My Everyday Carry

As many of us head back into offices, shops and other places of work I thought I’d share my everyday carry. The things I carry with me when I’m working.

Video here or read on to learn more. You can find the items in this video on my "Gear" page.

Note: The links in this article are affiliate links. If you purchase something after following the link you pay nothing more, but I earn a tiny commission that helps to pay the hosting costs).

Everyday carry – The Carry

My everyday carry bad is usually split between two main bags depending on my mood, the context and whether or not my rotator cuff injury is playing up 🙂

If I’m doing client visits, or trying to make a good first impression, I always go for the leather satchel.

Pairing this with a smart outfit conveys a sort of confidence and professionalism that hides my high levels of immaturity…at least for a while.

I cover why “power dressing” works in my online communication course and in this article on the power of clothing.

I utilise this science of clothing when possible and sometimes, I just feel like making an effort.

If my shoulder is hurting or I want to put comfort over style (at least in my opinion) then I go for the Osprey Rucksack.

It’s super useful and comfortable. It has pockets galore and really is a very practical bag.

Everyday carry – The Gadgets

My laptop of choice is a Macbook Pro.

It’s expensive but it’s the powerhouse of my everyday carry. It just works and it’s fast and light.

I write using the MacBook and revert to my Mac Studio for editing videos, recording podcasts and doing music production.

To keep them in sync I use Joplin, Dropbox and Airdrop (Apple’s built in sharing tool).

Carry Case and Connectors

As I speak at many conferences, work with many clients and I have a Mac, I have to carry lots of different connectors around 🙂

I use a little bag from Ikea to collect all this stuff together.

I use an Anker Power Bank for charging on the go. This thing is a beast. It lasts for hours and can easily charge my iPhone three times before the battery itself needs charging.

I have headphones for my iPhone and some for my laptop?

And of course a dongle for the MacBook which has SD card, USB and HDMI so I can use a monitor.

I also have a charger cable for my camera, which we’ll come to in a minute.

I also have a presentation clicker as I often do sales pitches, workshops and presentations. I use this Breett clicker – works well.

My phone of choice is an iPhone 14 – does the job and syncs nicely with my other Apple devices and tech.

Everyday carry – Stationery Freak

I use analogue techniques for note taking, doodles and writing. I like how I can disconnect and not be distracted by the siren call of notifications and the internet.

Writing by pen and paper also allows me to see my edits, scribble, be messy and join random thoughts.

I love stationery, it’s why I co-host the Stationery Freaks podcast with Helen Lisowski 🙂

My everyday carry contains lots of stationery.

So, my notebook of choice is a Concept A4 Yellow Legal Pad

I prefer the Cornell Notetaking method as it allows me to keep notes and actions separate.

I’ve done a video on note taking before here.

I use a small Oxford Black ‘n’ Red Notebook for everyday notes

My pen of choice is a Pental Energel 07

If I want to write more slowly and be a little more pro with my writing I use a Parker Fountain Pen.

I use pencils a lot, especially for doodling and rapid idea generation. My choice is the super cheap, but wonderful Staedtler Noris School Pencil.

I use a simple Staedtler eraser and a sharpener I’ve had since I was about 12. Still works.

I like to grab pens and pencils quickly, so this simple, minimalist pencil case is perfect. Hard Shell Pencil Case.

The Camera

The art of good management and leadership is noticing. It’s about spotting patterns, behaviours and areas of improvement around us. It’s about noticing and observing, and photography has helped me to develop that art of noticing.

And with a wider awareness you will spot areas for improvement, behaviours that are positive that need encouraging, patterns of how work flows, details in how work is done and more.

I use a Ricoh GR.

The GR1 doesn’t have wi-fi (GR3 does) so I pair it with a bluetooth wifi SD card so I can share my photos to Instagram.

There is a Ricoh GR3 out right now with a touch screen, wi-fi and more megapixels. It’s a bit of a beast apparently – one day….

The downside of the Ricoh GR is that the video is awful – I mean really bad. And no zoom – but the photos are so good.

The Book

Everyday carry isn’t just about items that help me get things done, but also about items that I can use to learn.

I carry around everywhere a copy of “Growing a Business” by Paul Hawken.

I try to read a few pages everyday. It’s covered in doodles, underlines and highlighter pen. It really is a wonderful book.

It was written in the 1980s and is about growing a mail order catalogue, but ignoring some concepts that may not be relevant anymore (like bulk ordering catalogues) and you still have an incredibly powerful book.

It really is wonderful for anyone wanting to start their own business, grow a business or simply become a better manager. Wonderful book.

Conclusion

As you can see I don’t like to carry a lot of stuff with me. 

Items mentioned in this post (most are affiliate links – please see my privacy policy for more)

• Osprey Rucksack
• Macbook Pro
• Anker Power Bank
• Breett clicker
• Concept A4 Yellow Legal Pad
• Oxford Black ‘n’ Red Notebook
• Pental Energel 07
• Parker Fountain Pen
• Staedtler Noris School Pencil
• Hard Shell Pencil Case.
• Ricoh GR
• Growing a Business” by Paul Hawken