Show Notes

Episode 121: Productive Preparation


Shannon and Janine are both taking trips the first week in September that require a good deal of preparation. This week we discuss how we’ve been trying to be plan productively without letting perfectionism hold us up.

Discussion topics include:

  • The paradox of 2020: How can it only be September and also how is it September already?
  • How we’re trying not to let perfectionism get in the of planning our upcoming trips
  • Shannon’s trip next week from to eastern Oregon towing an RV behind her SUV
  • Janine’s upcoming 29-hour drive from St. Louis to eastern for her father’s 90th birthday
  • How Janine is using Trello to help her plan what to pack for her journey
  • How taking away the unknowns and breaking down the trip into days helped Janine get her arms around the long trip
  • How it’s so easy to spin your wheels while trying to prepare when there’s uncertainty involved
  • Shannon’s Post-it note trip planning method
  • Planning routes based on elevation (so smart!)
  • Covering contingencies with a paper map!
  • The difference between worrying about things you can’t control and thinking about those things you can control
  • How one’s perception of a situation can influence its reality

Links:

  • Furkot, the -trip planner Janine used to determine where to spend the night
  • Episode 116: Marginal Value, in which Janine tries to figure out whether to drive or to Walla Walla
  • Stitcher, the app Janine used to create a great podcast episode playlist for her trip

1 thought on “Episode 121: Productive Preparation”

  1. Boy, your travel styles are different from mine! In 1997, I threw a tent, a sleeping bag, and my dog into my convertible and took off on a four-month, 18,000-mile road trip through the American West. Not one reservation, and I had never camped a day in my life unless you count Brownie camp. Also, when I ran out of gas in front of the Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal, I decided it was a sign and went to Alaska for three weeks. I called my mom and asked her if she wanted to come and she said, “Always.” She hopped on a plane that day. Actually, whenever my mother and I traveled together, we would get in the car and say, “Medicine? Check. Money? Check. Credit Cards? Check. If we forgot anything, we can buy it on the road.”

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