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— Dana Rayburn, author
Decisions come hard for ADHD adults, and packing a suitcase means decisions galore! "What outfit do I wear Saturday night?" and "How much can I fit into my suitcase?" are two of them.
The typical approach for ADHD adults is to pack their entire wardrobe. The last time I went on a cruise, I packed enough outfits to change my clothes six times a day. Since then, I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, and I now teach others how to cope with situations like the one I've mentioned. Here are four of my favorite packing tips:
1) MAKE A LIST. Type a standard list of necessary items for every kind of trip you take (I have a list for business trips, camping trips, ski trips, and family car trips.) Print out your lists and place each in a plastic paper protector in a small binder labeled Travel Lists, and put that binder some place conspicuous. I keep mine on the cookbook shelf in the kitchen.
Each time you pack for a trip, open the binder to the correct list. As you put each item in your suitcase, mark it off the list with a dry-erase marker.
2) PLAN YOUR OUTFITS BY THE DAY. If you're going on a business trip, you'll be traveling to your destination, going to your meeting, heading somewhere nice for dinner, and doing a little sightseeing before leaving Sunday morning. There's no need to pack a full wardrobe for a three-day trip. Organize your outfit list like this:
> Friday (travel day): jeans, blue blouse, black sweater, sneakers.
> Saturday (business meeting): black slacks, green blouse, black flats, pearl necklace, and watch.
> Saturday evening (dinner): dress, paisley scarf, black pumps, teardrop earrings.
> Sunday (sightseeing and returning home): jeans, pink T-shirt, gray sweatshirt, sneakers.
3) USE THE "SMASH IT" TRICK. For stuff that doesn't wrinkle — socks, underwear, and sweaters — stuff items in large Ziploc bags and smash the bags to squeeze the air out. The clothes will take up less space in the suitcase.
4) USE DRY-CLEANING BAGS AND HANGERS. This idea, which came from cruisediva.com, can save you time. When you pack, keep clothes on their hangers. Next, cover them with dry-cleaning bags and do a simple fold-over in your suitcase. Not only is it painless to unpack (just hang up the item), but you won't have to worry about wrinkled tops and pants.
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This article appears in the Winter issue of ADDitude.
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To read and share tips for ADHD daily living, visit the ADHD Adults support group on ADDConnect.
