I love this idea! I actually spend a lot of time thinking about this – as someone who has a long commute a few days a week. I have three ‘loadouts’ for myself.
Long commute day
On a long commute day I carry a backpack and small bag. The contents of the backpack include my work laptop (not pictured) and these items:
- Two batteries
- Two lipsticks (one pink, one neutral)
- Mask
- Pouch usually filled with cables, and tampons
- Wallet
- Two hair ties
- Loose toonie – BC Transit bus fare backup
- Two mini USB to USB A cable
- One iPad USB C cable
- One Lightning iPhone cable
- A/C adapter for all the cables
- Ethernet to USB C cable
- Typically this bag also will hold my lunch
Why two batteries you ask? Great question, and when I remember why I put them in my bag I will be free to take them out, but no sooner.
Running Errands
For errands we get to just use the small bag, the contents of which are:
- Sunglasses (prescription)
- Card holder lanyard
- Compass Card
- UBC Card
- BC Ferries Experience Card
- Tampons
- Hair tie
- Two hair clips
- Mini chapstick
- Keys
This bag is my every day carry. Sidebar – does anyone else get offered Chapstick at the dentist? The dentist I go to has the best Chapstick and I try to make that mini one last until my next appointment.
Ramble
If I’m not either going to work or for errands I might just be going for a ramble, in which case I only bring my phone and headphones. My home screen looks like this:
- Pokemon Go Widget
- Four custom shortcuts – Spotify, “Google It”, Podcasts, and Whatsapp
- Libby Widget – showing that I’m 10% done listening to Maskerade by Terry Pratchett (again)
- Weather Widget
- Four more custom shortcuts – messages, phone, email, calendar
I use custom shortcuts to avoid the red notification dot whenever possible. Let me live in blissful ignorance!
Statement
I’m Brie. I work at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Office of Educational Technology and Learning Designs at UBC. I’ve selected my three most common loadouts for this task as I think it gives a bit of encapsulation of fractal humanity. My long commute includes a ferry (I’m currently writing this at the ferry terminal, another cancelled ferry). I feel grateful and also frustrated to have commute days like this – the weather is beautiful, I love my job, I’m so lucky to live where I do, I find the waiting so frustrating, the bus was stuck in traffic, I missed the last ferry by minutes.
I think my bags have some evidence of this commute and the impact it has on my life – I need to carry chargers to keep my technology up over the course of a day, my Compass card and BC Ferries Experience card are my near-constant companions, and without Libby, Podcasts, and Spotify I’d be in a very different mindset. At the same time I also think what isn’t in my bag shows some of this impact as well: I don’t carry paper books with me because of the weight and I select my lunches based on what fits in my bag.
I carry a variety of charging cords with me, and the ethernet adaptor has saved me more times than I like to admit. My home screen has been curated to remove any notifications, but my many chargers speak to a sense of anxiety about being left disconnected. I carry a full wallet on long days but rely on my Apple Wallet almost completely for payment for most of my life. I’d like to think the focus on technology and preparedness creates a somewhat cohesive narrative with my outward image, though my constantly fly-away hair, small collection of hair management accessories, and variety of collected tampons across multiple bags speak to a somewhat different, less well-collected image.
Technology is both very present in my bag and somewhat absent, in my view. My home screen lacks shortcuts to ChatGPT, Gemini, or Poe, my bag didn’t contain my Kobo when I photographed it, my work laptop is not state of the art, but the impact of technology is felt through peripheral evidence. This may reflect an unease truce that I’ve arrived at internally between my work in technology and my growing unease around the treadmill of consumption that technology tries to get me running on.
15 or 25 years ago I’m not sure how many people would live where I live with the distance to work. I believe it’s not completely uncommon now with hybrid work, but I know my own relationship with work distance was very different even 5 years ago, and that was reflected by a much smaller bag and much less preparation for travel and fallback plans. I think that archeologists in the future may have a lot to think about with the last five years and next five years – first the COVID-19 pandemic changing many of our relationships to work, next the proliferation of AI tools further impacting how many of us manifest our livings in the world.
Brie and I both use our bags to navigate our professional and personal lives, yet our contents reflect unique needs and similarities that underscore our distinct experiences and shared connections.
Brie’s experience is significantly influenced by long commute, requiring a well-thought-out selection of items that cater to ork and travel needs. Brie’s backpack on long commute days is meticulously equipped with essential technology and accessories to ensure productivity and comfort. This includes a work laptop, various charging cables, an A/C adapter, and even an Ethernet to USB C cable for those inevitable moments when reliable internet is a must. The contents of Brie’s bag reflect a life in transit, navigating between work and personal time, with items like the Compass Card and BC Ferries Experience Card indicating reliance on public transport and ferry commutes.
In contrast, my bag contents reflect a more static daily environment. My laptop, essential for crafting lesson plans and conducting research, symbolizes the centrality of technology in my professional life, much like Brie’s, but in a stationary context. The notebook I carry, despite the availability of numerous digital note-taking apps, signifies my preference for a tactile connection with ideas, underscoring a blend of traditional and modern literacies.
Despite these differences, there are notable interconnections in how Brie and I utilize our bags. Both of us prioritize technology to facilitate our professional responsibilities. Our laptops are central to our work, enabling us to perform our tasks efficiently. The presence of sunglasses in both our bags serves a dual purpose—practical protection and a means to manage personal space and emotions. This commonality highlights a shared understanding of the importance of managing both professional demands and personal well-being.