Packing Like A Pro

I hate packing. And when I say hate, I mean hate. There's literally not one thing I enjoy about it. Packing and I are mortal enemies. I firmly believe it exists only to make my life harder. And as much as I would love to pretend I just get it over with ahead of time, when it comes to doing stuff I hate, I'm a chronic procrastinator. I'm famous for getting my suitcase out well in advance and doing nothing with it. Usually I just leave it sitting on the floor in my bedroom in the hopes that it will somehow fill itself while I'm at work, like so. That hasn't worked out for me yet. 

With that said, I pride myself on how much I can cram into a single carry-on suitcase. When I opened my suitcase on a recent girls' trip to Nashville, one of my friends said something along the lines of, "Holy crap, you're like Mary Poppins . . . if she was a clothes-hoarder, I mean." I take that as a compliment. I'm all about avoiding checked-baggage fees, so carry-on is pretty much my only option. That or attempting to wear all of the clothes I need to bring with me. Here's how I make it work:

• Make a list and check it twice. I have to have a list. Otherwise I'm prone to doing things like packing 800 tops and forgetting the necessities . . . like my contacts. (Trust me when I say it's hard to be stylish when you can't even see.) Make a list of the essentials you need to bring, as well as specific items of clothing. Then lay it all out. This always comes in handy when I inevitably forget what I've packed on the bottom layer of my suitcase and am tempted to throw an 5-10 extra shirts on top, just in case.

• Outfit plan ahead of time. This is one of my least favorite things about packing. I hate having to decide what I'll wear ahead of time. I don't want to be limited - I love all my clothes equally! But outfit planning (and keeping track of it) is another must. Find some key pieces you can easily remix to create multiple outfits and figure out which shoes will work with which outfits. 

• Get rolling. The secret is rolling. I ROLL EVERYTHING. You'd be amazed at how much space you'll save. Rolled clothes, tights, and socks can get tucked into your shoes to save even more space. Plus, rolling your clothes helps keeps them from turning into a hot wrinkled mess. Try layering silkier tops and thicker knits and rolling them together to keep silky shirts unwrinkled.

3 dresses, 2 pairs of pants, 9 tops

Tada! Ready for the rundown? That's 4 pairs of pants, 4 dresses, 1 skirt, 5 sweaters, 9 tops, and 3 pairs of shoes (plus belts, tights, etc.). I'm sure I'm probably overpacked (as I usually am), but it's all in there now, so there's no going back. Christmas here I come!