Organize Your Briefcase or Purse with These 6 Steps

By Kevin Shirley, Associate Broker (DC), ASP, GRI, e-PRO

Have you ever had to unexpectedly open your bag at the airport to find your passport or boarding pass? Did people stare at you when you spread all your personal items out on the conveyor belt during your hunt? We all have these memorable moments with our overstuffed purses and briefcases! But these incidents don’t stop us from loving the convenience of them.

There is a particular corner in our heart for tote bags and briefcases because of the ample space that they offer. But you can fill them so much that they cause shoulder pain. Hence, they must be optimally filled and beautifully organized, so you don’t feel embarrassed if you have to open it in front of someone.

Here are a few quick hacks to maintain the order of everything in your bag!

• Empty the entire bag. Remove everything out of the bag and all its internal pockets and dust it out over the sink. This is to clean the dirty bottom of the bag.
• Get rid of unnecessary items. Now that everything is removed, let’s only put back the things that you really need. A quick tip – keep only those items that you have used in the last 5 days. Scan your bag and get rid of all the old receipts, loose coins, expired credit cards, loyalty cards, paper scraps, unreadable notes, expired mint and gum, dirty comb, handkerchief, masks, and floating tissues. If you don’t have any of it in your bag, you are already pretty well organized!
• Keep a separate wallet for money and cards. You should keep a separate smaller wallet inside your bag, containing cash, one ID, and one or two appropriate credit or debit cards. Never put money randomly in your bag as there are chances that it may tear, and you might accidentally drop some of it while extracting something else out of your bag. You should be able to carry this wallet separately when you are visiting a nearby store.
• Choose the correctly sized bag. More space often means creating more room for clutter! As true as it is for bigger homes, it’s also true for bigger purses and briefcases. Re-evaluate the load that you are carrying on your shoulders. Do you really need a bag of this size? If yes, do you need all the items that you have put into it? Make sure you choose the purse or briefcase of a size that is easiest to carry every day.
• Group similar items together. You may want to have a separate smaller moisture-proof makeup wallet or toiletries bag in your purse or briefcase. If you through these individual items in your big bag, you run the risk of them leaking and damaging essential papers, electronics, or the bag itself. If you carry electronic gadgets accessories, group them together, so the wires don’t get tangled.
• Invest in organizers. There are multiple small pouches currently on the market that can act as inexpensive organizers. You can use them to store files, scarves, notebooks, pens, and grocery bags, elegantly and cleanly.

So, follow these tips to ensure that old receipts don’t litter at the bottom of the bag!