“Office-in-a-bag” – a great Flylady tip

At the recommendation of a co-worker, I found Flylady my second year of teaching, when I also had a child under one. I love Flylady’s website, which features organizational, time, and home management tips. Since following her tips, I have gotten much better at managing my life and time. She has helped me create routines to get things done at home and work.One of my favorite tips is having an “Office-in-a-Bag,” which basically provides a way for you to get things done when you are out-and-about. She recommends that you keep a zippered binder with things like pens, paper clips, paper, stamps, address labels, paperwork to do, etc.

I have my own version of this. I keep a pencil bag in my bag with various office supplies (pens, highlighter, post-its, correction tape, scissors, chapstick, post-it tabs, fine-tip permanent marker, paper clips, and my zip drive).

Then I have folders for different tasks:
– thank you notes/cards
– calls
– priority
– articles to read/sort
– typing
– reading
– etc.

Then I can grab what I want to work on that day when I have downtime. It is a great way to always have stuff with you. There are never enough hours in the day, so I am so grateful to be able to take advantage of any snippets of time to get something done.

This can work for anyone regardless of your job or schedule:
– if you work full-time and work on things at lunch
– if you have a doctor’s appointment and want to make the most of your wait time
– if you are taking a child to a sporting event or lesson or wait in long carpool lines and have to sit and wait
– etc.

Even when I was teaching full-time I found it helpful, because if I need to take care of a bill or phone call, I had everything I needed with me.

Click here to see Flylady’s official “Office-in-a-Bag.” You can either create your own, use my system, or buy hers. Happy organizing!