Operational Guidance for Packing Too Early
The trip is in four days. The suitcase is open on the floor. Three items have been placed in it. The packing has begun.
OPERATIONAL GUIDE: Early-Stage Packing Behavior PREPARED FOR: People who open their suitcase four days before travel and consider the matter underway
STAGE ONE: The Opening
The suitcase is located. It is brought from storage and placed on a surface in the main living or sleeping area. No items are packed at this stage. The physical presence of the suitcase communicates that packing is in progress. The traveler notes that packing has begun.
Nothing has been packed. Packing has begun.
STAGE TWO: The Anchor Items
Two or three items whose presence in the suitcase is certain are placed in it. These are items that will definitely be needed, are not currently in use, and do not require any decision-making. Examples: a charger, a specific pair of shoes, a jacket that is too bulky for carry-on.
These items are placed in the suitcase. The suitcase may be closed at this point. The traveler feels productive.
Three items. Four days until departure. Stage two complete.
STAGE THREE: The Consideration Period
The suitcase is reopened on two or three occasions over the following days. On each occasion, items are considered for inclusion. Most items are not added because they are still in use, or because their inclusion creates decisions about which items they replace. The three anchor items remain. One might be removed because a different version of the same item is preferred.
The suitcase closes. The suitcase reopens. The contents shift by one item in either direction.
STAGE FOUR: The Night Before
This is when packing actually happens. The suitcase, containing the two or three items from Stage Two, is repacked from scratch in approximately twenty-five minutes. Everything that needed to be packed has been known since Stage One. The four-day consideration period did not add information.
OPERATIONAL NOTES:
Early packing provides a sense of control over a future event. The control is approximate: the packing will be redone. The sense of control is precise: the traveler knows where the suitcase is and has started.
This is sufficient. Stage one begins four days early. Stage four completes packing. The system works.