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gym bag organization

Gym Bag Essentials Checklist

By Blog, Checklists, Closet Organizing, Home Organizing, Time Management No Comments

Have you ever gone to the gym, worked out, showered and realized you forget to bring your towel?  Ooops, that’s no fun trying to dry yourself off with your sweaty workout clothes or sweaty gym towel.  Yuk!  Or have you ever forgot to bring body wash, realize your shampoo bottle is empty, forgot your flip flops, hair brush, blow dryer or the one thing you hope never happens to you, undergarments (oh my that’s uncomfortable).  A gym bag essentials checklist saves the day!  I’m sure you can relate one way or the other.  I know I can.  “Been there, done that” as they saying goes!

Create a Checklist for Routine Tasks

Going to the gym at 5:30 am is very early for me and I’m hitting the snooze button a few times to squeeze every last minute of shut eye that I can possibly get before I need to jump out of bed, get dressed, brush my teeth, grab my gym bag and go.  Just ask my husband.  I know I’m not alone on this one. Maybe you can relate to this as well.

Use Checklists for Routine Tasks

Since going to the gym was a new routine and I didn’t like wasting time in the morning or having a really bad hair day, the logical side of me decided to create a gym bag essentials checklist. One of my top tips on how to organize your life is to create checklists for routine tasks you do on a regular basis, like packing your gym bag three times a week.

So I sat down at my computer and created my first gym bag essentials checklist and you can download it here and create your own. It’s super easy when you have something to look at and follow. So take my Gym Bag Essentials Checklist and make it your own.

Create Multiple Copies

Getting organized is easy when you know what to do and how to do it. This leads me to another one of my top organizing tips when using checklists. Create multiple copies and place them where you’ll see them. Place a copy of your checklist in your gym bag, by your toothbrush and in your toiletries bag. These are all logical places and great reminders to help jog your memory so you don’t forget to pack what you need in your gym bag.

Time-saving Workouts

Organizing your gym bag is one thing to accomplish, it’s another to actually go and work out!  Driving to the gym, working out for an hour, then driving back home or to work can take 1.5 hours out of your day and frankly who has that kind of time when there is so much to get done today.  Thankfully there are some very effective workouts that you can do at home or when you travel.  My favorite workout is JJ Virgins 4×4 video’s that I can watch on my laptop, iPad or iPhone if I really wanted to.  JJ’s Fit Clut 4×4 video’s pack a whole of of workout in 15 minutes and you can modify them when you’re travelling.

Gym Bag Essentials Checklist for Peace of Mind

The next time you forget to pack something, ask yourself “do I have a checklist for that?”  And in case you’re one of those people who are always running late and dashing out the door wondering if you forgot something, take 15 minutes now to create a simple checklist for certain routine tasks.  Checklists are one of the best ways to getting organized and will give you peace of mind that you’ll have what you need when you need it!

 

Vacation Planning- A Checklist Template to Make it Easy

By Blog, Free Articles, Home Organizing, Quick Organizing Tips No Comments

checklistMy Experience

For over 15 years my family has been going to the same time-share vacation where we relax by the pool reading books, golfing, bike rides, tennis, and having fun playing card games with the kids.  Our family shares a tradition of daily ice-cream buffet after dinner.  Yummy!  Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.  The kids love this and there are all kinds of toppings, gummy bears, sprinkles, Oreo cookies and other treats to pile on the three different flavours of ice-cream.  Using the whip cream maker, with real whip cream, to top off our sundaes is a favorite for the kids. In truth it is a fun treat for everyone.  I could live on  ice cream!

 The AH-HA Checklist Moment

After a few years of packing too much stuff to take with us, planning the meals and buying groceries, I had an ah-ha moment.  Hey, we take the same things every year, and I’m wasting a lot of time planning out the meals. Not to mention trying to find out what everyone likes to eat and who’s bringing what.  Often times, there would be too much food and we would end up doubling up on purchasing some things.  Finally, I decided to simplify the planning and packing process for this family vacation.  I created a meal plan, grocery list and packing checklist.  What a huge time saver these checklists were for us, and other family members.  Not to mention a great way to help save money.

We keep the meals simple, healthy and easy to prepare.  Then add in a few special treats.  Creating the meal plan is now easy every year.  All I need to do is find out how many are coming, any changes in food preferences, decide how many days we’ll be golfing and I can easily adjust the meal plan and grocery list accordingly.  We bring several items from home and buy fresh produce when we arrive.  You’ll also notice that there are columns to check off who’s going to bring what items on the checklist.  It literally takes me 20 minutes each year to adjust the meal plan and grocery checklist.   And get this, family members email me in advance asking for the packing checklist and grocery checklist so they can be organized.  See, you can even organize your entire family with a few simple checklists (ha, ha, ha)!

Don’t reinvent the wheel, I’ve attached all three checklists for so that you can customize it for your unique summer vacation.  You will see how simple these checklists are – no need to get super fancy here.  This document was created in MS Excel and inside the document are three seperate “sheets” or “documents” – Menu, Groceries, and Packing List.  I’ve done all the hard work for you by creating the document, now it’s your turn to tweak it for your summer vacation.

This summer, save time, reduce stress and relax knowing that you have a checklist and you’ve packed what you needed!

Post a comment below if this packing checklist was helpful.  I love hearing from you all!

 Get your checklist template now-

DOWNLOAD HERE

Simple Organizing Tip of the Week

By Blog, Closet Organizing, Home Organizing, Quick Organizing Tips, Resources No Comments

Travel Supplies

If you are a frequent traveller, then it pays to buy a second set of travel cords and accessories.  Keep them in a small compact carry case so it’s easy to grab and carry on the plane with you, your purse or in the car.

Check out these cool noice reduction headphones and these space-saving packing cubes for your suitecase at Magellans travel store.

 

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