Time is Tickin

Ever realize how many things you accomplish when you're about to leave on vacation? One of the worst things is to leave pending tasks only to face them when you return (and more than likely they have somehow gotten worse), thus making the vacation seem pointless.

So there is this big rush (ok, sometimes panic) to get everything done before you leave. I become the most productive person right before a vacation. I know, it's sad, I should be like that everyday and most times I am. But there's a magical productivity that happens before a vacation.

This upcoming weekend we leave for St. Thomas. I'm so excited to get away, be in the sun, and not have anything on the schedule other than to relax & have fun ... for days, not just our typical 24-48 hours.

But the key to a fantastic vacation starts with the preparation. Must get everything done and get ahead of the game so you don't worry while you're away or come back to an utter nightmare. That goes for home and work. So this week, I am promising myself to not do the following (which I typically do leading up to a vacation);

1. I will not work until 2am the night before getting everything done - it will be done during the week.

2. I will not wait until 3am the night before to start laundry that I need for the trip.

3. I will not wait until the morning of the flight to start packing.

4. I will not lose the "to-pack" list which typically results in forgetting 10 things we need for the trip.

5. I will allow us plenty of time to get to the airport.

#5 is really for Nate. I'm overly anxious that I will miss every flight I take. Nate is not. Yes, he usually is right, "we had plenty of time". But all it takes is that one time where we didn't leave 5 minutes to spare and the security line is packed like it's the day before Thanksgiving or typical drivers of 395 congesting the freeway for absolutely no reason at all.

My point? Why risk it? So you might have to hang out at the gate for 15 more minutes than necessary - have a drink, relax and know you will not be missing your flight.

I also feel like you have a better vacation if you mentally prepare for a great time. Earlier this month I started adding a sticky note everyday to our bathroom mirror of something related to our upcoming trip to get us excited...

....yes, iguana feeding is on there. I'm intrigued and curious if I can get them to do this -

Here's wishing you and me a very productive week!

----

Has anyone been to St. Thomas or one of the Virgin Islands? Any tips or must sees for us?!