Getting into a routine

If there's anything I've learned in the last four years from making two six-week long Lonely Planet research trips and moving house three times (including the most recent move to a different country), it's that no matter where I land up and how much there is to do ahead of me, the important thing is to be able to set up some routines from the get-go.

In the case of moving house, my essentials are:

• Being able to boil water and make coffee with a French press every morning.
• Having a hot shower and clean towels.
• Setting up a work area slash media consumption corner where I can comfortably use and/or plug in my laptop/mobile phone/other device(s), and have space around it/them for some note paper and stationery.
• Having a clean bed to sleep on in a temperature-appropriate room, with my phone within reach.

Once those things are in place, anything is possible.

Tonight's my fourth night in the flat that I'm going to call home for the rest of my London sojourn, and aside from having my routines in place, I've also cooked brunch anddinner, unpacked all of my stuff, and organised most of it. The incredibly diligent flatmate and her boyfriend who's visiting have also been efficiently Getting Things Done.

There are still bits and bobs I need to tidy up, but I like the way things are taking shape.