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Like a lot of you, I work from home. The benefits outweigh the the downsides by a long shot, at least for me personally. That being said, my living space is small which means there’s zero room for an office of any variation. While most of my days are comfortable enough to set up camp right at the kitchen table, I get restless pretty quickly and have to take a scenery break as often as I possibly can. Today I’ve decided to outline my essentials for packing up for a day of working anywhere that isn’t home.
1. We have to start with The Bag, of course.
Topo Designs makes the Daypack Classic hard to beat. It’s a sleeker design while still offering quirky color options and solid functionality. My computer fits comfortably, the thinner design keeps me from overloading my bag (which I have a terrible habit of doing) and the straps are padded for extra support.
2. A Notebook (or 3) & A Set of Pens
This set of Campus notebooks is practical, affordable (15 bucks for a 3 pack!) and pairs nicely with my favorite pens.
I originally found the U Brands ballpoint pens at Target but now every time I go looking for them, they’re sold out! So I resort to just ordering them from Amazon when I order new notebooks.
3. A Fellow Mug that can be tossed into a bag and taken anywhere.
My first introduction to Fellow travel mugs was at a local coffee shop (I actually don’t even remember where I was, I just know it was a passing through kind of stop) but they had these cute little mugs, Fellow branded with their shop logo on them. I said what the hell and gave them my cash in exchange for another cup that I didn’t need. Such is life. But friends, this mug was SUCH a good investment. It doesn’t leak, it keeps my drinks iced or hot for more than a day, and the pill-shape makes it so stylish and convenient.
4. A Library Card!
My library card stays in my wallet, and not just because it came in a cute design. If you are reading this list and you don’t frequent your local library, I am asking you now on a personal level – make it a part of your life. Make the library a part of your kids lives, make it a family tradition, make it a Tuesday ritual. The library is THE place to be for community involvement and access to educational materials. Supporting them (and yourself) by registering for a library card also comes with a handful of pretty cool benefits not offered by your library.
Just as a quick example: a subscription to LIBBY, where you can access digital libraries from across the globe with millions of audiobooks and ebooks, all at your fingertips FOR FREE. Thanks to that handy-dandy library card of course.
If you aren’t sure how to find your local library, https://libraryfinder.org/ is a great place to start.
5. Now that you have a library card, you need a few BOOKMARKS
Fun fact: Your local library usually has a selection of paper bookmarks, free for the taking.
I, however, am a sucker for a cute bookmark and I have no shame admitting that. The following links will take you to few of my personal favorites:
6. A Travel Reading Light
This one is for my night-owls and my red eye flight takers. The overhead lights on an airplane can have a tendency to give me a headache and that just isn’t a good situation for anyone involved so in an effort to combat that, I give you my favorite clip-on reading light.
7. An Audible Subscription
Audiobooks are a wonderful way to sneak more books into your brain diet. It’s like blending veggies into a fruit smoothie. Plus, my thoughts get loud if I don’t have some kind of audio in the background, making Audible a perfect companion when my headphones are keeping me separated from the world around me.
8. A pocket-sized Grocery Tote
This is my ULTIMATE on-the-go secret. When I’m out and about, fast food gets old quickly. So a stop by the grocery store happens more often than it doesn’t. This little gadget is nifty, thrifty and good for the environment!
9. Last but not least, you need snacks.
Okay so I cheated a little with this least because, obviously, snacks are a must. For me it doesn’t matter if I’m on the go or at home for the day – I have to have the option to graze or else I’m ravenously hungry by the end of the day and I cook way too much food for dinner. I avoid this by keeping my personal grab and go’s on hand. Investing in a decent snackle box or two is a good idea. Or reusable snack bags.
