You did it. You finally asked out that cute girl (or guy) from your psych class. You’ve been ogling that special someone for weeks, and now they’ve agreed to see you in real life. You’re on top of the world!

Well, bring yourself back down to my level. It’s a schlep, but get down here. There’s a lot to consider before a big date. Sometimes a person can get so jittery and excited about a date that they’ll jet out the door with little paper bits on their face, without their keys, or any number of things. And the anxiety of just getting out the door on time can be very stressful. It’s all good, though! So, guys and gals, just follow this pre-date checklist and you can be debonair and confident when it’s game-time.

1. Take care of all heavy grooming first. Whether you wax, trim, tan, etc., anything that’s relatively time consuming should be done on the evening before the date (or as early as you can manage). The last thing you need is for your happy trail to be a happy fork-in-the-road because you didn’t leave yourself enough time to prepare.

2. Make sure you have an outfit. You don’t want to be zipping between your closet and your bathroom mirror at the last minute trying to pick the best shirt. Find the clothes, make sure they’re clean and have them ready.

3. Pack your pants. No, not like that you pervert. Take your wallet, your keys, directions, whatever else you know you want with you, and put it all into the pockets or purse you selected in step two. It’s one (if not several) less thing to get frantic about as the seconds tick by.

4. Hit the showers. Always leave showering as one of the last things you do. Otherwise, you’ll get sweaty with anxiety and activity as you prepare everything else you need. So shower, shave, and fix your hair. I understand that girls tend to have longer hair than boys, and therefore require more time, but trust me: keep showering as the last step. How much time you need for it depends on you; so think of how long you usually take to get ready in the mornings and add 15 minutes.

That should do it! Just put on your clothes, make any last-minute adjustments and you’ll be good to go. Now, some people will clean their apartments and make their beds before a first date. These people are called “optimists”. But hey, if you’ve got the time, you might as well go for it. If not, don’t worry. Just follow the checklist, keep a low stress level, and there will always be next time.