How to Make a DIY Mobile Office

Image from Unsplash

For those of us who work from home, it can be difficult to spend every single day inside our home office. Sometimes, we'd like to get out of the house and work at a cafe. And now that travel restrictions have loosened, it's great to have the freedom to take our work with us on the road! But in order to do that, we need to be able to properly transport our laptops, notebooks, office papers etc without carrying a file box around. I put together an office bag that is efficient, easy and cheap to make. If you'd like to do something similar, continue reading through this article to find out what you'll need!

A Sturdy Laptop Bag

The first thing you'll need in order to create your mobile office is a laptop bag that's made of tough, strong material, in order to prevent your laptop from getting damaged. I personally own an Acer Aspire that's 15 inches in size, meaning my laptop bag has to be a bit larger than it would be for a Macbook or Chromebook computer.

I personally use an Air-Tex Norwood crossbody bag. The material is tough enough that my laptop won't weigh it down, and I can wear the bag on my shoulder for a fair amount of time before my shoulders begin to hurt.

A File Folder

The next thing you'll need is a file folder that has a built-in organizer. This will help keep any necessary paperwork, notebooks, pens and other stationery organized without you having to spend 5 minutes searching through the bottom of your bag to find a pen. It should be large enough to store everything, but small enough that it can easily fit into your laptop bag.

I bought my file folder at Dollarama. This folder came equipped with a set of labels, which you can use if you need each file to be a bit more organized. I personally don't need to print out any of my work, so I mostly use this folder for stationery.

An Agenda/Planner

Something crucial for home office workers is an agenda where they can organize their work schedules. I enjoy planning out my work week when I'm at a cafe, as it's a more relaxed work task that can easily be done in a more distracting environment.

I personally recommend buying an undated planner, as it's easier to customize to your specific needs. I personally prefer using a large planner, as there's more room for writing out my schedule in more detail.

A Notebook and Writing Utensils

Whether or not you think you'll use it, a notebook is always good to have on hand when working from home. Even though I schedule my work in my planner, I use my notebook first to organize my articles for the week, to take notes when conducting research, etc; it's helpful to have a way to write things out to get it all into your brain for the workday.

I recommend stashing both pens and pencils with your office bag, along with highlighters and sticky notes, as sometimes making your notes and schedules colour-coded can help you remember your tasks easier and makes them simpler to locate.

Headphones and Mobile Phone Charger

When working outside of your home office, it can sometimes be difficult to stay focused, and some people (myself included) need music on to concentrate. Therefore, headphones are a good thing to keep in your office bag. A cellphone charger is also essential in order to ensure you're able to keep track of time and have a way to be contacted at all times.

Tip: If you work primarily from your laptop, I recommend storing your laptop and charger in your office bag at all times. This will not only help to be able to pick up and go with ease but will also keep your home office space more organized if you work in a small space.

---

What else do you keep in your office bag? Let me know in the comments below!