Among Friends

[seaswirl]

For those of you who carry a daily work/tote bag, how do you organize it?  Mine seems to be a black hole.  Any tips?

[Irish1210]

To go along with your question..............I am looking for the perfect tote.  I would like something that can be carried like a shoulder bag. 

Any suggestions appreciated : )

[jaxs mom]

It sounds like you need an organizer insert for the bag. 

[seaswirl]

Irish1210:  Here's the tote I've been using for years.  It's very sturdy and the leather is beautiful.  I carry it over my shoulder.  I got it from Duluth Trading.

[chrystaltree]

Forgive me if I don't understand the question.  It's just not that hard for me.  Right now, I am carrying a large east-west D&B tote.  It gas a zipper and slot on one wall and I keep my cell phone in the slot (it's deep) because my phone is large.  I put my sunglasses in the zipper pocket because the case is soft,  I put my Peeps cleaner in there too and my work ID which is on a lanyard.  On the other wall of the bag, there are two pockets.  One tiny, one a little bigger.  I keep my keys in the small one because they don't fall out, I also keep a couple of dollar bills in that pocket.  I keep my hand sanitizer and a small pack of tissues in the bigger pocket.  The bag is lined in red so it's a big red hole.  All my necessities are in a pouch; which came with a smaller change purse type pouch which fits into it.  My credit cards, hospital cards, some cash are in the change purse.  My makeup and a small hand lotion are in the larger pouch and it all slips into my bag.  I always carry a sweater and sometimes a scarf and I fold them and tuck them into my tote.  My laptop can fit into it but I rarely have to carry that around.  I do carry my Kindle Fire because that houses my music and my reading material and if I can check my email etc, if I have to.  The bag is leather but it's light.   I have many other tote bags and I switch them out every 3 or 4 weeks but the organization doesn't change much.  I would never...ever buy a bag that did not have some pockets.  

[Irish1210]

@seaswirl

I love this one!  Thanks for the info. I'm going to check it out : )

[lolakimono]

@seaswirl

Check out 

http://www.qvc.com/Pursfection-Portable-Purse-Organizer-w-12-Pockets-%26-Zipper-Close.product.V34316...

There are similar items on Amazon as well. 

[151949]

I've never had to carry work related paperwork etc so I've never needed a tote bag, for which I'm grateful.Just my purse and my lunch box.

However, I too find the pursefection type organizers to be very helpful. They have these on Amazon in many different sizes.

[FrostyBabe1]

I carried a briefcase rather than a tote. Lots of compartments and space, including a padded space for my laptop. It had a strap on the back that I could loop over the handle of my rollerboard bag as well as a shoulder strap. I tucked my wallet, a small cosmetic bag and a couple of packets of tissues in and I was ready to go. 

[willdob3]

@seaswirl

I use a purse organizer I got from Groupon in my "black hole" work tote. I could not use a plain tote without an organizer. They make a big difference.

I've also got a work tote that is have a zippered divider in the center and quite a few pockets for different things. It is easy to organize & it stays neater than my black hole tote. But both get used quite a bit.