Help. I need to pack and drive 80 miles tomorrow and I'm just kind of frozen

[Longcovid21]

I'm drained after a difficult Christmas and feeling slightly under the weather. I am mentally overwhelmed with the task of packing for me l, children and pets (including all the extra Xmas gifts) and worried I won't get everything in the car. Does anyone have any tips or advice please? I just don't know where to begin

Posting here for traffic sorry

Load the car tonight? One bag with your outfits in left to do tomorrow?

How many children/ pets? Are you going home? Is it 80 miles by motorway? Do you have a specific time you need to leave?

How old are the children, and can they pack? My DD loves packing her case (after a few brief instructions from me).
Or if you just cant face it - do you really have to go or can you call it off?

Are you staying overnight? If there's a washing machine then just pack a few outfits and extra jumpers for you and kids.
Then snacks, a few games, food for pets.

Put mn down and make a start

I'm travelling home. After an Xmas with family

Spend 10 minutes now doing something towards the task you need to complete. It doesn't matter what it is or whether it fits into what you need to do overall in a logical way.

Once you've broken the seal of inertia it will be easier to do more.

Do you need to 'pack'? Can you not just throw everything in the car?

Put something on your phone - music, podcast or iplayer and pack for an hour. Then go to bed. Get up a bit early and do the rest tomorrow. If you’re tired you’ll do shit packing so do it tomorrow instead. But I find distractions like watching something on my laptop helps, I carry it to whichever room I’m in.

DON'T pack things in the car tonight! Unless it's in a locked garage! You don't want any break-ins.
Put things inside by the door instead.

Go through the house methodically and collect all your things, make a list of things that have to be collected in the morning.
Check the weather forecast for tomorrow.
Make a list of things you need for the journey.
Make a list of things you need for the morning.
Pack things you don’t need today and tomorrow starting with the biggest ones and put them in the car.
Continue to pack, always starting with those you don’t need and the biggest.
Don’t involve relatives, always pack and put them in the car by herself one by one, to be sure it’s done (talking from bitter experience). Relatives could watch DC while you are packing.
Keep packing room closed while you are not here to make sure that nothing added/ taken by DC (talking from bitter experience again!)

Good point from @Bluetrews25

It's amazing how much stuff shrinks when you start putting it in bags.
Get a bag of dirty washing all zipped up.
Pack a bag in box with presents that won't get used til you get home then sit down with your family and have a nice last evening.
Tomorrow, stuff whatever needs packing into a receptacle and deal with it later in the week.
You don't have to pack presents you gave, so that will have created some space.
Depending on the age of the kids give them a bag each and get to fill with either clothes or toys (this is easier once dressed!) Or challenge them to ginc things you've missed in a room you think you have emptied.

80 miles isn't ridiculous to drive. You'll be fine.

I felt daunted just having to pack for 3 days for DS 10 for a residential trip. I found that it was much quicker once I started. Write a list of what you need.

If you did suitcases I always find it helpful to do a dirty clothes suitcase and a clean one. Any big supermarket bags you can shove things in? Much easier to pack to come home IME you just have to identify what's yours.

Do you have to go? You sound overwhelmed. Can you postpone?

I had to do this last week!! Gather everything into one area first into organised piles. You can do it! (and I was surprised how everything fit in my car!)

Oh it sucks, I sometimes get this dragging can't do it feeling about packing, too.

I can only suggest that you start doing it. Start with the easiest part of packing (quickest, least mental burden). See how far you get, how fast.

Do you have to go? You sound overwhelmed. Can you postpone?

Yes children have school unfortunately. I can work from anywhere at the moment though.

I will just go and do a little. It now. To break the seal of inertia as someone said. Thanks for the helpful tips. It's encouraging others have recently managed it.

Figure out what you’re all wearing tomorrow and leave that aside.
Open your bag/case and just put all the clothes that you need to pack into it.

Pack all the miscellaneous bits like any toys or books.
Tomorrow, pack all your toiletries after you’ve got ready and all your pet stuff.

I can only suggest that you come off mumsnet and just go for it! Nothing else for it.

Yes, just pack as much as you can tonight so you feel a but more in control, that way you should sleep better tonight (at least I would). Do you have to leave at a specific time tomorrow, or do you have time to take it slow and methodically?

How much stuff did you take away for xmas!

Good luck, worst case scenario if it doesn't all fit, can you leave some behind with your family to bring next time they visit you? Are you the only adult? I recently separated from H and I do feel overwhelmed sometimes doing all of everything. Good luck x