Freelance Writers, What's In Your Bag?

It has been said that the contents of your bag say something about you. I thought why not have a little fun today, and check in with you guys about what’s in your bag.

I suppose many of us have not used our bags as much as we did. In the past, some of us would go meet clients. Others would work outside — in a cafe or at the library — from time to time for a change of scenery. I used to travel rather frequently and did my work wherever I found myself.

So yes, while we may not regularly use a bag these days, I believe many of us still have a portable office that is our bag.

Let’s start with the bag itself. What do you prefer to use?

A black backpack? A tote? Laptop bag?

I prefer a sizable red leather shoulder bag that has been called the “bottomless pit”.

Whatever your preference may be, the point of this exercise is to find out what we — freelance writers — consider essentials when we go out of the house to do some work.

So, what do I have in my bag?

I will have to share two separate sections for this.

First, the non-work essentials.

After all, even if work is part of the agenda, we can’t go without our comfort items, can we?

I always — and I mean always — have:

my wallet
a pack of facial tissues; quick side note — if you’re traveling in another country, trust me, this is even more important! I actually have been called a godsend in one of my trips as a nice elderly lady desperately needed tissues in the bus and she didn’t have any with her.
my phone
keys
alcohol spray (even before COVID, I’d always have this)
a bottle of water
sunglasses

Second, the work-related items:

laptop, of course
pens — how many, I can’t really say
a notebook or two
chargers
power strip; this I sometimes leave behind as more cafes have lots of wall outlets available now. In the past, though, this was a necessity. Take a look at an old post I wrote about this.

That’s it! I used to bring more, but I soon learned that all you really is a laptop and the charging cable. With these, you can get in your car, hop on a bus, a ship, or a plane and let the winds take you wherever. All the other things, you can buy if needed.

This reminds me of the freedom we had pre-COVID. While I may not be able to do all those things right now, I content myself with reminiscing and planning. And, trust me, my bag will be ready to go then.

How about you — tell me, what’s in your bag?

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