Going to China III: Preparation

I'm going to be living in a foreign country for several months. I want to do whatever I can to make sure I'm prepared for it. I have been reading internet forums about living there, and asking people for their advice. And I have bought a notebook where I put my planning notes, so far adding about two or three every day. I have two categories:

"What to do before I go"

For example, fix the broken window frames, mulch all the garden beds, make sure all the insurance and my will is up-to-date, tidy the garage and several junk-filled rooms in the house, go to the dentist, have a haircut, arrange for continuing mortgage payments, put away all my beer-making stuff, get vaccinated, arrange a fee-free credit card so I can get money in China, get the possum out of the roof(!), put insulation in the roof, clip the nails of the guinea pigs, trim the trees outside, spray the weeds so they don't grow back, fix the holes in the flywire screens, replace any blown light bulbs in the house, return books I've borrowed from Greg, trim the hedge, fix the broken upholstry under the couch, and spray the perimeter of the house with bug spray. What a list! I think I've ticked off two so far, but the list keeps growing.

"What to take"

Here's a partial list: Deodorant (apparently it's hard to get. One person I emailed told me, "they don't believe in it"!), shaver, traveller's cheques, credit card, tissues, toilet paper, gifts, coffee, drugs for pain, asthma, fibre, nasal drops for hay fever and colds, anti-diarrhoea pills, vitamins, my pillow (I get neck-aches unless I have my pillow), first-aid, moisturiser, lip balm, sunscreen, phrase book, multi-purpose tool, cassette player (the school still uses tapes), batteries, battery charger, gloves, hat, coat, raincoat, computer (I'm thinking of getting a newer, much smaller one), card reader, shampoo, Vegemite, sunglasses, and Tabasco.

So far, I haven't been able to cross any of these off! So the lists get longer and longer and longer. (It's not as bad as it looks - the second list will be ticked off as I pack them into my suitcase).

How can I possibly get all this done before I go???