When working full-time, in graduate school part-time, and training for a half marathon, it is hard to find out how to pack your bag and keep yourself organized.

Here are some of my life essentials that I could not live without:

My Whipping Post Tote – I have wanted a tote bag from the Whipping Post for years. When I received my acceptance letter to Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, I splurged for $215 + $20 (US) for a monogram on The Cargo Tote! This bag will last a lifetime and is sure to age well.

Overall, I love this bag! The pockets are well placed and it fits all that I need in it. My only critique would be the length of the straps when compared to the size of the bag. I had learned that I can’t have the bag overflowing but that is better for my back anyway. If you are looking for a bag with longer straps, check out the Whipping Post’s Vintage Leather Tote Bag, currently selling for $195 (US).

Kate Spade Blue Riverside Street Ostrich Wallet – I like big wallets and I cannot lie…but really! I like to carry almost all essentials in my wallet and therefore I like travel wallets with a ton of compartments. These wallets are difficult to find but the Kate Spade Blue Riverside Street Ostrich Wallet fit the bill. Unfortunately though, this wallet is no longer available at Kate Spade 😦 A similar wallet is the Wilson Road Kaden, currently $189.00 on the Kate Spade website.

Happy Jackson Pencil Case – Everything Happy Jackson makes, I want. Their pencil cases have funny sayings on them that make life just a bit more fun. My pencil case says “Pen Orgy in here tonight. Pencils welcome too.” You can find it on Amazon here. Their other pencil cases say: “BEHOLD the tools of a genius”; “Welcome to the Naughty Case where all the badass pencils come to play”; and “Somebody’s Gotta Be Awesome might as well be me!”

Action Planner: While my Kate Spade Agenda has been replaced with iCal, my love of making physical to-do lists requires an action planner. Mead Cambridge Limited Action Planner Business Notebook allows me to organize my to do lists for my graduate classes, my internship, my full-time job, and my personal life. I make a running to-do list every week and at the beginning of the week, bring over all items that were not completed in the week prior. Highlighters/color coordination help and items are highlighted once completed! Due dates and reminders are still put into iCal but it is nice to set out a weekly agenda and constantly see progress and structure.

Books, Books, and More Books: I always have a book on me that I am either reading for fun, for a class, or to help me with my graduate thesis. In my bag lately has been The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything by Neil Pasricha, The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are by Alan Jasanoff, and The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker.

Go-Go Bags: I walk three miles to work and stop off in the gym before getting into the office at 9:00 am. Therefore, I will head to work in my workout clothing (leggings and a t-shirt) and then pack my clothing in my Go-Go Bag. I love the bags from Blue Q with their cute and snarky sayings on them. I have the one that says, “Be bold, or italic. Never regular” for the phone and computer cords. I also have a small change purse that I put my head phones in the says, “Bitches get shit done.”

Notebook: In some of my courses, I am not allowed to have a laptop. I therefore have a notebook for taking notes in class that are then transcribed into the Google Drive files that weekend. This helps me process the information, consult the internet, and organize my information so that I am ready for the next exam.