How to Jump Start your Morning Routine

I'm the WORST at waking up. Number one, I sleep like a brick. Number two, I will EASILY push snooze on my alarm clock 7-10 times every morning. Ask anyone who has ever shared a house with me, and they can attest. [At this time, I'd like to apologize to my parents, my sister, old roommates, anyone who has had to share a hotel with me on work or church trips, friends who've invited me to slumber parties, neighbors who might've had thin walls, and of course, Nathan.]

I've tried many variations of giving myself reason to wake up, and none of them stuck. But, for 2017, I set some goals for myself. No, none of the goals were to wake up early. BUT, when I realized that many of my goals could be accomplished simply by changing my morning routine, it was a no-brainer! The cost-benefit analysis is undeniable!

3 Tips for Jump-Starting your Morning Routine:

1. Have a Plan - For me, I'm a lot better at waking up if I have a plan or schedule of what I'm going to be doing; essentially WHY I need to wake up early. I keep my goals in mind and remember that waking up early helps accomplish, not just one, but many of my goals. Figure out what your goals are and work to accomplish those goals when you first wake up!

Meditate on What is Important: As a Christian, my relationship with Jesus Christ is very important. But learning more about Him through studying, reading, and praying is also important. I designate 30 minutes in the morning for reading my Bible. This gives me time to think and pray about his promises, grace, and mercy he has for us. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to and end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23. So, maybe you aren't a Christian, or you don't care about reading the Bible. Find something that is important to you and focus on that. Whether you're a Christian or not, everyone has something to be grateful for. Journaling is a great option. Thinking about these things helps to clear my mind and restart for this day. 

Be Productive: One thing we have been trying to get better at is keeping our house continually tidy. The first step for me was getting rid of some stuff, but the second step is keeping the stuff we have in an orderly fashion. I have said for most of my life that everything I own has a place and when everything is in it's place, my house is clean. Well....Nathan does not share this philosophy, and I have let myself morph into his ways. Anyway, the point is, I have time set aside to do some chores before work. For some people "being productive" could mean exercising, or working on a home project.

Remember your Family and/or Housemates: We don't have children, but we do have pets, of which all are needy.... Koba and Yuki are pretty low maintenance in the morning (they just need to be fed), but Justice needs to be let out to go to the bathroom, fed, and taken for a walk. I also make Nathan's lunch (and sometimes even his breakfast). Remembering that people/animals are relying on you to take care of them, can be a real motivation.

2. Prep at Night - I've been doing this for quite a long time, mainly because I always knew I hated getting up, so might as well do as much as possible the night before so that I could sleep longer! 

Set out Clothes: Every night, I pick out my clothes, and lay everything out. This includes EVERYTHING, even socks, long johns, undershirts, etc. Anything I'm going to wear the next day is in a pile just waiting for me to put it on.

Prep Coffee and Breakfast: Every morning, all I have to do is push a few buttons and my coffee is made. I've already scooped the grounds and refilled the water the night before. This can be applicable if you drink smoothies for breakfast also. The night before, make sure your blender is clean, and set out the ingredients if possible.

Round up Supplies: Justice normally eats in his kennel and his food bowl sometimes winds up in the VERY back of his "room." When its in the back, I have to get on my hands and knees and stick my head into the kennel to be able to reach it! Anyway, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to do that when I first wake up! So I do it at night. I also make sure the cat's bowls are found as well. We keep all of the pet supplies all together, so I never have to hunt for Justice's leash, harness, or sweater for his walk. Gather any supplies you will need for the next day; pet supplies or other supplies. 

Note: I also take my showers right after I get home from work in the afternoons. This gives me more time in the mornings to do other things, and allows for my hair to air dry before I have to go to bed. This won't work for everyone, but that's what I do.

3. Avoid Time-Suckers - Time-suckers are things that don't add any substance to your life. They're just something to pass the time. Sometimes, I think time-suckers are OK, if you need a break or some time to do something that requires almost zero brown power. But  wasting your life away doing [essentially] nothing is a bad habit to start or to continue. Instead, I've chosen to fill my time reading, which still could be considered a pointless activity to some people. But trust me, you'll feel like less of a lazy bum if you read.

