Mastering the Art of Planning:
Our 8-Month To-Do ListHello, friends. I love a good list, so today I’m sharing how I approached the planning that paved the way for our current adventure. If you’re a fellow organization-lover like me, read on. If you’re not… this post may be overwhelming; continue with care 😉.
The Birth of the ‘Big List’
Our year abroad has a long-cherished dream, hatched when I first learned of the BC Public Service’s salary deferral program more than seven years ago…
(Side note: if your organization offers something similar, and you think you want to take some time away to travel at some point, I highly recommend signing up. Joining the program committed us to the goal, and I’m not sure we’d be doing it now, if we hadn’t made that financial and mental pledge years ago.)
…But we all know that a dream needs a plan. When COVID hit, we weren’t sure what future travel would look like, and we stopped dreaming about destinations for a year or two. But as life settled back into the new normal around 2021/22, we dove in. Our trip was by then two years away and we knew the time would fly.
I started by immersing myself in the stories of fellow travellers who had embarked on similar journeys and blogged their way through. Because I’m an over-researcher, I read a whole bunch and jotted down EVERYTHING. This research laid the foundation for my Big List.
The Big List: Our Roadmap
The Big List was a comprehensive compilation of everything we needed to do before we could set off on our adventure. It ranged from the practical (visa applications and vaccinations) to the emotional (saying goodbye to friends and family). It was a daunting list, I am not going to lie.
Breaking It Down into 2-Month Chunks
With the Big List in hand, I needed a strategy to tackle it. In April 2023, I sat down with my laptop, a giant mug of coffee, and a determination to organize the list into achievable milestones. Breaking the countdown tasks into four lists, each over a two-month time period.
May/June: Laying the Foundation
The planning journey kicked off by focusing on the essentials. This meant nailing down our route a bit more solidly, researching visa requirements, and setting a budget, among other tasks. It was a period of foundational work that set the stage for what was to come.
Sept/Oct: Preparing for Departure
With autumn approaching, our to-do list became increasingly action oriented. We booked first flights and accommodations, began downsizing our possessions, and researched vaccinations, insurance, home rental options, and money options while away. I think this was the most stressful time for me, as a lot of things began to solidify but there was still a lot that couldn’t be completed until closer to our departure (aka, I couldn’t check things fully off my list!).
July/Aug: Getting Down to Details
As summer rolled around, the focus shifted to finer details. We dove into researching destination details, meeting with professionals to update our legal documents, looking into various schooling options, and checking expiry dates on important licenses and cards.
Nov/Dec: Final Touches
With our departure date hurtling at us quickly, the final two months were all about wrapping up loose ends. We obtained the required vaccinations, set up our travel insurance, rented our home, sold / donated a ton of our belongings, packed our bags, and tried to spend as much precious time with family and friends as we could before we left.
The Power of Planning
Breaking the countdown into 2-month chunks had a big impact on the planning. Each period had its unique set of tasks, which gave us a sense of accomplishment as we completed them. Our planning, driven by the Big List and divided into manageable segments, slowly but surely brought this years-long idea to a reality. It turned an overwhelming task into a series of achievable goals.
So, here’s to the joy of checking off a to-do list, one step at a time. Happy planning!
Phenomenal strategy!
It was all Sean, of course 😉