What kind of prepper are you? Are you the casual, relaxed prepper or the die-hard, all-out, “check the stash every weekend” kind? It’s a good idea to stop every now and then and review your prep strategy.
Prepping has become somewhat of an art, fascination, and perhaps even an infatuation in recent years. A sensible prepper uses a well-defined approach and a method to facilitate his disaster preparedness activities.
That approach should be comprehensive, but not complicated; diverse, but balanced; dedicated, but not obsessive.
Over the years I’ve determined that there are several prepper personalities. Among them is the “complicating prepper.” This is the kind that overthinks which bug-out bag pockets are dedicated to which items, and has laminated cards with supply lists that show where everything goes (and they are final). This type of prepper complicates routes to retreat locations, buys password-protected locks for his caches, and makes his family memorize plans of action for every possible disaster scenario. The issue with this strategy is that it does not allow for any creativity and flexibility, and it’s particularly harmful in family prepping situations. Should something get moved or deviate from the scenario, you’re screwed. Do everyone a favor and find a hobby.
Prepping involves a lot of different activities and disciplines. As you try to cover your bases, don’t hop from one thing to the next. If anything, get books on the survival subjects that you want to master and make a plan to practice different skills in a balanced manner. Same applies to shopping. Prioritize your needs and acquire critical items first, then move strategically to the next set of most important items.
I’ll be the first one to tell you that you need to be dedicated. The clock is ticking and I truly believe that we are approaching an “end of the world as we know it” scenario. Yes, you should be learning, storing, and practicing survival skills in preparation for this situation. However, if you get obsessed, you will get burned out; your family will get burned out. If you’re dedicating your resources to prepping more than you do to living, it may affect your health, your family relationships, or your finances.
Hopefully, you have several months of food and water stored, appropriate ammunition and weapons purchased, a trauma bag stocked and bug out bags ready. Those are the critical supplies.
Now take a step back and make sure you have not become that obsessive, complicating, all-over-the-place prepper. Sometimes, it’s a good idea to just take a break for a week or two, hang out with the family, or do something that does not involve you organizing supplies in the basement.
Keep it simple and balanced and stay sane.
To your survival,
Joseph Wilkinson