Binge-Watching: Binge-watching Netflix or some other TV source is a bad idea on a weekday. Sure, I love a good binge watch, and there's no denying that. But watching 3 hours of TV on a day before you are trying to wake up early wastes a lot of time AND does nothing to accomplish any goals! (Unless one of your goals, is to spend as much time watching TV as possible....) Additionally, its a bad idea to watch TV right before bed, especially certain types of shows. They could cause unsettled sleep or it might give you nightmares (cue inside joke with my childhood best friend.... you know who you are).

Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, Vine, Pinterest. Those are just the apps on my phone. I know for sure that more exist, and more are to come in the future. Honestly, its crazy how much time and energy we devote to staring down at our phones and/or tablets. I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, but I decided for myself that I am not going to look at any social media in the morning, until I am sitting in my work parking lot. I don't even look at my phone at all except to turn of the alarm, and to check my text messages right before I leave for work.


I started my new morning routine at the beginning of the new year, and I waited to publish this post to ensure my methods would work. 5 1/2 months in, I can confidently say that Having a Plan, Prepping at Night, and Avoiding Time-Suckers are key ingredients to Jump-Starting your Morning Routine. It worked for me, and hopefully it will work for you!

Why New Year's Resolutions Don't Work

On one hand, I think New Year's Resolutions are dumb. What is stopping people from starting new things at any point, regardless of the month or time of year? For example, we made some resolutions in November, but you can't really call them New Year's Resolutions....So instead we started calling them initiatives, which just cracks me up because it always reminds me of the Dharma Initiative from LOST.

On the other hand, I always make New Year's Resolutions, even if I don't voice them out loud. So that's the situation. 

Anyway, instead of telling you my New Year's Resolutions, I'm going to tell you My Initiatives, which I made at the start of the beginning of 2017. Trust me, resolutions and initiatives are not the same thing.

My Initiatives

Initiative #1: Read the Bible from cover to cover. Several years ago, my parents gave me a chronological Bible. I've attempted doing this before, but sadly, unsuccessful. I think 2017 is the year to start doing this every year. I'm pretty resolute on achieving this, and continuing it every year.

Initiative #2: Stay on top of the laundry. I hate laundry. Its not that I hate washing, drying, or folding. It's that I hate the actual putting up of the clothes. I don't know what it is about this specific chore, but I will put it off for weeks until there is nowhere for us to sit in the living room. It's terrible.

Initiative #3: Become less attached to my phone. This has bothered me for quite some time, but I didn't have the willpower to make it happen yet. Now, though, I have decided to follow through. Step one is not having the first thing I do in the mornings and the last thing I do at night be looking at social media. Its crazy how dependent people are on their phones and they don't even realize it! 

Initiative #4: Read more. I made a personal goal to read two books per month. Reading is a strange thing for me.... I truly like to read, but honestly, I FORGET that I like to read. So then, I don't read. I guess there are just too many distractions to remember that I like to do this (see Initiative #3).

Initiative #5: Watch less Netflix. I always pride myself that we don't have cable and that the only show that I religiously watch is Survivor. But who am I kidding, I binge watch on Netflix and sometimes it gets way out of hand. In 2016 alone, I watched the complete series of Parks & Recreation, Friends, LOST, and Gilmore Girls. Add in multiple seasons of Survivor, House of Cards, Fuller House (don't judge me), The Walking Dead, Grey's Anatomy, and Veronica Mars. So, my initiative is to only watch one episode at a time, unless Nathan and I are watching it together.

So, the problem with New Year's Resolutions, at least for me, is that a plan isn't made. Don't believe me? Just take a look at the definitions.

Resolution: a firm decision to do or not do something

Initiative: an act of strategy intended to resolve a difficulty or improve a situation, a fresh approach to something.

A resolution is a decision. An initiative is a strategy. So what are my strategies?

My Strategies

Strategy #1: Get an actual alarm clock. I'm terrible (and I mean terrible) at waking up when my alarm goes off. I blame this, in part, because my phone alarm clock is not annoying enough and too easily accessible. So, I moved my phone charger on the other side of the bedroom and found an old alarm clock to put on my bedside table. I still use my phone alarm clock, but I use the more annoying normal alarm clock as sort of a "pre-alarm," as if to say, "ok, your phone alarm is about to go off in 2 minutes so get ready to get out of the bed." 

