Is it possible to pare down your daily preparation to only 10 essentials?

Do you believe that 10 Essential items will reduce stress?

Not only is it possible, it happens. Read on. My list and rationale may intrigue you.

School is starting again in the US. How does that affect you? Are you a parent breathing a sigh of relief? Thankful for the teachers taking the baton of your children’s education; keeping them busy for 6.5 hours Monday – Friday until next June?

(photo: Rebecca Pierce via http://unsplash)

Or are you someone who is inconvenienced by traffic in your neighborhood with  parents dropping off or picking up at school?

(photo: Sarah Gundersen via http://unsplash)

Praying for those professionals who commit their careers to educating the littles and impacting the future is an essential. They need prayers of many. I know. I was one of them.

I still frame my year with August as the beginning, gearing up with new routines, readying for a new schedule and habits. How about you? What are you looking forward to as the present season of summer wanes and autumn comes upon us? How are you preparing for the next part of your journey?

(photo: Samantha Sophia via http://unsplash)

Preparation comes in big and little ways. When our boys were little we had a “launch pad” for each of them near the front door; their place for backpacks filled with completed homework, their sharing item and lunch. It was the easy way for them to learn to prepare for the day.

By the time they were in middle school they had developed the personal habit of planning ahead. Being in Scouts helped a lot, too.

This is the official list of 10 Essentials to Be Prepared as a Boy Scout. Maybe you haven’t heard of this list before; our home had two Scouts and a Scoutmaster so the 10 Essentials became a natural way to pack for any trip, short or long. Their many weekend trips shaped great habits of preparing for their journeys.

Map and Compass

Sun Protection

Extra Clothing

Flashlight

First-Aid Kit

Matches and Fire-starters

Pocketknife

Trail Food

Filled Water Bottle

Rain Gear

You may not be packing to go on a hike every day, but I believe there are 10 Essentials that will help us be prepared daily for what comes our way. I submit that preparation reduces stress levels.

I created my 10 essentials list by counting physical and spiritual items. These may already be a part of your daily preparation list. Perhaps you have others.

Here’s my list:

Lighting a 3 wick candle and saying good morning to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Time in silence with God

Coffee with half and half

Reading a one page devotional (Jesus Calling or My Utmost for His Highest or both)

Praying for my husband, my family, and my day ( a good time to pray for those teachers!)

Lip Gloss for my Smile

Wallet & Keys

Sunglasses

Water bottle

Phone

The first 5 items on my list can take as little as 15 minutes in the morning and up to an hour if I have the time. The time I invest packing the first 5 items impacts the rest of my day. All day. The second 5 items might feel like obvious inclusions, yet daily I hear people say: “I don’t have my id”, or “where are my sunglasses?”,  or “I forgot my phone in the car”. Those items seem to elude their daily packing.

Having all 10 items reduces my stress. No matter what else happens, taking time early to remind myself of God’s Presence and sovereignty helps me throughout the day.

The final item on my 10 Essentials list may induce stress but that’s a different story! We’ve become a connected culture and a phone is a part of how life works now.

What items are on your daily essentials list? How do you reduce stress daily?