Do you have one of these middle compartment tote bags that you just purchased to carry your laptop to work and now you have no idea how to pack this bag. In this post I am sharing how you can efficiently pack these middle zipper tote bags for work or you can do this for travel as well.
Using these steps you can not only carry the stuff you need, but also keep it pretty organized at all times.
This Bag Measurements
I wanted to share this bit of information, so you can compare and check whether your bag has the same measurements.
This bag from Coach measures:
- Length – 13 1/4 inch
- Width – 11 inch
- Depth (Bottom Thickness) – 5 inch
This is a smaller tote bag, but what I loved was the long handle and that is why I picked up one in white with Zippers for Cold weather.
This bag has more than enough items, but I also have a lot of things to put in it.
What To Pack
There are a few things, I am not taking which I have at my desk. A laptop charger, which I leave at my desk, so that I don’t forget it and the same applies to hand sanitizer which I keep in my car as well as at work.
I have added a tablet and a notebook which I sometimes take and sometimes leave behind. But I wanted to share how even if you have a lot of stuff, you can still keep your tote bag organized by compartmentalizing items.
There are a few things you don’t have to carry and a few things you should not just throw in the bag randomly which is why sometimes, we all feel like we can’t find anything in our tote bag. What keeps my small items specially makeup, toiletries, any kind of medication is by compartmentalizing them so, I know exactly what to look for.
I also like for the interiors of my bags to feel clean so, I feel better if I have to take out items while fishing for something, which frankly you will have to anyways. But by storing small items that are easy to be lost at the bottom of the bag in small zipper bags, I am ale to minimize the chaos that happens when you have to look for them.
Below are the list of items I am packing here:
- Sunglasses
- Power Bank
- Laptop
- Mask
- Tablet
- Earphones
- Full Wallet
- Phone Charger
- Phone
- Blue Light Glasses
- Notebook
- Pen
- Lens Cleaner ( I should keep one at work as well)
- Make up Bag
- Toiletry Pouch
- Keys ( Its obvious)
Optimize Space in the Tote Bag
There are a few things, I am doing here that definitely helps keep things organized. And you can do too without shopping a lot no matter whether you have a bigger tote bag or a smaller tote bag.
I am separating my toiletries from my makeup bag. Earlier, I used to put them together, but over the years, I realized that its best to keep them separate specially if you also carry medication even if they are as simple as Advil. This way you know where they are and can access them right away.
But more importantly, it helps remind you to replenish them as they run out. That was my biggest reason to do it. Plus, my makeup bag usually could get bigger or smaller, and I wanted to make sure that I can change it without worrying about my toiletries or forgetting them altogether.
So, I decided to get a smaller pouch from Amazon, that carries my pills and other things.
And I keep my makeup items in another pouch. I usually have a number of these at home and it changes depending on the size or whether I need more makeup or not.
This definitely helps with any leaks or spills from any of my makeup. The bag ensures that everything is in there and I am not accidentally crushing a tube of makeup and taking all my concealer out at the bottom of my tote bag.
I also carry a tide pen, that can leak, so I also put that in the makeup bag for protection. The toiletry bag on the other hand is small, so I can easily carry it with to the bathroom if need be.
The rest of the items are out in the open and I did not want to just throw them in the tote bag, which usually takes a lot of space. So, I decided to get a tote bag organizer. I did some research and found a narrow tote bag organizer that I can bring to use for one side of the handbag since there is a zipper compartment in the middle which will make it difficult to put a deeper organizer.
This organizer is shorter in height and is the same color as the inner color of the handbag. This makes it perfect for camouflaging and keeping all my things intact in the organizer without showing or spilling.
The organizer can also be closed with buttons on each side, but with the items I have, I do not think so it is possible to do that.
How to Put The Items In Your Bag
The bag organizer has pockets on the sides which makes it easier to store small items, like the lens cleaner, my phone, blue light glasses, charger, power bank and more.
This way those items are not thrown at the bottom of the handbag and you do not have to keep fishing for them every time you need them.
Your bag also looks really organized doesn’t it. I can already see how organized my bag is going to by looking at how my little things are packed in the organizer.
The organizer also has handles built in it so that when needed you can take the whole organizer out of the tote without having to take out each of the items first. Isn’t that awesome!
Now, its time to put everything inside the handbag. The first thing that I put was the tablet and the notebook in the zip enclosure in the middle of the tote bag.
Since I am not carrying protective case, this helps protect the tablet and also keep my handbag snuggly so that nothing is going move.
Since my laptop is bigger than the enclosure, I kept it on one side and dropped the organizer on the other side. This also helps reach for things easier because I know which side id my laptop.
I also added my wallet to my laptop side because there was much more room. And that is it.
Note: Its always a good rule of thumb to put most used items at the top of the tote bag, because this way you don’t have take everything else out to reach for them. That is why I kept my sunglasses and wallet towards the top. And I am also going to do the same for my keys.
If you are not carrying a notebook or a tablet, but instead you are carrying your laptop charger or bigger headphones, then you can drop them in the zipped compartment so they are concealed and do not get tangled and in the middle of her items.
I also found cord organizers that will also help keep the cords in check in case your tote bag does not have a dipped compartment.