Not only is this great for actually waking up fast instead of pushing snooze 7 times (sorry Nathan), but it also helps with many of my initiatives. Waking up early (2 hours before I wake up), gives me plenty of time to spend time in the word (initiative #1) and do some chores (initiative #2). It also gives me plenty of time to walk Justice before work, make lunches for us, and eat breakfast. Additionally this helps with getting less reliant on my phone (initiative #3). As a side note, I have a rule with myself to not check my phone until right before I head out the door (and only for the purpose of checking texts or reminders). That gives me 2 hours of phone-free time!

Strategy #2: Read instead of watch Netflix. This is pretty cut and dry. When I have the urge to reach for the remote, instead I have made an effort to reach for a novel instead. This helps me achieve reading 24 books throughout the year (initiative #4) AND watching less Netflix (initiative #5). Additionally, this helps out with being less attached to my phone (initiative #3). When you're watching TV or a movie, its so easy to text or be on social media at the same time. But it is impossible to be looking at your phone and reading a book simultaneously.

Strategy #3: Leave my phone facedown. This is sort of a generic way of me saying forget about my phone and focus on what I am actually DOING. So if i'm at work, there is no reason for me to check my phone every 15 minutes. I'm not that popular to be getting texts all the time. I've also started leaving my phone when I am planning to have social interactions. Whether its having dinner with Nathan, or attending a meeting at work, it is not unacceptable to let myself have my phone out and on the table. For one, it's rude, and for two (again) I'm not that popular.

Note: I would just turn my phone completely off during the day, but if you'll recall, I AM a safety person, so it is hard-wired for me to be prepared both at work and at home, in the case of an emergency, or if my sister is going into labor.

My Progress

So far, the waking up early strategy has been extremely helpful. Waking up and having plenty of time to do exactly what I need to do is great. Normally, I'm against getting places super early (unless its the airport) because, I mean, why? Why get to a college class to just sit there and wait for 15 minutes when you could have had 15 minutes more of sleeping. Why get to a doctor's appointment early just to wait until you're actual appointment time? There's a reason business schedule people for specific times; and its because they are busy during the other times. So my philosophy has been (and still is) "get where you're going a few minutes early, just so that you're not late." BUT, I will say waking up early has helped me be productive, not only in the 2 hours before I leave for work, but also throughout my day. When I'm productive in the morning, I'm more productive at work, and when I get home. It's a cycle of productiveness. 

As of today, I have completed 2 books and am 2/3 finished with a 3rd. The trick for me at this point is to read 3 completely different books simultaneously. So, I've got one fiction, one fantasy, and one inspirational. Additionally, I'm still on track in my Bible.

I have only watched a few things on Netflix. Doing good so far.

The phone issue is a work in progress. I feel that not sleeping with it beside me is a HUGE help. But I'm also trying to teach myself to just be aware of the times when it creeps back in front of my face. It's a struggle, but I'm working on it. 

Hopefully, at the end of 2017, I will have a good report to write about. Hopefully I'll have different resolutions/initiatives for 2018 because I've already conquered my 2017 ones. We'll see. At least I know I have a strategy.

Silver Anniversary

A few weeks ago, my aunt and uncle celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. The Big Silver. That's what they call it, right? Maybe?

Regardless, Happy Anniversary Chris and Melissa! 

My mom was the big planner, although she would probably not take the credit if you ask her. She's modest that way.  She had the great idea to plan their surprise anniversary party over a month after their actual anniversary, that way, they would never see it coming! Perfect!

The party took place at church, after church, so a major component was that they did not go into the party area. Easier said that done. We devised many plans and backup plans to ensure that the party area was not breached. 

SUCCESS!

The first initial shock was followed closely by another shock: a slide show with all of their old photos. Again, another devious maneuver my my mastermind parents and cousins (Melissa and Chris' kids). 

Next, everyone ate some potluck lunch (thanks church traditions for the hilarious excuse for Melissa to bring food to her own surprise party!) and everyone congratulated and socialized with the happy couple.

Following the food portion of the party, came the "activity" portion. First, Melissa and Chris' daughter, Kaitlynn, and my dad sang a couple of songs that were sung at their wedding. 

