Packing Tips for People Who Hate Packing

Packing for a trip is hard work. I used to love preparing with an extensive packing list and starting the process weeks ahead of time. But now that I have kids, my feelings have changed. My time nowadays is far more strained, and the task of packing is larger and more complex than ever before. It’s been a little bit of an identity crisis for me, but I suddenly realized—I hate packing now.

I used to love it, and now I hate it. And that’s okay. This shift has made me more sympathetic to those friends of mine who have always waited until the last minute to pack a bag. I used to think y’all were crazy. But now I get it.

Since I used to love packing, though, I still have a few ideas for simple practices that anybody can do to help simply the packing process. Check out these 6 packing tips for people who hate packing.

How to Simplify Your Packing Process

1. Stay Focused

The best way to do anything is to focus on it. Instead of starting and stopping a bunch of times over the course of a week, time block it. In fact, feel free to wait until the last minute if you’d like! Just make sure that, once you start packing, you truly focus on it so that you can get it done as quickly as possible. You can listen to music while you pack, but don’t watch a TV show or do anything that would steal your attention away.

If you really dread it, plan to take some breaks, or even reward yourself every so often. Try the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focused work followed by 5 minutes of break time. This is a good strategy to prevent fatigue and ensure you can sustain focus for the length of all of your packing work.

The more you stay focused, the sooner you will done! It’s like ripping a band-aid off. Just do it.

2. Embrace Piles

Throw everything in a big pile and don’t worry about assembling it within your suitcase until the end. Gathering and assembling are two different activities, and it’s fastest to do them separately. Also, by waiting until the end to assemble your bag, you will likely save yourself some rework.

You might even consider choosing your suitcase after you see the size of your pile. Do you vary between needing a checked bag or a carry-on size? Don’t fret about the decision until you have to, which is after you’ve gathered everything.

3. Gather by Room

Gather items one room at a time instead of going down a packing list sequentially. This approach minimizes trips up and down stairs or wandering in circles around your house.

A list ensures you don’t forget anything, but it doesn’t provide the most efficient gathering pattern. If you want to use a list (which I do recommend), then check it in each room. Or just pack with your gut and check it at the very end.

4. Use Containers

Use a purse or basket or duffel bag as a “house purse.” The large suitcase is too big to carry from room to room, but if you just carry things by hand, it takes more trips. The solution? Use a smaller container to gather items, and then go dump them in your bigger pile or suitcase.

5. Get a Head Start

Set out these sub-containers ahead of time, and any time that you use something that you’ll need to pack, put it in there. You’ll get a head start! This sub-container is just where the things will live in the room until it’s time to pack…in a pile that will be packed.

This is especially helpful in primary living spaces that hold the most “miscellaneous” types of items—ex. kitchen, family room, office, mud room.

6. Check Your List

Check your packing list at the end of your gathering process. Once you feel like you have it all, then bring up the list.

Think through each of your body parts (feet, legs, body, head) through each part of the day (lounge time, activities, going out in the evening, sleeping, etc.). Do you have everything you’ll need?

If you don’t like to make packing lists, then work from a pre-printed catch-all list like this one or find a list online (see some of my packing lists here).

Best of luck with your packing, and happy travels!