ALYSSA LOST IN SPACE

Call me nosy, but I love seeing what people have in their bags. It’s fun to see what people carry with them from day-to-day. I especially love looking at what fellow writers and artists carry with them. It gives you some insight about how they work, what is essential, and how they work best. And sometimes you get some ideas for things to bring along on your own journeys to the coffee shop or library.

I like to keep my load as light as possible. I’ve had back issues since high school, and too much weight on my back for long periods of time only aggravates that and causes me more injury than it’s really worth.

But as I’ve mentioned before that I can be something of a workaholic when I’m super motivated and mentally healthy, so the stuff I’m going to show you I keep with me pretty much every time I go out. I like to be able to pull out my laptop while I’m on the bus or write something in a notebook when I have a few moments to spare.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s what I’ll be carrying with me this month:

1. The bag I’ll be using this month is my Fjallraven Kanken which I bought for my weekend trip to Toronto. It’s insanely comfortable even when it’s heavy and packed with stuff and I hope to be doing a lot of writing out of the house.
2. My laptop – an Asus netbook that I found on Amazon for super cheap when I wanted to find one I could use purely for writing. It’s small and light and the battery lasts forever so I don’t need to worry about bringing the charging cord.
3. That’s not to say that I don’t need power though – this is a little power bank I picked up off of amazon and the cord is attached to the device so I don’t have to worry about bringing the correct cables. The capacity for this little guy is 10000mAh, and it works with both my phone and my tablet.
4. My phone, a trusty Samsung Note 4 that I’ve had for years and refuse to part with. I always have at least this and my wallet with me so I can write anywhere. You’d be amazed how much writing I’ve done on this little thing.
5. Navy Blue Kate Spade wallet – It’s fairly small and zips up to keep things nice and compact and clean which is exactly how I like my bag to look.
6. A cheap pair of sunglasses that I picked up at Simons. I tend to break and lose my sunglasses really easily, so I can’t justify spending more than $20 on a pair. They are essential. I’m not sure if my eyes are just overly sensitive but I would get headaches from the intensity of my squinting, so sunglasses are a must in Summer and in Winter.
7. A very cheap water bottle that I got at Walmart. Doesn’t keep my water cold very well, but I’m not too bothered by that.
8. My Bluetooth earphones, which I also picked up on Amazon. I have small ears, and the traditional Bluetooth earbuds don’t fit my ears very well. I need music or ambient tracks to drown out any loud conversations or external noise and help me find my focus.
9. My current “notebook” which is really a Samsung tablet that I am using as a digital notebook for this month. Check out my blog post if you want to learn more about my experiment.

Not pictured: My keys, which were hanging on the outside of my bag, my umbrella, which I only carry when it rains, the book I am reading which tends to change, and a big long scarf I might bring with me if it’s a particularly cold day.

Everything else I bring with me just about every day. Whether I’m making a quick trip to the grocery store, heading in for writing session at my local library or if I’m heading into work.

I guess you could call this my survival kit? Except it’s what I need to survive year-round, not just during NaNoWriMo!

What Do You Carry?

What are some of the items you bring with you when you want to get some work done? What can’t you live without? Is there anything I’ve listed here that you wouldn’t bring? Let me know in the comments!