The next activity was a version of the "Shoe Game" commonly played at weddings. In case you are unfamiliar, each person in the couple is given a photo of themselves, and a photo of the other person. They are asked questions like, "Who is the grumpiest in the morning" or "Who has the best taste in music" or "Who wears the pants in the relationship." This game is usually very fun for the audience as it leads to both funny moments and "awwwwww....." moments. 

The last "activity" was that guests were given the opportunity to say something nice or funny or commemorative about the couple.

The party could not have gone smoother! They were thoroughly surprised and everyone seemed to have a great time! Thanks to the (approximately) 150 guests who attended this event!

Here are some more photos from the party:

Click here to see the Silver Bottle Project!

Surviving an Emergency

I'm not a worrier. Plain and simple, I just don't worry. I know that what is going to happen in this world, will happen. Some things, you just can't change. If I am at work, and an armed gunman comes in my office, and fires shots at me before I can even look up from my computer, what would I do? What would you do?

The thing is, is that there is nothing you could do. You'd be bleeding out before you can dial 911 or reach for your (legally) concealed weapon.

One huge reason that I don't worry is because I understand that my life is in God's hands and that what is His Will, will happen. Matthew 6:33-34 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own." But that's not the only reason I don't worry. 

I don't worry about things that are out of control because I've made sure to control what I can control. 

I've always been a detail-oriented person, pretty much since birth. But if there's one thing that working in the safety profession has taught me, it's to always be aware. At work, I preach to people to be aware of their surroundings while they do their daily tasks. Watch out for things you could trip over; think about how lifting this heavy bag is going to affect your back; understand that using a weed-eater without earplugs increases your hearing loss, etc. There are so many things that we can do to protect ourselves, simply by being aware.

This is also applicable to emergencies. When you think about the word emergency, what comes to mind? You might think of a house fire, or a tornado touchdown, or a gunman at work. 

The definition of emergency is, "a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action." Ok, the first part is pretty much a no-brainier. It's the "...requiring immediate action" part that I want to focus on.... 

Knowledge is Power

Just like every job having its own set of safety issues, every area has its own set of emergencies. Florida has a much higher chance of a hurricane than Wyoming. New York has a much higher chance of a snow storm than Nevada. For me and Nathan specifically, we live in Memphis, Tennessee. We've taken the time to ponder and analyze what emergencies are the most likely to happen.

• Tornado
• House fires
• Zombie apocalypse
• Earthquake
• Terrorist Attack
• Flash flood
• Snow / Ice storm
• Biological disease release
• Atomic bomb

YOUR TURN. Think about different scenarios that could occur where you live. Be realistic. Obviously, a terrorist attack could happen anywhere, but its more likely to happen in a bigger city. A tornado can happen anytime, but it is more likely to happen during certain times of the year.

Severity and Frequency

Severity and Frequency are 2 words that are used often to evaluate occupational safety risks. The same principles can be applied in your own personal emergency plan. Determine the most "dangerous" emergency that could happen by analyzing the severity and frequency.

	Severity	Frequency
Tornado	2	5
House fires	2	2
Zombie Takeover	5	1
Earthquake	5	2
Terrorist Attack	4	2
Flash flood	1	5
Snow / Ice storm	1	3
Biological disease	4	1
Atomic bomb	5	1

YOUR TURN. Use your list you created from your research and try to determine which type of emergency should take priority. To be clear, when I talk about "severity" please don't misunderstand me. I realize that all of these situations would be severe, however, there are some situations that it is likely for you to survive. 

Additionally, realize that technology allows us to be aware of certain emergencies, which somewhat lowers the severity. Due to advances in the weather industry, we are able to predict and be alerted of many weather emergencies. But remember, every situation is different, so the more prepared you are, the better.

Ranking Priorities

Based on my own personal analysis, The two most significant emergencies for Memphis are Tornadoes and Earthquake. Tornadoes mainly because of the frequency, and Earthquakes because of the potential severity. Essentially, I just added the values of severity and frequency to determine overall significance.

