The ten-minute safety plan
Most of being prepared is deciding a few things once, in advance, so you are not deciding them under pressure.
Personal safety is rarely about living on alert. Nobody can sustain that, and it makes ordinary days worse. What actually helps is making a handful of decisions once, calmly, so they are already made when it matters.
Pick two people
Choose two contacts who will pick up at odd hours, and tell them they are on your list. Save them as favourites so they are one tap away, and write their numbers down somewhere that is not your phone.
Decide where things live
Keys, phone, alarm, cards. If each has one pocket, you can find them without looking and notice when one is missing.
- Keys and alarm on the same ring
- Phone in the pocket you can reach with either hand
- A little cash separate from your wallet
Know your route home
Have a default way back from the places you go most, and a second option for when the first one feels wrong. You do not need a reason to switch.
That is the whole plan. Ten minutes once, and a quick check whenever your routine changes.
