I have always been an organized person. As a kid, I arranged my books by spine color, reading level or publisher. In middle school, I lived by my school assignment book. My addiction to to-do lists was solidified by highschool. And by college, I had mastered organization to the point where I was always a couple weeks ahead on reading and assignments and I never, ever pulled an all-nighter. You read that right: I had my papers done weeks in advance and got eight hours of sleep every night.

Lest you think I’m bragging, let me take you to the present day. My life has gotten so chaotic and disorganized that I frequently carry to-do lists over for weeks and don’t get around to changing out of my pajamas until 3:00 in the afternoon. It’s not uncommon for me to have a dozen half-started emails, three or four blog posts in progress, a Skype conversation open, an editorial calendar open, my Twitter feed scrolling along and articles in various stages open on my laptop, not to mention water boiling on the stove and kittens that need wrangling in the other room … all while on the phone.

So when it comes to planning the details for my travels, I downright suck, and I’m not even sure it’s because I’m a busy person. Booking flights and hostels are among those things that roll over from week to week until my husband puts his foot down and insists I do something about my procrastination if for no other reason than to ensure I don’t end up sleeping on the sidewalk in a busy city.

Continue Reading