Photo retrieved from geiologyinmotion.com

You're thinking, "Earthquake, you say? Hmmm...." This is where the importance of research comes into play. Many people know of the San Andreas Fault and the whole California-is-going-to-break-off theory. Similarly, Memphis is supposedly due for a huge earthquake because of the New Madrid Fault. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has filed reports stating that an earthquake in this zone could result in "damage to structures affecting water distribution, transportation systems, and other vital infrastructure. The earthquake is expected to also result in thousands of fatalities, with more than 4,000 of the fatalities expected in Memphis alone."

YOUR TURN. What is the most significant emergency risk where you live?

Prepare for the Worst

If a catastrophic earthquake were to occur (and our house was still in tact) and we were safe, it doesn't necessarily mean we're out of the woods, yet. When a massive earthquake happens, it would affect the power lines, telephone lines, road systems, water systems, etc. 

So, the real question is, how do you prepare for that? Here are some things to think about:

• If there are no telephone lines and no cellular lines, how will I communicate with my family or friends to let them know the plan?
• If there are broken roads or bridges, how will I leave the city if I need to?
• If there is no electricity, how will I use my debit card to buy fuel or food?
• If roads are blocked (due to earthquake flooding), how will I know where to go without my GPS? 

YOUR TURN. Think about issues that would arise if just one emergency happened in your city. What are all of the dominoes that would fall? So much is connected these days due to technology. This is convenient now, but it is training us to become VERY reliant on it. What would happen if you had to learn to survive? Are you ready?

Get Ready

Ok, so you have all this knowledge of all these situations that would devastate your life. Now what?.... 

Nathan always says, "I can't control what other people do. I can only control how I react to what they do." We can use this same principle in preparing for emergencies. You can't control if an earthquake occurs, or if zombies start taking over, or if an active shooter is in Kroger. But you CAN control how you react.

YOUR TURN. Hopefully, this post has helped to get your wheels turning on how you can get ready. Here are some specific things you can do in the near future to make sure you are ready:

• Gather your "Emergency Kit" supplies
• Determine your "Escape Plan." Think about where you and your family will go if you need to leave your home or city.
• Agree on a "Communication Plan." Figure out how you are going to communicate if there are no power lines, or no telephone lines, or no cell phone lines. This might just mean, "Ok, if we are separated when disaster strikes, we will meet *here*"
• Make sure everyone in your household knows this plan. When panic sets in, you want to have the least variables as possible.
• If you own a gun, make sure every adult in the house is knowledgeable about how to shoot it. Even if everyone doesn't carry, its a good idea for everyone to know HOW to use it.
• If you have young kids, make sure they understand about gun safety

Thinking about emergencies is sometimes scary, because it forces you to think about things that could change your life forever. But I find, as you hopefully will too, that being prepared gives me peace of mind that I've done all I could do. And that's why I don't worry.

Photo courtesy of flickr

Christmas Movie Marathan

It's that time of year again to bring out all of my Christmas movies! I collect Christmas movies and I try to watch as many as I can every single year. This year is no different! 

During college, I would invite people over every single night to watch various movies with me (check this video out!)  I'm so excited this year, that I even made a calendar for Nathan and I to follow along!

What are your favorite Christmas movies? Leave a comment below!

November 29 - Charlie Brown Thanksgiving AND Charlie Brown Christmas
November 30 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas
December 1
December 2
December 3 - A Christmas Story
December 4 - The Polar Express
December 5 - Home Alone
December 6 - Home Alone 2
December 7 - Jingle All the Way
December 8 - Christmas with the Kranks
December 9 - The Nightmare Before Christmas
December 10 - Holiday Inn
December 11 - The Santa Clause
December 12 - The Santa Clause 2
December 13 - Saturday Night Live Christmas
December 14 - Elf
December 15 - The Family Stone
December 16 - Love Actually
December 17 - This Christmas
December 18 - Christmas Vacation AND The Muppets Christmas Carol
December 19
December 20
December 21
December 22 - Miracle on 34th Street
December 23 - It's a Wonderful Life
December 24 - White Christmas
December 25
December 26

6 Things to Take Advantage of at Disney World

Disney World is definitely a trip you have to save up for, we all know that. But Disney also offers a lot of free tools and perks that comes with the vacation. Here are some things you need to take advantage of on your Disney Vacation. 

