Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Works for Me: Office in a Bag

Paperwork piling up? Having trouble finding time to sit down and Get Stuff Done?

Try keeping your To-Do items in a handbag, along with a folder containing envelopes, stamps, return address labels, a snack baggie of paper clips, a spare pen, and a few blank notecards.

You can grab it anytime you're headed out somewhere where you might be waiting, or when your spouse is driving (if he's the kind of spouse who won't mind if he doesn't have your undivided attention in the car). You can sit down with it in any room of your home and have everything you need. If the bag is big enough, you can use it to corral items to be returned--to stores or to friends--and grab it whenever you're headed out the door just in case you end up near the item's intended destination.

You can also throw in there the articles and the mail that you want to get around to reading eventually, and when it gets really full, you have to go out for coffee and a pastry and not come home till you've read through it ALL.

Works for me!!

For more Works for Me ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

9 comments:

Shari Ellen said...

I like the idea of it all being contained to one bag. This sounds helpful.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great idea! Except when I'm out somewhere, I'm wrangling two little ones. Do you have a bag I could carry them in? Kidding, totally kidding!

troubling stars said...

Hey Jeanne- ive been thinking about that idea ever since I read it yesterday on your page and something similar on Fly Lady. I'm thinking about sewing customizable bags (choose colors, themes, size) with three main labeled compartments (for journal/binder, to do/return items/ and mail/articles to be read), and then lots of little organizational pockets for pencils and things, and a velcro loop for keys.Perhaps i'll make them from found materials. What do you think? plus would there be any trouble with selling it due to Fly Lady's "Office in a Bag?" I love reading your blog, and we are still praying about moving up to Kenosha with you if that intentional community ever starts.

troubling stars said...

oh yea, and I wanted to have a large side pocket for notecards/ envelopes, stamps, etc. I hope to make notecards myself to include with the bag, and even begin an organizational binder for them that coordinates with the bag (including menu planning, idea pages, to do list, grocery lists etc.) All right thats all for now :) Just thought I would bounce that idea off of you as i'm always looking for ways to turn my interests into extra income for my family, and extra help for those outside of it.

stephseef said...

before we started homeschooling, we spent an inordinate amount of time parked in front of my son's school waiting to pick him up - had to get the good spot, after all. i eventually kept a basket with notecards and my address book in the little net between the van seats -- i was never so productive in my correspondence as i was that year!!

Stephanie

At A Hen's Pace said...

Elisabeth--

I think your idea sounds GREAT! If you don't use the same name for your product as Flylady, I wouldn't think there would be a problem. (But ask your dad--he's the one who would know!)

Maybe Office on the Go? or something less corporate like the Work Anywhere bag. If you used found materials, you might appeal to a completely different market niche too. (Recycled Minutes?) (Again--talk to your dad.)

I think it's a great idea, though!

(My Life in a Bag?)

(The Planning Purse?)

Summer--

I don't have such a bag, but maybe Liz could make you a customized one!

:)

Steph--

Thanks for stopping by--I see you're at Nashotah, so we must have some mutual friends!

--Jeanne

stephseef said...

jeanne - we have a million mutual friends. too many to list in a comment box. We left Nashotah House last summer when Scott graduated - but only after a year of sharing living room and kitchen walls with the Prathers. But now we're at St. Michael's Racine where Scott is Asst. Rector.. SO, we have friends that way too. AND, we're former InterVarsity staff, so we have a MILLION friends from that circle.

Surprising that we've not met!

At A Hen's Pace said...

Stephanie--

Oh, it IS surprising! I hope we do meet someday!

--Jeanne

Anonymous said...

Jeanne,
I like thisidea ton! You forgot to mention all the times you can use it when your baby falls asleep in the car and you don't want to stop for fear of waking her up! (I used to have a whole bag just for this occasion... I think I need to resurrect it!)
Annie