Anonymous wrote:OP here. I don't hate the movers or the backpackers. The question I have had is what is being carried. Some reasonable responses, especially the open office. Never occurred to me. I've never been exposed to it apart from articles about the "new office". Frankly that sucks.

I prefer the lots of bags people. Unlike the backpackers, the don't use those multiple bags as weapons. The backpackers, on the other hand, draw blood and Bruce people.

It doesn't suck - it means more WFH options. The trade off to me is totally worth it. My old company with the office paid a lot for that real estate ad wanted my ass in it. I have much more control over my schedule now. I will never go back to an office structure again.

Another person who works in various locations, teaches (so I need materials), eats, pumps milk, goes to the gym, etc.

On an average day, I might have:

Purse: wallet, keys, phone, etc.
Messenger bag: laptop, notebook, iPad, pens, cords, etc.
Pump bag: pump, parts, bottles, ice packs, etc. (I did finally cave and buy a spare pump to keep in my office.)
Lunch bag: breakfast, lunch, snack, coffee, utensils, water bottle
Gym bag: workout clothes & shoes, shower stuff, clean lounge clothes for afterwards

Plus, sometimes I have a rolly bag full of teaching supplies, or a big easel of chart paper, or a load of food for a meeting, etc.

I suppose there's a way to condense all of this, but I like the multiple bag approach, because I can drop them all in my trunk or my office, and just pull out the one or two I need for each segment of my day.

I'm a sherpa.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I don't hate the movers or the backpackers. The question I have had is what is being carried. Some reasonable responses, especially the open office. Never occurred to me. I've never been exposed to it apart from articles about the "new office". Frankly that sucks.

I prefer the lots of bags people. Unlike the backpackers, the don't use those multiple bags as weapons. The backpackers, on the other hand, draw blood and Bruce people.

So basically, it is all about you?

I carry a lot. Lunch, breakfast, gym clothes, a purse, any work I brought home, and sometimes a laptop. It is all stuff I need. Should I stop exercising at lunch because you do not like to watch people carry stuff?

Yes, the "hoteling" trend with the constantly rotating open office space is even being used in federal agencies now, to save money. I have to schlep my whole office in everyday I don't telecommute. Plus lunch, because I have food allergies. Good times.

I carry a lot less now, but just a few weeks ago when my youngest was still in the baby room at daycare I had to bring 3 meals of solids for him, 2 bottles for him in a cooler, a sippy cup for water, my clean pumping parts and bottles, my lunch, wallet, badge, sunglasses, and small umbrella every day. Then add in the days where he needed diapers or wipes or new sets of clothes and I had even more.

And on the way home I had all the empty solids containers, the cooler with the milk I pumped, his empty bottles and sippy, dirty pump parts, my empty lunch bag plus the wallet, badge, sunglasses and umbrella. And any clothes he soiled that day.

I tried to minimize it as best I could by buying a second pump to keep at my office, keeping work shoes under my desk, leaving daily essentials like chapstick, tissues, etc. on my desk and taking up buying coffee so I didn't have to carry a coffee mug.

I have three grandchildren who I pick up from daycare or school 3 times a week.i am out of the house 14 hours at a time and need to be prepared. I also sing in two church groups and need to keep the sheet music with me. And there is a lot of that, lol.

I see this woman on my ride on bus every morning carrying 3 huge bags and in the evening the same bags still heavy! What is this that has to come to work with you every single day!

In my bags:
Purse- wallet, keys, glasses, laptop, phone, headphones, checkbook, bills I need to pay
Bag #2 - gym clothes, including shoes.
Bag #3 - lunch- most of it in tupperwares, some of them disproportionately large to the food inside. Bananas also take up space.
Occasionally - a small box or package I intend to mail from work.

OP here. I don't hate the movers or the backpackers. The question I have had is what is being carried. Some reasonable responses, especially the open office. Never occurred to me. I've never been exposed to it apart from articles about the "new office". Frankly that sucks.

I prefer the lots of bags people. Unlike the backpackers, the don't use those multiple bags as weapons. The backpackers, on the other hand, draw blood and Bruce people.

Anonymous wrote:I think the trend is open floor plans and fewer people have offices. I used to have a lovely office where I stored most of my crap. In the new virtual world, I have 3 "offices spaces" I can work from. The trade off is that one of these include my home. But 2-3 days a week when I'm not home I go to one of these other spaces depending on my work or possibly just go into the city for a meeting etc. So some days I need to pack my non-commuting shoes (my commute involves a fair bit of walking), lap top, lap top cord, phone cord, snack, in addition to my kindle, wallet, phone. I'm thinking of getting a wireless mouse to lug around as well.

Also some people go to the gym after. I work out at home since kids but man would I lug a lot of crap to the gym in my pre-kid days.

This is me, too. I don't have an assigned office or cubicle; I lost that when we moved to an open space design. So anything I want at work, I have to bring, including my heavy AF laptop, necessary paperwork, work shoes, water bottle (coffee mug too, if you want coffee but don't want to buy it), etc. I do try to shove everything into my backpack, but please note that I do NOT wear it on the metro- I hold it between my feet, trying not to touch the ground, or hold it in my hand.