As we travel along in our preparedness journey, we are bound to get sidetracked or lose focus at one point or another. Unfortunately, just about all of us fall victim to this, but we can’t afford to let it drag on. One week turns into three weeks, and that turns into months or even years.
The good news is that the longer we continue prepping the more we can afford to take a few breaks and avoid the dreaded “Prepper Burnout”. Basically, if we take 10 steps forward, we can afford to take a step back occasionally.
In this article I want to share with you my prepping routine, as well as some of the main reasons we lose focus on preparedness. This is especially important for the beginning preppers out there because many people lose interest in prepping after only a few months.
While there are many factors that go into why someone might lose interest in preparedness, the three main reasons are complacency, distractions and finances. I would be willing to bet that anyone asked why they aren’t as engaged in preparedness as they should be would mention one (or all) of these reasons.
Complacency: Nothing Happens
Whether we have been prepping for years or were just getting started, complacency is bound to rear its ugly head. At times prepping can seem like a waste of time. Those of us that have been prepping for years are more invested in preparedness, and we understand the importance of getting back on track. For new preppers, it’s not so cut and dry.
It’s very easy for the “new prepper” to become complacent about prepping, lose interest, or second guess themselves. A large number of people who become interested in preparedness lose their enthusiasm within the first year.
Suggested Reading: Battling Complacency and Burnout for Preppers
Distractions: Life Happens
Whether you are taking about preparedness, work, or daily chores, we are bound to get distracted. This can be something unavoidable, or something we subconsciously do to avoid the project or task.
Finances: Blood from a Turnip
Likely the most common reason our preparedness level takes a dip is because of money and lack thereof. There are many things we can do that don’t cost a dime, but spending money on preparedness is unavoidable.
My Prepping Routine
Everyone has their own way of doing things. What works for one person may not work for the next. In the show this week Lisa and I shared what we do to help us stay engaged with prepping and maintain our preparedness level.
Current Events (Local & National)
Staying up to date on current events is critical to maintaining your preparedness level. While it’s important to monitor national and global events, paying attention to what’s going on locally could actually be more important.
Disasters and life changing events are more likely on a local level. Natural disaster preparedness, monitoring police scanners, and even just talking to the neighbors can help you stay up to date with current events in your area.
Risk Assessment
Performing a risk assessment (and updating it) on a regular basis is critical in dialing down your preparedness plans. We all have “gut feelings” about what disaster scenario concerns us the most, but we can’t afford to forget about what is most likely to affect us.
I have a course over at the Survivalist Prepper Academy that goes into detail about doing a proper threat assessment, and this should be done at least every few months. The basics of a threat assessment are as follows…
- Identify the Concern: What threat or concern are you gathering information for?
- Gather Information: Get as much information as possible about the threat or concern.
- Assess the Situation: Validate the information you have gathered and assign it a threat level.
- Formulate a Plan: Figure out what you can and can’t to to become better prepared for this threat or concern.
Monthly Budgeting
This is one of those areas where everyone has a different method. Regardless how you budget it’s important to pay attention to where your money is going.
In the show I talked about how I do my budget with this budget planner. This worksheet allows me to see where all my money is going. If I do this budget regularly it shows me how much I can spend on preparedness and still pay the power bill.
Inventory & Rotation
Doing inventory is by far my least favorite part of prepping, but is very important none the less. We need to know exactly what we have and where it is when disaster strikes.
I use this supply checks PDF I created that makes everything a little easier. I can walk around the house with my tablet or laptop and record everything I have. After that I can sit down and go through what I need and what has expired or is about to.
Practice Makes Perfect
Practicing my preparedness skills isn’t something I have scheduled out, it’s something I do whenever the opportunity arises. Learning a skill is just the first step, after that we need to become proficient and hone that skill.
Learn New Skills
I try to learn something new about preparedness at least once a month. This could be something as simple as tying different knots, or something more complicated like medical skills or ham radio.
Learning new preparedness skills can also be a way to break the monotony of the prepping routine. Doing the same thing over and over again gets pretty boring, adding something new to the mix keeps everything fresh.
To Each His/Her Own…
As I stated earlier, everyone has their way of doing things that work for them. I have tried a bunch of different methods and settled on the techniques that work for me.
Hopefully these ideas work for you, or even just give you ideas about how you want to implement your own preparedness routine. If you have anything to add make sure and leave a comment below for the other readers.
