EDC

People talk about their EDCs. You know – the everyday carry. 

I’ve often thought about an EDC myself, but I always wonder what to put in it. A lot of EDC things you see are a little more tactical in mind. While I do carry some things, they seem strewn about. I might have one thing here, and another thing in a different spot. 

In my quest to start trying to simplify life a bit to make life overall better in general, I’m thinking about an EDC “kit,” so to speak. My thought is to get a nice canvas messenger bag and then build accordingly. The idea would be to have this with me on most days, giving me the ability to adjust on the fly and also plan things out without getting too stressed out. 

See, my issue often is becoming overwhelmed. 

Be it personal or professional, things get piled on and I basically start to go into a freefall. That makes it hard to stay on task because I start to worry that the most current thing is the item that needs to be done right then and there. 

Basically, not setting boundaries. 

I try to keep organized through various calendars and such, but then – overwhelmed. I have a personal one, a work one … and I try to mix it. That’s all electronic. So I add things to this calendar or that one and then I start getting all panicked. 

The struggle is real. 

I’ve often hid or masked things when it comes to mini mental meltdowns. I often will stare into space and not know where I am going. I can’t keep focused and all of a sudden I’m way behind. My emotions and mind start to go all over the place and my temper can follow, though I usually keep that a little more guarded. 

When things like this happen, I also tend to not want to talk to anybody. It’s an evil cycle that never seems to have a true ending, rather I just find a way to crawl out of it. But once I do, I’m all over the place because of things that need to be done, both personal and professional. 

One thing it really interferes in is my ability to focus outside of work. I have a bunch of things I’d like to work on and get done. But I get so worn down at times from these feelings and such that I just become a potato at times. Thankfully, Harper makes sure I know I need to go out and walk. 

I realize this is all part of life. None of us likely have perfect, happy everyday feelings. We all struggle in certain areas, which makes us human. 

So back to the original topic – an EDC. How does that help?

Over the years, I’ve tried to plan things out a bit better. It doesn’t matter if it’s trying to utilize my Google calendars (which are good in a pinch), or the old-school pen-to-paper style. I truly do love pen to paper, but it’s also something you have to have a routine for. Just a regular old calendar book doesn’t usually work for me because I don’t use it enough. I need something a bit more substantial to try and help shape things a bit more. 

I’ve recently found a Clever Fox planner (on Amazon) and it has a lot to it. There are sections for goals, and planning, and all sorts of different things. It also has areas for reflection. I’m starting to think that would be important because it might get me to think more about what might trigger these mental blocks, as well as force me to prioritize things a bit more. 

The beginning will be hard as I’ll have to develop a routine. My hope would be that once that routine got going, I’d be more attentive to my life as a whole. 

I’d keep certain things I already use some (a smaller Hobonichi planner, which could be a spot for plans and ideas – I carry it often), and a small dateless planner I use for work notes and thoughts. They would each supplement the bigger one, which would encompass my whole life – so I could open it to the week and see priorities/goals and everything else outlined in front of me. 

I also hope it might help me start blogging more. 

Ok, I’m still blabbing. EDC. 

What would I carry in said EDC bag? What would I feel is something I’d want with me most of the time? 

• EDC bag to hold everything
• Main planner so I can access it, see an overview and be able to plan accordingly. 
• Mini planner – which I will carry with me even when the bag isn’t with me
• My iPad/keyboard (I want to start writing more on the fly when I can on personal time)
• Small notebook
• Pens/pencils/highlighters etc
• Leatherman (or something like it) tool
• Flashlight
• Rulers (I tend to always have one or two small ones with me)
• Water bottle
• Headphones/earbuds
• Possibly a phone charger

That’s my main thought process at this point. For those of you who have an EDC – what do you always have with you? What items do you think would be good in mine? The beauty of the one planner is it’s undated, so I can pick any month to start it. My birthday month (September) might be as good of a time as any to do it. 

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!