Spreadsheets as therapy

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In my first post I mentioned that preparation was part of the journey. It’s also a great way to not feel so overwhelmed and anxious about such huge life changes. Budgets, timelines, and maps don’t sound exciting compared to the vastness of the Grand Canyon or the majesty of Mount Rushmore, but in the very stressful time between deciding to pick up and leave everything familiar and actually setting off, it can ease the nervousness.
Okay, in reality budgets, maps, and timelines aren’t EVER exciting, but they are a little bit like a security blanket. In fact, Excel spreadsheets are a bit like Prozac for me. When I am super stressed out or questioning the wisdom of this move, I turn to Excel. (Sorry hubby, but Excel never argues or talks back )
I have timelines, daily guides, to-do lists, budgets. Aahhhh. It’s so cathartic. As I need to test the picture uploading capabilities, I thought I would share some of my fabulous creations and the templates I use. By the way, when I am REALLY stressed I add picklists and create formulas to connect all of my spreadsheets together (e.g. if I add a sum in the budget line on the Daily Guide it automatically adjusts the Budget, which in turn automatically updates the totals on the rest of the Daily Guides). As I get more worried, they get progressively more elaborate. I feel like I might spreadsheet organize the world before the week is up.
Beware...I might turn to powerpoint next. LoL

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Photos

Timeline
Road trip timeline template.

Travel Budget
Road trip budget template.

Daily Guide
Road trip daily guide template.