Photo copyright held by Anna. Please do not use without permission.

EDC, WIMB, essentials, whatever you call the stuff you carry everyday is the topic of our latest blog series. We ask productive people to empty their bags and share their everyday carry with us to find out what helps them make stuff happen and what they can't live without.

Bag owner: Anna, Consultant (Russia)
www.flickr.com/photos/nannile/ | petiteposte artwork

Anna is a full-time consultant from Moscow, Russia, who recently enrolled in art school part-time while rapidly perfecting the art of time management to handle the additional hours her new artistic pursuit calls for. Off-duty, Anna travels and dabbles in photography.

... have separate task lists ... through separation of activities, your immediate task list does not look overwhelming and impossible

What's your minimum must-carry?

Since I made the shot that you see above, my partner and I both enrolled in art school for a part-time training program. Sometimes I think we did that only because we did not quite understand what it means to have a full-time job and study part-time five days a week and full Saturday. That significantly changed the minimum that I carry in my bag every day.

My minimum varies widely depending on the circumstances, to say it simply, it is flexible. My basic kit includes phone, purse, lip balm, miniature hand cream, apartment and car keys, a pin and a hair ribbon. During work days, I also carry a Moleskine and pen to write down important notes during meetings, business cards, passes, headphones, charger for the phone, and depending on the season and weather, I could have sunglasses, umbrella, hat, gloves, wet towels.

The phone in my bag serves multiple tasks; it is a communication device, it provides navigation and traffic information, it entertains if there is a long queue, it provides the easiest way to call a taxi or pay for parking, it often serves as a photo camera. To be honest, behind this multitude of good reasons to have a smartphone, there is also a downside – the phone tends to consume a lot of time and energy. For energy, there is an easy solution - either an additional battery or a charger. I opted for the latter choice, as it does not increase the weight of my belongings. For how to deal with time leakage, I still do not have a clear answer.

My absolute minimum includes phone, purse, keys, lip and hand balm. I usually can afford this minimum on weekends or vacation. Otherwise, my work involves meeting with clients and a certain amount of time outside of the office, so I have to be prepared for different situations. Since I became an art student, my everyday must carry minimum was extended to accommodate an A3 sketchbook and voluminous pencil case for drawing materials, as well as a USB stick for digital works.

What's in your everyday bag and why?

Currently, my purse is a huge, flickering gold Burberry that can accommodate my payment cards, driving license, all frequently used loyalty cards and a certain amount of cash. Once I experimented with a smaller version – almost flat wallet – but it turns out to be frustrating to miss attractive offers only because today I do not have a loyalty card in my bag.

Since my lips and skin are prone to dry out, I never leave home without lip and hand balm, especially during winter season. My hair is long enough to cause troubles with styling. The situation turns to be worse with hat in winter and rainy days during the rest of the year. For these occasions, I have an emergency kit – a pin and a ribbon – to fix the problem of any complexity. It also proved to be very relevant for art classes to put away and secure hair in a tail.

I love Moleskine for yellowish and smooth paper, my handwriting benefits from this. Its limited editions demonstrate a slightly ironic sense of humor, which helps as a nice ice-breaker during meetings. The one that is in the picture, from Alice in Wonderland edition, was my special favorite. It helped me through a couple of tough client meetings. Irony helps people to see the funny side of the situation. Smile defeats aggressiveness and anxiety.

I recently developed a habit of carrying a wet towel. Apart from purely hygienic reasons, I use towels to clean hands after drawing sessions. As you might understand, sunglasses, umbrella, hat and gloves are optional and seasonal elements in my bag. My usual set is heavy enough, so I try to avoid carrying any unnecessary additional things.

Any tips for getting things done?

My new challenge with part-time art training pushes limits of time management. I found it extremely useful to have separate task lists for immediate work duties, immediate study tasks, immediate home tasks and longer term personal activities. It might sound a bit complex, however, through separation of activities, your immediate task list does not look overwhelming and impossible, saving you lots of stress. It also brings clarity about the status in each particular area and provides some room for balancing - you can consciously put on hold work, study or home agenda if something is to be prioritized. Distinguishing between immediate and longer term activities serves similar purposes - to keep list manageable and not lose grip on important, but not urgent issues.

During the last six months, I learnt to use every single minute to full extent: morning hours before leaving home to work are for some routine home tasks like ordering food or other in online shop; while waiting for lunch I can read a couple of art articles or interviews to support my research or draft an essay; evenings are saved for creative tasks.

Although some things do fall out even if planned with care, there is always time for another chance and this crazy schedule teaches me to understand the value of time. I learned that two weekend days are enormous, I relish free time more, I now know that two hours are enough to conquer the world.

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See also... What's in my bag series, Everyday Carry