What’s in Your Briefcase?

What’s in Your Briefcase?
Post Date

My briefcase travels back and forth with me to work every day.  It is part office, part snack drawer, and part time capsule. 

The practical items are easy to explain – my laptop, a charger (or two), reMarkable, and a pair of headphones. These days I don’t even carry a pen since I am obsessed with my reMarkable.  Sometimes you might find an apple or some pretzels somewhere in there although with full disclosure, neither might be as fresh as they should be. 

Then there are the sentimental things. For years, I carried an old Ziploc bag that held old cards and letters going back to a handwritten note from my grandfather when he gave me a watch as a graduation gift. He was a jokester and his note reflected his comedy and goodwill.  None of these are particularly useful but they always made me smile, including all of the notes from my kids that wound their way to that Ziploc.  At some point, they were disintegrating and so I stopped carrying the Ziploc and decided to keep it safe in a desk drawer at home.

Finally, there are the forgotten items -- loose paper clips, some Advil, and receipts I was definitely going to organize a long time ago.

I think your briefcase may say more about you than you might expect.  I’d like to think mine suggests I like to be prepared and I’m a little bit sentimental.

How about you? 

Comments

Corey Bearak

Rarely used what the late City Council Member and fellow consultant on one of my long -projects until his passing called my Rolling Research Wagon: it carried my laptop, charger, pens-pencils-sharpies-markers, small stapler & refills, various clips, hairbrush, small umbrellas, yarmulka in a plastic zippered case, a reporters notebook,my daily newspapers and any file folder relevant to the day’s appointment, copies of testimony and news releases if part of that day’s proceeding.

These days my “bag” I carry most of the time carries glasses, keys, pens, tiny notepad provided by Garibaldi Groupstain remover and iPhone, occasionally iPad and less often my MacBook.  Chargers are retrievable from my car and only included where deemed necessary.

Dave Freedman, SHRM-SCP

I love this conversation and especially the interesting/meaningful things!

 

One thing I always carry, though I haven't used it in YEARS is a highlighter. I've always had one on me, and one day YEARS ago I was a client and the client printed something out and asked everyone at the table to read it before we spoke about it. I calmly pulled the highlighter from my backpack and started doing my thing. Someone at the table said to me "did you just happen to have that on you??" I smiled and said "always". This quietly solidified my status with that client as "ready for anything". :)

I also always keep a small umbrella, even if no rain is called for. If rain IS called for, I trade it out for a bigger one. 

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