The Art Of Always Being Prepared

We've all been there. Gotten caught in an downpour. Forgotten our wallets. Overslept on an important day. Well today, I'm going to help you get over that so that you have a calmer and more organised life.

I like to think that I am a very prepared person. When I was younger, my mom used to pack my school bag with things that I would need should there be an unexpected situation. That habit of always being prepared has pretty much stuck with me and I feel horrible if I'm out and don't have the things I would need should something unexpected happen. So I thought I would give you a list of things to do and have on hand to always ensure that you are ready for anything.

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1. Extra Money

This is the absolute most important thing you need to have at all times. Extra money. Growing up, my mom would always tell my brother and I that it never hurt to have a little spare money tucked away in a corner of your bag in case of an emergency.

Personally, and thanks to my mom again, I hate to borrow money. And if I do, I will usually return it as soon as possible unless there is some extraordinary circumstances. Even then, the debt will haunt me till I repay it. So for me, forgetting my wallet and having to borrow money from someone is my worst nightmare. 

That's why I always tuck a little bit of money into my bag when I'm going out. It doesn't have to be a lot of money. Even just 10 bucks is fine. 10 bucks can buy you a meal (or two). 10 bucks can get you a ride home in a taxi. 10 bucks can do a lot if find yourself without a wallet and in an emergency. So don't ever forget your spare cash.

If you are the type of person that frequently changes bags, do what I do. Put money in each of the bags that you use most often. This little trick has saved me more then once and I guarantee that it will help you too.

Fun Fact: The picture is folded up because I wasn't sure if I was allowed to photograph money. So I googled it and found this under the Singapore laws:

This isn't an advertisement and I mean this picture in the most innocent way but I don't want to get into trouble so I'll just be safe.

2. An Umbrella

An umbrella is important because you never know when you might get caught in a rain. I have a small little pink umbrella that's very light and easy to carry around. That said, I only really bring umbrellas when I'm going to school because I hand-carry my Macbook to and from school and even though I have a laptop case, I would still hate it to get drenched obviously. Any other time, if I don't have my laptop, I will simply leg it.

3. Pads

Ladies! This is so so important and I don't know why it is that not every girl knows to always carry a pad with her! 

After I got my first period, my mom made sure that I always had a spare pad in my school bag even if it was no where close to my time. As I grew, I learnt to start carrying two pads in my bag. 

Why? Well simply because I went to an all-girls school till I was 16. So I would have friends come up to me frequently asking for a pad because they had been taken off guard and were not prepared. So I bring two pads so that I can freely give one up without worrying about myself.

(SIDE NOTE: If a friend asks for a pad, ALWAYS give one to them. It's not the best thing in the world to go person to person asking for a pad while panicking that you might have a stain. Let's all be nice to the rest of our female humans). 

So I carry a pad in my bag at all times. I don't care about my cycle. Just that I must have a pad with me always. So find a pad that is very thin (it doesn't have to be the ones you usually use. In fact I use different pads for my bag) so that it doesn't take up too much space. And just pop it into your bag. And that's it. Think about it. It saves so much embarrassment.

If you do however find yourself in a situation where you are surprised and have no way of obtaining a pad, go to the bathroom, get lots of toilet paper and layer it on your underwear as a temporary 'pad'. It's not a permanent solution but it's effective.

4. Tissues

Personally, I don't use tissues very often so I rarely pack them. However, they are very helpful. It's good to know that you have tissues in case you need a napkin, get sweaty or get the sniffles. Just get one of the small little packs and throw it in your bag.

5. A Water Bottle

If you know me, you would know that I not only have the world's smallest bladder but that because of that, I am a slow drinker and I often just don't bother drinking anything (which I know is really bad. I'm working on it). So for me, a water bottle simply takes up space and is a heavy, unnecessary object.  However, my mom tends to force me to take a water bottle and I'm glad she does because I often find myself grateful for my bottle when I'm in a long lecture and can't get a drink.

If you really find it too heavy, you can buy mini water bottles. They are relatively easy to find and they can store just enough water to keep your thirst under control while you finish that last half hour of lecture. It's also much lighter obviously because there's less water. You could also just fill a normal bottle up only half way to save yourself from the weight.

6. Body Spray/Perfume/Deodorant

This is very important. Let's face it, we all get stinky sometimes. We all get sweaty and gross at the end of a long day. But also, the worst thing in the world is to be with someone who stinks. So it's nothing embarrassing to carry around a small bottle of deodorant, perfume or body spray to save yourself and others from having to tolerate a stink. You just need to pop it in your bag and you don't have to worry because now you're prepared in case you find yourself feeling a bit gross at the end of the day.

If you have a small bag, you can just toss in a perfume sample that you can get at any perfume store. The little bottles are perfect for these situations.

7. Mints or Gum

This is a kind of continuation from my 6th point. Sometimes, through no fault of our own, our breath could become a little stale and stinky. So all you really need to do is pop in a mint or piece of gum and you're good to go. 

In Singapore we aren't allowed gum and I know in certain schools worldwide, you aren't allowed gum. So be careful with that one. Honestly, the simplest thing to do is to pop in a small mint tic-tac and you should be fine.

Don't find yourself having a chat with someone and desperately wishing you had a mint because you had onions in your lunch. It's not worth the stress, my friend.

8. Be Early

I'm an early bird. I love to be early and my friends can tell you that, instantly. I like to plan to arrive in school 30 minutes before every tutorial or lecture. Just so that I can be calm. I can get a fruit juice and take my time walking to class. I hate to rush and it astounds me how people can always be late and make people wait. I find it very irresponsible.

So be early. Early people are prepared people because they take into account that there might be a huge jam or that the bus might take a long while to arrive. 

9. Set Alarms

I am the kind of person that usually wakes up within the first 2-3 rings of my alarm. I rarely oversleep and I almost never need more then one alarm to get me out of bed. I know that a lot of you aren't like me though. So you can do what I like to do. I like to take precautions and I set about 5-6 alarms regardless of the fact that I actually don't need them. 

One alarm to wake me up 5 minutes before I actually have to be up. One at the time I'm supposed to be up. Another one for the time I should be done getting dressed. One for when I should be eating. One for 5 minutes before I should leave for school and one for when I am supposed to leave the house.

This is because I no longer run on a regular school schedule. I sometimes have classes at 9am and sometimes I have class at 3pm. So I like my alarms and I will always plan the night before and set them all so that I never oversleep or take too long to do something. 

This is super important when it comes to being prepared and will overall contribute to a more peaceful and organised life.

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I hope you enjoyed my tips. Do let me know in the comments if they've helped you or if you've used my tips. I would love to know. Stay tuned for my next post by following my blog or subscribing to email alerts.

I love you!