Why You Should Clean Out Your Bags!
Posted by Dr. Cason on Friday, May 30th, 2008
What’s a quick way to get organized and feel immensely better about your busy life?
Clean out your purse or bags or whatever you schlep around day to day!
Do you do this regularly? I haven’t been so good at it lately and when I found myself lugging 4 bags around recently I knew it had to stop. Out all the contents went and here’s what I found:
1. One camera in it’s case with chocolate smudges-Jake grabbed it one day when I was taking photos of them eating chocolate icing.
2. Two pairs of sunglasses
3. One set of keys
4, Three pieces of gum-I flicked the dirt off one and started munching right away.
5. Wallet - We won’t discuss what’s inside that.
6. Miscellaneous girl stuff.
7. Seven vials of albuterol , One Pulmicort vial, One Albuterol HFA and the Aerochamber. Because what good is the albuterol if you don’t have the aerochamber to help facilitate the administration. I also had a little medicine bottle with just plain water. Had to throw that out!
8. Jacob’s PJ’s - I had changed him at the daycare recently when we were running late and they just never made it back to their regular spot.
9. Two full water bottles
10. Eleven pens- I swear I couldn’t find any this morning when I reached in and groped around.
11. One small cookbook - I like to look at it when I have time to experiment with new recipes.
12. Epi-pen trainer and 2 epi pens What good is the epi-pen if it’s not on you. ALWAYS keep two epi pens with you. If they don’t get better in 10-15 minutes you need to administer another dose.
13. Gabby’s pink hairbrush- just that morning I had asked her where it was and the poor thing said innocently, “I don’t know Mommy.” Of course she didn’t know! It had gotten sucked into my Mommy’s purse.
14. Two little hair bands
15. Two lip glosses and 1 blush running free of it’s home- a little makeup bag
16. An Elmo book about colors- We’re working on Colors with Jake and I put it in there so he could play with it.
17. 2 thumbdrives with very important info!
18. Jake’s hospital bracelet from a couple of weeks ago. I know it’s was a scary time but I still want to remember it.
19. Five diapers and three separate bags of wet wipes. – a mother’s best friend. I immediately leaned over and cleaned the chocolate off the camera bag.
20. One compact umbrella -We’re approaching rainy season In Guam.
21. Mints- actually it was one lonely mint running around in the Altoids container.
22. Two cords- one ipod cord and one camera cord to download info to my laptop
23. Laptop
24. Stethoscope and one prescription pad
25. A Photoshop book- I’m learning little by little.
26. Oprah Magazine
27. Naked by David Sedaris- ok so I like to read and there’s nothing worse than being stuck somewhere with some refreshing time and have nothing to read.
28. Miscellaneous loose pieces of paper-That, like the wallet, is another post!
29. Six dollars running free- I put it in the wallet!
29. My Stephen Covey organizer- I know! Don’t say it.
All in all I realized that there wasn’t much trash just the normal mom stuff that gets collected over time. Sorting through it forced me to organize things. After sorting it all, I felt freed. My mind was able to think about more pressing issues and not get stuck wondering where everything was. In the end I kept three bags:
My tote bag: This is the bag that carries the little stuff that either needs to get put away or carried back home. That day it was crammed packed with the afore mentioned items that clearly didn’t belog (Pj’s!) and the extra purse.
My purse: This still carries an extraordinary amount of stuff but it’s the pharmacy that I couldn’t get a way with.
My “work” bag: This carries the laptop, papers, Rx pad, stethoscope, pens journals and and various reading materials. Also I have my epi-pen trainer so that I’m good to go when I teach.
Are you like me?
Today’s task is to dump your purse out and then only put back in what you need or what you love!
Write me and tell me what you found!
How do you feel?
Filed in My Life, Self Improvement |
Awesome Momon 30 May 2008 at 8:43 am 1I like to travel light, so I don’t carry a purse around. I just keep my keys, my cell phone and wallet in my pants pockets. I used to carry more stuff around when I had babies, but now that the kids are older I just keep diapers in the car for emergencies.
Awesome Moms last blog post..Fun times!
Guinevere Meadowon 30 May 2008 at 11:20 am 2I’m always amazed at the JUNK I find in my purse! And the diaper bag, too. Ick.
Guinevere Meadows last blog post..I’ve Had It.
Barbara Swaffordon 30 May 2008 at 1:41 pm 3Oh my gosh! That’s a lot of stuff.
I have a purse fetish, and love to change them often, so I just keep minimal stuff in it…wallet, pen, lipstick, cell phone and my keys.
I have found that if I carry a heavy purse, I start to get shoulder pain, so do try to keep it light. Sometimes when I change purses, I find $4-5 worth of coins in the bottom of my purse. Into the piggy bank it goes.
I do agree though, an organized purse does make me feel “lighter” .
Barbara Swaffords last blog post..Blogs - The New Electronic Paper Trail
Bethon 30 May 2008 at 11:03 pm 4You inspired my own clean-out! It’s over at my blog!
Beths last blog post..Work-a-billy
Randion 31 May 2008 at 3:23 am 5I try and keep smaller to medium size purses, so I don’t get too much stuff collected in there.
BUT the diaper bag, that’s another story;)
Randis last blog post..All Kinds Of Goodness
Leigh Annon 31 May 2008 at 1:27 pm 6Ha ha! That was funny! My, you have a big purse.
I think I need to take your advice. I keep losing my credit cards and drivers license. Seriously. More than once.
Leigh Anns last blog post..RETIREMENT MAY BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH
Larueon 07 Jun 2008 at 12:33 pm 7My oldest has a latex allergy and is forever leaving her epi-pen at home. She doesn’t seem to understand the importance of having it with her - she’s 13 and the world revolves around her, you know. I am going to show her what you said about having TWO with you. Hopefully it will sink in this time since it is from a DOCTOR and not her MOTHER.
Larues last blog post..If I had a million dollars
Nikkion 13 Jul 2008 at 1:59 am 8I actually don’t carry a purse, never have, this way I don’t carry junk around with me, I keep all the junk in the car
Although I’m actually allergic to bee’s and shellfish but haven’t carried an epipen since I was 13. My husband is always harassing me, but I guess now that I have a little one I should really start taking care of myself… I don’t know that I’ll go all crazy and carry two but one is a start