Stop forgetting things when you pack

Things get forgotten when they live only in your head. The fix is to pack from a written list, and to treat a handful of items differently from the rest.

Write the list before you pack

Memory is fine for the obvious things and poor for the small ones. A written list does the remembering for you, and you only have to read it. The free packing list generator builds one from the kind of trip and the number of days, and you can print it.

Pick out the Must-haves

Some items cost far more to replace than the rest. In our Essentials list five items are marked Must-have, which are your phone, phone charger, wallet and cards, prescription medication and house keys. Passports and visas are on the lists for trips abroad. Decide your own Must-haves, and check them as a group at the end.

Pack by item, not by room

Going round the house picking things up leads to gaps. Go down the list, one item at a time, and tick each one as it goes into the bag. The packing lists are grouped, so you can do clothes, then toiletries, then electronics, and finish each group before you start the next.

Pack the night before

A bag packed the night before can be checked again in the morning with a clear head. Leave out only what you use first thing, such as your toothbrush and phone charger, and put them in last.

Check at the door

Before you leave, stand at the door and go through your Must-haves one more time. It takes less than a minute.

Keep the list

Keep the list you used. Next time it is already written, and you only have to change it for the new trip.