Organize My Bag

When it gets busy one of the things that I try to remember is to organize my bag. I tend to put everything in my handbag, thinking I will sit down later and pull everything out and remove the items that do not belong. Sometimes it works out like that, other times it does not work out as planned. The day when I have plenty of time to clean out my bag may not occur for a long time.

Not long ago the strap broke on my current bag, possibly from being too overloaded. This meant I had to find a new purse because my current setup with a broken strap was not going to work for long. It takes some time and effort to find the right bag.

I had to find it for a good price. I did not have a large budget for a new bag. It needs to be durable and easy to clean. Bags get dirty. It needs to be roomy but not suitcase-sized. In short, it takes some careful consideration to find the right bag.

The Perfect Bag

I needed the perfect bag with easy access and a large main compartment. A large main compartment allows me to use different bags that are smaller in size to hold all of the necessities. These smaller bags act as a purse organizer and help me find what I need at a glance. The use of smaller bags within a larger bag also means that bag cleanout is quick and painless. The smaller bags prevent many of the extra items from accumulating at the bottom of my bag.

This is handy because I may end up with work, home, and church items in my bag at any point in time. There are few things more frustrating than putting something in your bag for safekeeping and later forgetting where you put it.

The bag I found this time belonged to a family member who was no longer using it. It was perfect for Summer and my needs. This handbag is bright and cheerful as well as functional. I was looking for functionality, but a bright cheerful print for Summer is a bonus. I will probably switch to a different bag for the fall and winter months. I usually end up with more items in my bag during the colder months.

Here are some tips I use to organize my bag to ensure I have what I need when I need it. If some of these ideas work for you, please use them. This type of organization has evolved over years of being a nurse, wife, mom, and grandmother. I have learned from some of my earlier bag organization (or disorganization) mistakes. I am always on the lookout for additional best practices, but the system I use and share today works fairly well for this stage of my life.

Tiny Bag Essentials

I have a tiny bag in which I keep items such as makeup, a hair tie, and a small brush.  I only keep the essentials in this bag. I have a simple makeup routine so I may have lip balm, moisturizer, and pressed powder. Just a handful of items means this can be a small bag.

This tiny bag contains small easy to misplace items and it helps me organize my bag. If I can keep them in one easy location it decreases frustration on my part. Life is frustrating at times for all of us, however, if something as simple as keeping the small pieces

Pencil Case

Next, I have a pencil case that is roomy enough to contain a pencil, pens, and a highlighter. My pencil case has room for a small pad of sticky notes. I use my phone to take notes, but having paper is handy in some circumstances.

I may or may not have several different colored pencils and markers in my pencil case. The different colors come in handy to distract kids. This has come in handy several times. I have learned over the years that pencil cases can hold more than a pencil!

Keys

Equally important as keeping track of what I have in my bag is being able to quickly locate needed items like keys. I keep my keys attached inside with a carabiner clip. My family loves these multi-use clips. I have car, office, church, and house keys. The carabiner clips make removing the key I need easy and leaving the rest of the keys in my purse. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.

I have my vehicle keys on these carabiners. I can pull off the clip I need and leave the rest attached to the inside of my bag. This eliminates the need for numerous keys hanging from the ignition in my car. This is efficient and easy to access. I save time by not having 10 keys in my hand all of the time. I take the set I need and leave the remaining unneeded keys in my bag.

Change Purse

In addition to a wallet, I keep a small change purse inside my bag. My current wallet has a place for bills, but not change. Sometimes I need actual coins and I need a place to store them and access them easily. The wallet I currently have serves me well except for the lack of an area to store coins. I did not want to give up on a good wallet, so the change purse seemed like a good compromise.

I do not want to dig at the bottom of my purse for quarters for the bubble gum machine at the library that my grandchildren frequently use during library visits. They love it when I whip out my change purse and hand out a quarter each.

Cosmetic Bag

Cosmetic bags serve so many purposes. I use a small cosmetic or makeup bag to hold over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and cough drops, a small first aid kit, eyeglass cleaner, and tissues. These handy bags serve so many purposes.

They can keep small items together so they will be less likely to be lost. You can find what you need quicker with smaller items organized in bags. Use different-sized bags according to your needs.

I keep electronic pieces and parts in one of these bags. This would include a charging cord, an adapter for the car, and earbuds. Again, my life is easier if I can reach for one bag to find these items.

Before I used the cosmetic bags, I had to search and sometimes empty out my bag to find what I needed. This wasted valuable time. In the past, if I could not find my charging cord easily, I would add another one to my bag.

When I finally found time to re-organize my bag, I found 4 charging cords. I have purchased new charging cords because I could not find the one (or four) I had in my purse. That was when I realized I needed to think of a better system for organizing my bag.

A bonus for me is, that I usually get the free makeup/cosmetic bags from Clinique that are a gift with any purchase of their product promotions. This happens once or twice a year and I repurpose these bags for many things including organizing my large handbag.

Cell Phone

Keeping my cell phone in an easy-to-access inner pocket or accessible outer section of my bag means I can find it quickly. There is nothing worse than trying to find a cell phone when it is ringing or an alarm is sounding. It takes forever and you are sure everyone is looking at you.

For me, this usually happens during a quiet moment when I have forgotten to turn my ringer off. Think of the doctor's office, church, or an important meeting at work. Am I the only one that this happens to?

I use my cell phone for numerous different tasks such as email, texting, reading a book, and taking photos. I need to quickly access it and be able to return it to the correct location in my bag. This location may be an inner pocket if I am away from home to keep it secure from being dropped. If I need even quicker access, I can store it in an outside pocket of my handbag to quickly reach for and return it.

Organizing In General

This is how I organize my bag which is pictured in this post. If my bag is organized, during busy times I am less frustrated. Organizing in general with anything helps me focus more effectively on what I need to accomplish. Life is challenging enough without adding the extra challenge of not being able to find the things I need. After all, if I can't access the hand sanitizer when I need it, what is the point of keeping it in my bag?

My frustration increases if I can't find the things I need quickly. It is easy to become frustrated even at silly things like not finding things quickly in my bag. Simple solutions can help me keep moving on to the next task. I appreciate anything that makes my life easier in any way.

Saving Money

When I organize my bag it saves me money. The illustration with the charging cords I shared showed how much money I wasted by not being able to easily access the charging cord already stored in my bag. I could not easily find the charging cord, so I purchased another charging cord. Sometimes we might feel like it is easier to buy another one instead of taking the time to search for the one you already have somewhere in your bag.

Another way organizing my bag saves me money is by helping me keep track of coupons and gift cards I need to use. Now when I am shopping I can easily pull out my coupons. If they are not organized and accessible in a small bag in my purse, I run the risk of forgetting that I have them. Ask me how I know this can happen.

Final Thoughts

In addition to my main bag, I have a tote bag for trips to the library and a rolling bag I use as a work bag. These additional bags are organized similarly and require regular maintenance to keep them tidy and organized as well.

If I organize my bag, the organization seems to filter over into other areas of my life. Any extra help to keep me moving forward is appreciated.  I don't know about you, but I usually have enough happening in life to enjoy anything that helps me feel more accomplished.

I know I wear many hats daily. Sometimes the small things can help you with your bigger goals. Organizing my bag seems like a small step to take, but many times, there is a trickle-down effect.

There are times when small things can help me maintain a positive mood or something simple going wrong can affect my mindset for the rest of the day. What are some of the organizing tips you find most useful?