I am terrible at packing. I can’t focus on what I’ll need, I can’t bear to be without the things I want to take for any length of time before I go. The only answer is to pack hurriedly the night before and hope for the best.

I’ve got a trip coming up tomorrow and I started packing on Saturday, which is unprecedentedly early by my standards. I didn’t make a list, I’m not mad, but I did leave some non-specific gaps in provision that I’ll never remember at a later date.

I’ll overpack if I start too soon. I’ve had to ditch three jumpers and a pair of trousers. I like to take plenty of underwear and enough spares to withstand a display of incontinence that would shame a baby. And far too many shoes.

I’ve managed, after much negotiation with myself, to get me down to a level of baggage that I’m not happy with per se, but that I can just about live with. And that feels like progress.