You’re off on a business trip. But preparing for such a trip means a lot of work. This doesn’t only apply to your upcoming appointments, you should also take time to pack your suitcases – especially when you’re travelling with carry-on baggage only. The space in the suitcase is limited and nothing is worse than arriving at your meeting rushed and in crumpled clothes. The question is: what is the best way to pack your suitcase for your business trip? Japanese organisation expert Marie Kondo provides the answer.
Marie Kondo is a Japanese organisation consultant and bestselling author, and her famous method of tidying, which is used all over the world, can also be adapted to packing a suitcase. The KonMari method she has created comprises the following principles:
1. Everything at once and in a short period of time
2. To start, collect everything you want to tidy in a pile
3. Decide what you want to keep based on the question, does it make me happy when I pick up this item?
4. Each item you keep will be assigned its place
5. All things must be stowed properly
The first step for an ideally packed suitcase is to organise the essentials.
Take your time. Categorise everything you need to take with you on the journey – clothing, shoes, technical equipment, bathroom kit, etc. – and put it in a pile (Point 2). Pick up each item, from your shirt to your toothbrush, and use Point 3 above to decide whether to take it with you or not. The question about happiness is perhaps somewhat exaggerated and should rather be understood as ‘Does this object satisfy a concrete need?’ The aim is to separate what is really needed from what you cannot take with you or do not really need.
Not only what you need is important, but also where and how you can take it with you. Marie Kondo recommends ensuring that all items or clothing have their place in the suitcase, handbag or trolley. That way you don’t have to unpack all your luggage when you need a particular item.
Once a rough subdivision has been made, you have to think about how to implement it. For example, the right-hand side can be used for shoes, the left-hand side for clothing and the middle for a laptop and technology. The next step is to stow the clothes in a crease-resistant way. An important part of the method invented by Marie Kondo is thus about folding clothes. With her special folding technique, everything remains visible and easy to take from the case. The secret is to fold the garment into a rectangle and place it vertically in the suitcase. You can find instructions for folding according to Marie Kondo here:
Conclusion:
The KonMari method can really be very useful in organising your suitcase better for a business trip. Even if it may seem complicated at first glance, once absorbed it facilitates preparation.
And if you don’t get everything packed away using the KonMari method, remember that with PartnerPlusBenefit you can use your Benefit points for excess baggage as well.
