I’ve always loved reading articles about ‘what’s in my bag’, from photographers to military personnel to office workers. I often get compliments on how organised I seem and how I always have what I need, so I thought what better way to share with people how I do this then my very own ‘what’s in my bag’.
So today you will see the key and essential items that I carry in my work bag every day and one new edition that isn’t exactly in my bag but am finding it a key part to my working day. So let’s begin with the bag itself.
The bag
It’s a Kenneth Cole Reaction Double Gusset EZ Scan Laptop bag. I love this bag, it’s strong and sturdy as well as being extremely functional. I am big on ‘everything has its place’ so the numerous compartments that this bag offers is a must for me.
HP Laptop & Mini iPad
My trusty HP 11.6” pavilion x360 laptop is the perfect travel companion as its light and versatile especially when showcasing products and services or completing a Xero demonstration. It works a treat as a third screen in the office as well.
My mini iPad is the perfect tool for those quick to access apps or to bring up a webpage without having to load up the laptop. It’s also great for recording my time sheets in WFM and keeping on top of all my tasks and collaboration projects in Trello.
Travel charger, mouse and Wi-Fi
The HP travel charger is a light and convenient addition to charge my laptop on the go. It is also very compact as it breaks down into three sections.
The mouse is a Microsoft sculpt mouse. I love its ergonomic design and lightweight feel, as it only needs 1 AA battery I don’t need to carry around too many spare batteries at a time.
As a connected advisor having access to the internet wherever I go is a must. The 4G mobile Wi-Fi is essential and allows me to connect up to 5 devices at the same time, which eliminates the need for multiple mobile broadband devices and allows me to be connected on all devices at the same time.
Livescribe
Only a new edition this year, but it has been an invaluable tool in seminars. It’s the Livescribe 3 Smartpen and notepad. It uses Bluetooth to send everything that I write to my iPhone/iPad (using the Livescribe+ app) and I can even use the pencast option to record audio against my notes.
Beats headphones
These are by far one of my favourite things and something I would find hard to live without. These are a few years old now but work fantastically. They are the Beats by Dr Dre solo wireless headphones. I love my music and struggle to work in dead silence so when I want to drop that bass, out come my beats. Great for tuning into webinars and podcasts as well.
Compendium
I love my kikki.k compendium, it’s the perfect professional compendium that goes everywhere. I use it in meetings, both internally at PTAM, with clients and at seminars. This compendium also has sentimental meaning as it was a gift from a very good friend. It fits just the right amount of information, notepads and business cards. Also my favourite RAD pen.
Misc.
RAD Constructions Pen, this is my favourite pen, some would say my go-to pen. The boys from RAD know how much I like their pens so needless to say I have a handful of them.
Itsi Bitsi Glitter Gel Pens, as I have mentioned in my previous Trello article I am very visual so I like to use a variety of colours to differentiate topics/headings and bullet points. The choice of colours probably won’t surprise anyone who has seen the graffiti wall in my office.
Kate Spade Business Card Holder, another very thoughtful gift and it comes in very handy when out and about at networking events.
iPhones – well sometimes one phone just isn’t enough. I like to keep my personal stuff away from work so hence the two phones.
So at the beginning I mentioned a new addition but it wasn’t something that I carry in my bag. It’s the Apple iWatch. At first I must say I wanted one but wasn’t sure how much use I would get out of it or if I would even use it at all. Well I made the decision that I would get one and hoped to god that it was worth the money. I can confidently say that after 3 months it was the right decision. It is great for meeting reminders, call/message and email notifications and in trying to maintain a good work/life balance I am loving the activity feature with the reminders to get up from behind the desk and stand.
Now you have an idea what’s in my bag and how I use each of these items. I would love to hear what are some of things that you carry around with you to get the job done? Leave a comment or contact me directly.
