This is the first installment in the YCFS series.  I’ll let you figure out that acronym.

I have spreadsheets and lists for everything.  But those lists are useless if you don’t use them.

My first annual Father’s Day weekend trip was fortunately not a long trip away from home.  I was so excited to take my son camping on our first trip – just the two of us.  We drove just over an hour to the campground.  I took out the tent first – a Rock 32 by The North Face – and started the setup, teaching Jack how to set up a tent.

First, you grab the tent body and lay it out on the ground.

Then you take out the….phone to call home and ask your wonderful wife to meet you half way with the tent poles you forgot to pack.

This could be a lessons learned entry as well.  Since this trip, my checklists have changed to a multi-step checklist.  First, I mark the items I plan to bring (I call this the “Need” column).  Next, I mark those items from that list if I know their location (“Found” column).  This allows me to focus on the few items I still need to find.  After I find everything, I start packing them wherever they need to be packed.  And finally – the most important part – I mark when they’ve been placed in the pack or car (“Packed” column).  I can only leave when all of those steps are done.

3 steps: needed, found, packed.