Okay, so I stumbled upon this “What’s In The Bag” thing by Jake Knapp, the guy who wrote “Sprint.” I was curious, so I decided to give it a shot myself. It’s basically about optimizing the stuff you carry around every day.
The Purge
First, I dumped everything out of my backpack. Man, I had a lot of junk in there! Old receipts, crumpled papers, about five pens that probably didn’t even work, and a half-eaten granola bar from…who knows when. It was a mess.
I started by getting rid of the obvious trash. Anything that was broken, expired, or clearly useless went straight into the bin. Feels good, man.
The Essentials
Next, I laid out everything that was left and thought about what I actually use on a regular basis. This was the tough part. Like, do I really need to carry around three different notebooks? Probably not.
- Laptop: Gotta have it for work and, well, everything.
- Phone: Duh.
- Charger: For both the laptop and phone. Because dead devices are useless.
- Wallet: Cards, cash, the usual.
- Keys: House and office.
- One notebook and one pen: For notes. I’m going with just one of each. Be strong.
- Headphones. For calls, music.
- Water bottle: Gotta stay hydrated.
The “Maybe” Pile
This was the stuff I wasn’t sure about. Like, a small first-aid kit, a multi-tool, and an extra pair of socks. I mean, you never know, right?
I decided to be ruthless. I put the first-aid kit and multi-tool in my car’s glove compartment. That way, they’re still accessible, but not weighing down my bag every day. The socks? Okay, those can stay. You never know, my foot might explode.
Putting It All Back
I found some smaller pouches to organize the essentials. One for chargers, one for the notebook and pen, and one for the random, smaller things.
I put everything back in my bag, and wow, what a difference! It felt so much lighter and more organized. I even had some extra space.
The Result
Honestly, it felt great to declutter. I didn’t realize how much unnecessary stuff I was lugging around. Now, my bag feels lighter, I can find things easier, and I feel a little less stressed. It’s like a weight off my shoulders, literally. I think I’ll adopt the habit of check what’s in the bag every week.