1. Disney World App. On any smart phone, you can get the Disney World app, which gives you so much insight when you're planning what to do. It gives you your itinerary of any dining reservations you've made and/or Fast Pass ride selections, which is (I think) its main purpose. However, it does SO MUCH MORE. Its got real time maps that use your GPS to show you which attractions you're close to AND up-to-date wait-times! This is extremely helpful if you're trying to decide whether or not you want to walk across the park to ride a popular ride.

With the Disney World App, you can also make new dining reservations. Halfway through our trip we realized almost all of our reservations were Italian, so we decided to change one on the fly. You can few which restaurants are take reservations for specific time slots. Pretty handy if you change your mind, like we did.

Another perk for using the Disney World App is that you can view your PhotoPass pictures that have been captured on rides, with characters, or with any Disney photographer. Click here to see our ride photos (they're funny).

2. FastPass. A fast pass allows you to skip in front of other people in line so that your wait-time for a ride is exponentially shorter. You can get at least 3 a day, and sometimes after you use them all, you can get more.

PEOPLE, register for your fast passes... This is a free thing that anyone can do! It guarantees that you will be able to ride specific rides. Sure there are some restrictions, but why would you not do it? Even if you don't think you will use them, get them anyway!

Numbers 3-6are good things to take advantage of if you are staying at a Disney World Resort...

3. Disney Transportation. If you're staying at a Disney Resort, use their transportation. First off, it saves you gas.... Second of all, they know where they're going. No reason to get lost for no reason. 

Also, if you have a park hopper ticket, you can use Disney Transportation from park to park. This includes monorail systems, bus routes, and even boat rides! Check out each park's guide to find out about transportation for each. 

4. Refillable Mugs. If you are a heavy drinker (as in sodas....) then you should probably invest in a Disney Resort Refillable Mug. They are about $16, but if you consider that each individual drink is about $3, then the mug is a pretty good deal, regardless of if you get a dining plan or not.

The only thing to note, is that you cannot use the refillable mugs inside the parks, only at resorts. Still, its an excellent deal.

5. Extra Magic Hours. If you are staying at a Disney World Resort, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EXTRA MAGIC HOURS. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts. Only the people staying at a Disney Resort have access to these hours! This significantly decreases your wait-time for rides!

This is especially important if the extra magic hour is in the morning! Many people won't make an effort to wake up an EXTRA hour earlier after a long day. So, get your butt out of bed and get to the parks! One day, we literally rode Rock n' Roller Coaster once and Tower of Terror 3 times in just that one extra hour, because no one was there! Click Here to see our Disney World video.

6. Park Guides. This one is an old school one, but this doesn't even cross some people's mind. If you have to stand in line for an hour to ride a ride, doesn't it make sense to study the park guide THEN instead of waiting until you get off the ride. Be efficient with your time and plan the next few rides you want to ride or shows you want to see!

Check out more posts about our Disney World trip!

Disney World Mania Series

Things to Do in Disney World (video)

Our Ride Pictures

6 Things to Take Advantage of at Disney World

Favorite Things from Disney World

Planning is my Forte: Planning for the Move

To say that planning is my forte is a bit of an understatement. I think God created me to plan.  I'm not sure if I would categorize it as a talent, or a habit, or a compulsion, but plan, I must.

Although my planning can sometimes probably be annoying, it is an extremely handy habit to have at certain times of your life. Moving is one of those times. As soon as we officially decided to move, and we had seen the house, I started creating our Moving Plan.

First, I sketched out a floor plan. We named every room, to make the moving process a bit easier, and we decided where all of the major pieces of furniture would go. Additionally, we decided who would get which closets, and where all of our clothes should go. Its not that our new house has less storage space (in fact it has more), it just has.... different storage space. The closets are random shapes and are in what seems like odd places. But hey, its an old, unique house, so weird closets are to be expected.

Next, I used excel spreadsheet to create lists for every day. I worked backwards, as it was easier to pinpoint what needed to wait until the last day to pack. I also used color-coding to show events where we could not complete any packing/moving work, and I used bold font for important items.

As we completed each item, we would mark it off. I personally think think marking things off your list helps to create motivation because you can actually see your progress. Trust me, just looking at our house during the packing process was not the most encouraging. It seemed the more we packed, the messier it got! Now, I have to say, we did not stick to this plan completely, but it was still a good tool to see our progress.

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