Perusing the interwebs, it is easy to see the number of people who are into packing things for productivity's sake. We are supposed pack for the gym, bring in our lunch, have a cool set of gear to ride into work every day. Even for the apocalypse.
But work is a constant stream of shit. The assholes are bearing down on you from all sides, and counting the time you spend blinking against your overall productivity. They look at your bag as a method for keeping you efficiently chained to your desk at lunch. Or worse, it is a portal between their pile of tasks and your time at home.
Hell with that. Whatever you bring to work is a lifeline outside of the cubicle maze. It is a reminder that you are bigger than this place, and you are being kind enough to accommodate them. Let's pack that work bag to maintain your sanity.
1) An actual physical book and an actual physical magazine. Sure, you have a Kindle on your phone. But you are not here to squeeze your entertainment around their nonsense. You have an object (book) that has a purpose (to be read). It does not apologize for that purpose, and you should not either. Bonus: make it a library book because a regular visit to the library is one of the most humanizing things you will do in your day. The magazine can be read in the can, should need arise.
2) Healthy snacks. This is a tip-of-the-hat to the lunch-packers. They get one thing right when they say you will feel even worse if you blow through the entire row of sticky buns from the vending machine. Throw a couple of apples in your bag. They're robust enough to last a couple of days. When the tension starts getting to you, tear into one of them with the slow chew. Also works with baby carrots.
3) That thing you look forward to. The Appalachian Trail maps. The kid's coloring. Whatever you're passionate about. Sure, it's a screenplay about an office drone that saves the entire universe, bangs the hot redhead in accounting, and delivers a nail chewing one-liner after unloading a clip into the alien boss' face. But it's YOUR screenplay, not theirs.
4) Pens. You should always have pens.
And that's it. Leave the phone adapters in the car. Deal with your dirty shoes elsewhere. There is no mission creep here.
Most importantly, leave no space for them. Not with some apology of "oh, it doesn't fit" or "oh, my bag is full." No apologies. Your bag is full because your life is full. Now that your day is done, you are taking your things and returning to your home. They are not invited.
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