Have you ever showed up at a meeting and realized you forgot to bring the right paperwork? Or nipped out to the library only to realize one of your overdue books is still sitting at home?
There is a simple way to end this confusion: Tote Bag Organizing.
It’s a fancy name I made up to describe how I keep papers for separate activities together so that I always have what I need by grabbing the appropriate box or bag.
How It Started
A few years ago, all the charities I subscribe to started sending me tote bags. While some of them were converted into reusable shopping bags, I had a few that weren’t suitable. I threw the papers for a Girl Scout meeting into one and forgot to unpack it…and realized how handy it was to have everything together.
I was no longer scrambling before the meeting to make sure I had everything; and when I needed paperwork that was handed out at the last meeting I knew exactly where to look.
Does It Have To Be A Tote Bag?
No, you can use whatever container or other organizational tool best suits your contents. In some cases it might be better to have a smaller or larger container.
For example, I have started assuming the primary leader role for our Girl Scout troop in preparation for next fall. This means I have to lug supplies back and forth; so a banker’s box takes care of that. Inside will be a plastic folder for our paperwork that I can remove and take as a single unit when we go on a field trip.
For a meeting I attend monthly where I need a notebook and pen and a place to keep papers that need to be returned, I use a poly envelope with a closure.
I also routinely use poly binder dividers with pockets to keep papers together for short-term projects. These live in a container on my desk and get put into the activity bag as needed. An example: the reservation sheets, requirements and meeting information for the Bridging ceremony that will take my troop from Brownies to Juniors.
How Do You Put This Together?
It is easy to put these modules together.
- Gather everything you would need for the activity.
- Put it in a designated container.
- Add a writing tool and a notebook or paper.
- Subdivide as necessary. (see below)
How To Make It Work
After you set up the tote bag, take it to your activity. When you come home again, remove anything that has to be dealt with. Take care of these items and put things back in the bag that will be needed for the next time.
If something should come up during the week, make a note and slip it into the bag. If you receive mail that is relevant, put it in the bag.
Before your next venture to your activity, add what you need, such as books or paperwork.
Sub-divide as necessary. For activities where you may not need everything all the time, have a way to quickly remove those items. For example, my Girl Scout paperwork, which is required whenever we take an off-site trip, is in a separate pouch so that I can take just that when we go on a field trip.
If you need to do something with that activity at home, work out of the tote bag, and keep everything together.
Various Uses of Tote Bag Activity Modules
- For my treasurer gig with a local non-profit, I keep a folder for papers, the checkbook and spare supplies in a sturdy bag and add the books we talk about at our weekly meeting.
- For my Girl Scout papers, I have an old briefcase to keep all the papers in order, along with a package of crayons, extra paper and spare pencils.
- For my Girl Scout Leader meeting papers, I have a binder pencil pouch that has a notebook inside, a pen, and our tracking slips.
- For the library, I keep a bag with books and batteries to be recycled (our library accepts these). When a book is not being read, it lives in the bag.
- For choir we have a small bag with our folders, extra pencils and facial tissues.
- For the class I am taking, I have my notebook, and the text book stays inside of the bag, but may be removed before class if I know I won’t have to use it.
Using these tote bags has kept me on track. I always have what I need right at my fingertips, and I haven’t forgotten to return a library book for months.
Do you have a great way to organize activity items? Share below.
you have a bag, you put things in it and attend meetings. what is special about that? you don’t really have bag modules that you drop in & out for each particular meeting …
Actually, I do have modules that get dropped in and out for the various activities. For a bigger project, such as Girl Scouts, I have folders that go in and out of the bag, depending on what is “active” at the time. Between meetings, everything lives in the overall bag, so I never have to look. The worst that can happen is that I take too much to meetings…but I don’t forget anything anymore.
I do something similar with the computer user groups I work with.
I use different bags for each, with extra bags for each function (Board Meeting, Special Interest Group, General Meeting, etc.).I started doing this a couple of years ago when I kept forgetting important items.
Like you I found that I was getting tote bags at almost every conference I attended and finally realized I could put them to good use in this way.
I do something similar with the computer user groups I work with.
I use different bags for each, with extra bags for each function (Board Meeting, Special Interest Group, General Meeting, etc.).I started doing this a couple of years ago when I kept forgetting important items.
Like you I found that I was getting tote bags at almost every conference I attended and finally realized I could put them to good use in this way.
Sometimes the most simple organizational tools are the ones that work the best. For a while, I was scrambling every Sunday morning trying to track down the kids’ ice skating helmets and their gloves. And then I started keeping a designated tote bag just for ice skating stuff. The moment we got done using the helmets and gloves, back they went into the bag. It made me a lot more organized, and we were able to get out the door more quickly.
hi all i really like this article but what i would really like to find out is that the bag in that picture up top, what is the name of these kind of bag!
thanks for any kind souls! it looks like very popular in alot of company giveaways!
I do this already. My problem is that I forget the bags now.
I put the bag I need by the door the night before. Or in my car the day before.
Oh gosh, I teach two different classes and if I didn’t take my “class bag” with me, I’d be up a proverbial creek! I also have a library bag that I take with me to the library and put books I’ve read and need to take back in it too.
And just thinking about it – I have a laundry sack that has everything I need in it when my daughter does her laundry (I send mine out!).
to be really honest: i don’t understand what’s the point here. so basically you’re saying one should organize his shit and you’re saying that one can use any kind of containers for that – bags for example. right?
For the people that just “don’t get it”, maybe the article isn’t using enough “productivity jargon” for you. How’s this…the bags are a way to gather up what you would need for a particular context and ensure you have everything on hand to accomplish whatever your next actions and activities are which relate to that context. Better? ;)
In past days, I used to use Bag for my office. But now i don;t use any Office Bag.
This is a great idea, and one I’ve used for my library items, my kids’ library books, and my work things (when I worked in an office) for years. I also have a “Trapper”-type system for my bill-paying supplies (and the bills themselves). It only recently occurred to me to have a “writing” bag where I can keep everything I’m working on together for use at home or if I head out to a coffee shop to work. Your article has me thinking of what else I can put in bags!
Thanks for the article. It was a great reminder!
This is a great post. If anybody wants to set some goals for
themselves, you should visit ICanAndWill.com It’s a cool website that
helps people define their goals and receive encouragement from other
people….