Welcome to Mission #2 of our 52 Organizing Missions.
If you completed last week’s Get Organized Mission Fill a-Hu-u-uge-Trash-Bag you’re probably feeling pretty fabulous right now.
If not – what are you waiting for!
This week we’re getting organized on a smaller scale.
We’re about to streamline the receptacle you take with you into the world each day – purse, tote, handbag, wallet, briefcase, capacious carpetbag, whatever.
Remember – you only have to spend 30 minutes to complete the basic mission. If you want to go further check out the Extended Organizing Mission Options below.
Ready?
Get Organized Mission #2: Detox Your Briefcase/Tote/Bag
Step 1: Empty
Empty everything out of your bag (I’ll use this generic term for simplicity). Dust out any lingering detritus over a sink so your bag is lovely and clean.
Step 2: Wallet
If you have a separate pocketbook/wallet, start there.
- Remove old business cards, receipts, paper scraps, tissues, post-its, random hairclips, etc.
- Remove other items that don’t deserve the real estate – eg loyalty cards for stores you rarely visit, coffee cards you never remember to use, etc.
- Place the regularly used credit cards, store cards and ID in convenient locations in your wallet.
- Check any photos of loved ones are current and in good condition.
Step 3: Keys
Next, streamline your keys.
- Use a neat, functional keyring or case.
- Remove any keys you don’t need. If you don’t remember what they’re for, put them on a separate ‘Mystery’ keyring for later investigation.
- If you’re always fumbling with keys, consider putting them on the ring in the order you use them – eg, car, garage, mailbox, top lock, bottom lock.
Step 4: Make-Up Purse
Next, let’s tackle your make-up purse, make-up compartment in your bag, or for guys, any toiletries you carry with you.
- Remove items you don’t use regularly enough to justify their real estate.
- Discard anything old, in poor condition or funky smelling.
- Consider streamlining your daily essentials. Could you limit yourself to, say, a neutral lipstick or lipgloss, small tube of SPF hand cream, small blush with built-in mirror and brush, small mascara and small fragrance bottle?
- If you streamline the contents, consider downsizing your make-up purse too.
Step 5: Organize
Finally, return the streamlined items to your bag. Make use of compartments to help keep the contents organized.
Dos & Don’ts
- Don’t keep floating tissues, unneeded receipts, ancient mints and gum, loose coins, random pens, paper scraps, indecipherable notes.
- Do keep your streamlined wallet, keys and make-up purse, cell phone, iPod, attractive notebook, nice-to-use pen, small tissue pack or handkerchief, and diary/PDA (the target of a future organizing mission).
Extended Organizing Mission Options
Want to go beyond this 30-minute organizing mission?
- If your bag or briefcase lacks compartments, is in poor condition or out-of-touch with your current likes and lifestyle, take yourself shopping and invest in a better performer.
- If other household members want to participate let them get their backpack/briefcase/tote and join you.
- If you have other bags and briefcases you don’t love, take this opportunity to discard them. If they’re lovely, donate; if not, ditch.
Ready, Set, Go!
Remember – move quickly, act fast, don’t overthink.
Before You Go – Please Check In
You’re now accountable to your organizing mission-mates! Once you’ve completed this week’s Get Organized Mission please add a comment to let us know you’ve done your assignment and you’re keeping your commitment.
(Click ‘Comment’ at the very top of this post or scroll down to the bottom. Depending on how you’re viewing this post, one of those options will be available for you.)
And see you back here next week!
Update
You can get your weekly organizing mission delivered to your inbox.
Click here to sign up for 52 Organizing Missions.
Image by ume-y
Make room for your knitting: RT @micheleconnolly Get Organized Mission #2: Detox Your Briefcase/Tote/Bag http://bt.io/AWUh
Mission accomplished, clean bag. I do this one pretty often.
Done!
mission #2 completed!! =0)
Completed
Done!
Done! …wasn’t too hard, actually, because I had perchance done (most of) that recently. Um… probably that’s the whole trick of it all: completing these 30-minutes missions not once a year, but twice a month, so they only take 3 minutes?…
WOW Loved it.. Thank you
All done. Pretty easy, because I only did this last Wednesday. Must remember to do this weekly with my work bag.
Done 🙂
no more gum wrappers, fuzzy cough drops, and loose change for me. done and done.
done!
all done.
if i carry a smaller purse, i can’t fit as much crap into right?
tee hee
Hi Paulie,
Want a little tip to avoid getting into the 19-pens-in-my-bag situation again?
Find a pen you really like – the way it writes, the way it looks, etc. Now when you use it, you’ll be more aware of putting it back in its place and less likely to accidentally acquire another one.
It may cost more upfront, but will save money in the long run.
M 🙂
19 pens. 19!!!!!!
I thought only WH Smith’s had that many pens – I am so ashamed – never again.
DONE!
Done! I don’t carry make-up on my bag so I guess it’s wasn’t as difficult… at least not this once.
Apparently, it’s going to take several bags. So far my husband and I have gone through three, and we’ve only made a dent in the excess stuff that we have from our past. Please don’t notify Clean House yet. Mostly it’s stuff that came from my parent’s house and his parent’s house just recently. We weren’t always overrun with STUFF. Oh, well, a little at a time.
done…did this the next day after the trash bag one..I was so inspired to clean out… 🙂
I got tired of having more than one bag, so changed to one. Then I got tired of carrying around unnecessary items in the one bag and trying to find black colored items in a bag with a dark interior. I finally went to just carrying a palm-size wallet and my cell phone (wardrobe pockets a must). Life is so much easier. When I clean out my wallet, the most used cards go toward to back because that’s where I start pulling out from the back. Little used cards go in a designated place in my desk at home. My sister found a cigarette case to use as a wallet and it’s very nice looking for any occasion. Beware of cases that are slick, they can fall out of pants pockets easily. Leather or similar materials stay put. Many retailers and catalogues are beginning to carry many kinds of these cases. Front window is very handy for your most-asked-for ID.