By Stever Robbins

Today's topic is packing your clothes so they don’t wrinkle, along with a tidbit about not making an utter fool out of yourself when meeting someone you admire.

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I was at a conference in Aspen last weekend. I looked across the room and who should be sitting there but David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done himself. Sure, I interviewed him once by phone in the episode on commitments. But this was David in the flesh. To a productivity geek like me, it was like meeting the Dalai Lama or the Pope or the Grand Poobah, only with neatly organized file folders.

A Tough Networking Lesson

I was psyched. And, of course, eager to make a good impression. I looked for something about him to comment on as a clever, witty conversation starter. He wears his shirts loose, outside his jeans. Me, too. Only mine look, er, lived in, while his were smooth as silk. "Hi, David! How do you keep your shirts so wrinkle-free?" I asked. He smiled. "I iron them."

Of course he does. And if I had a clue, I would, too. Instead, I win the award for instant stupid-question boy. Of course, irons don't really agree with me. I tend to iron in wrinkles, instead of ironing them out. My solution? Have my dress shirts dry-cleaned and pressed, and pray that nothing wrinkles them before I get them onto my body. Determined to make a good impression, I rushed back to my room to iron my shirts and discovered ... that they weren't wrinkled.

Oh, my Gosh! Before the trip, I'd been reading through OneBag.com, a web site devoted to travel tips. They have a packing method they claim leaves clothes wrinkle-free. I'd tried it and apparently, it had worked like a charm. I just hadn't noticed. Great. So now David Allen thinks I'm foolish, can't use an iron, and redundant. Gee, if only someone had done a networking episode on how not to look like a fool when networking. At least I didn't just hand him my card for no reason. In fact, I totally forgot to hand him my card or get his. Networking angst: 1, Stever: 0.

By the way, in case you didn't pick up on it, the hidden networking tip is to compliment someone you've met on something specific as a way of breaking the ice. The hidden networking sub-tip is to learn to use an iron first, so you choose a better compliment than I did.

The Secret to Wrinkle-Free Networking

Don't follow my example! Have neat, flawless clothes, and know you're doing it. Here's the awesome packing technique, "Bundle Wrapping." It's surprisingly easy and totally saves all that quote-unquote ironing that David seems to like so much. My policy is work less, spiffy clothes, not work more, spiffy clothes.

First, lay out a shirt, face down on your bed. (Make sure it's the shirt that's face down, not you.) Lay a second shirt on top of the first, but rotated upside down so the torso points up and the neck points down. Have some overlap at the shirts' necks. The arms should stick out to the sides. Now you have a stubby cross: sleeves left and right, one torso going to the top, the other torso pointing down. Keep layering shirts, alternating neck-towards-top and neck-towards-bottom, overlapping in the middle.

Next, lay out the pants off to the sides, over the sleeves. Lay the first pair so legs go to the left and waistband to the right. The second pair has legs to the right, waistband to the left. Again, overlap them so the waistbands are even with the edges of the shirts you'd already laid out.

So now you have a bigger  cross. The pants legs form the left and right parts, and the shirt torsos form the top and bottom parts. In the middle, everything overlaps. At this point, everything is still completely flat.

Now put a bundle of underwear, socks, and small things right in the middle. Clean socks, preferably. You want your clothes to smell like roses, not that strange paste that's accumulated inside your sneakers. (It's really time for a new pair.)

Now take the innermost pair of pants and gently wrap it around the bundle, all the way around until it's comfy and snug. Smooth out the pants so there are no creases whatsoever.

Next, curve the next pair of pants around the bundle. Then the next. Then the shirt that's on top, then the next shirt, and the next one, etc. When you're done, you'll have a tidy little bundle. I found it takes up less space than folding every garment individually, and voila, no wrinkles! No if we could just do that with our skin, it would be the most amazing anti-aging product ever!

Complete unpacking

Since everything's in a bundle, you can't really get at something if you need it, which makes bundle wrapping useful when you plan on packing now and unpacking completely at your destination. It works great for me because I'm a compulsive unpacker. The first thing I do in a hotel room is mark my territory by filling every drawer, hanger, and flat surface with my stuff.

Remember… when you’re traveling, resist the urge to fold and crease. Bundle-wrap your clothes and they’ll come out looking gorgeous. Then when you make a fool of yourself in front of your hero, at least you’ll look great doing it.

Remember to get your free audiobook when you sign up at audiblepodcast.com/done.

This is Stever Robbins. E-mail questions to getitdone@quickanddirtytips.com or leave voicemail at 866-WRK-LESS. You can find this episode's transcript at getitdone.quickanddirtytips.com complete with a picture of me bundle-wrapping.

For information about keynote speeches, workshops, or other appearances, visit SteverRobbins.com for details.

Work Less, Do More, and have a Great Life!

RESOURCES:
- http://www.steverrobbins.com/getitdoneguy - picture of my bundle being wrapped
- http://www.onebag.com/pack.html, bundle-wrapping summary and graphic
- http://getitdone.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-accomplish-your-commitments.aspx, episode on managing commitments with David Allen
- http://getitdone.quickanddirtytips.com/successful-networking.aspx - successful networking