you not getting something done ahead of time. Just work through the list. It’s all you can really do! If you know it’s a big list and will take a lot of time, just keep going.

Also, make sure you keep your expectations realistic. A couple days before going away is probably not the best time to repaint your walls – there’s likely more pressing things to be done. It might be more reasonable to make an extra meal for your return home, or to try to clean toilets, so they feel clean when you run in the door to pee in your very own toilet when you get home! But even that – there’s nothing wrong with not getting to those things if you run out of time.

I love white boards for lists – they are SOOO easy to change with every fleeting thought or reminder you need for yourself as you plan to leave for any vacation. I can quickly jot things down to remember, or to ask of others, or even to keep track of fun activities while you’re away. Plus, it’s very fun to swipe my finger across my ‘done’ items and erase them for good…well…for now anyway!

Happy prepping for vacations!

Thanks for coming home!