A Transport of Delight

 Month 1 - Bite 22

I'm definitely guilty of running out of time and then grabbing the car keys and the lockdowns/pandemic only made this worse!

Admittedly at the beginning there was plenty of time and no distance to go so the car stayed firmly on the drive and walking was the order of the day, but it didn't take long for bad habits to resurface!

The next few tasks concentrate on assessing the how and why of using forms of transport.

Firstly then - what transport options are available? As I say, with enough time and forward planning there's usually options from walking to taxis, buses to car shares, bikes - well probably not for me, my last entanglement with a bike was exactly that - even on a nice, safe, empty car park while practising, and I had the bruises for ages to show for it!!!

I need to gather all the timetables, contact details, routes, maps, fares and length of journey together for the travelling I do and get them all into one place....

Month 1 - Bite 23

What about the car?

Well, knowing exactly what's in there and whether it needs to be would be a good idea. Emptying the boot (why am I carrying four empty egg boxes when I pass the egg farm on a regular basis and could just drop them in?) and the glove compartment (parking stash - don't imagine I need that much change as I usually use a swipe card - hello piggy bank). Any extra weight will add to the fuel consumption.

I need to take the service book out too so I can record the dates for the service and MOT on the calendar before replacing it. Finally I can add the insurance renewal date to the calendar too....

Month 1 - Bite 24

Having broached the subject of car insurance and the calendar it's an opportune moment to move onto the next task and note other 'whens'.

What are my known times, dates, regular appointments and are they recorded?

As well as listing these I'll make a note of what's needed for any appointments - details/addresses/contacts - that should make keeping on top of it easier and more convenient, stopping those panic moments that eat into my time and force me back into the car.

Month 1 - Bite 25

Finally while in 'sorting out where the time goes' mode there needs to be a list of all the regular tasks and jobs that make up daily life.

What do I NEED to do - food shopping, washing clothes, cleaning, regular maintenance tasks that keep the household running. I can then see where these best fit and think through a schedule to get them all done.