Get More Done with a Mobile Office

Successfully completing all of the urgent and important tasks on your to-do list feels like an impossible feat. And sometimes it is! But by utilizing one basic organization tool, you can make better use of wasted time. Read on to learn how to get more done with a mobile office!

How to Get More Done with a Mobile Office

If you’re like me, you spend about 75% of your week sitting in the car waiting for your kiddos to finish school or their activities. All the while your continuously growing list of to-do’s sits at home gathering dust. But, what if I said I’d found a way to turn that car time into to-do list butt-kicking, getting-all-the-things done-time? It can be done with the help of a Mobile Office!

I see the skeptical look on your faces (or at least, I can imagine the skeptical looks on your faces). 😉 But it is possible to get more done with a Mobile Office, and not only will you check off your to-dos, you’ll also enjoy family time. And more of it!

This post was originally shared as a contributor post on The Melrose Family. You can see the original post here.

This seemingly magical idea isn’t all that new or all that magical…

It’s a tool.

And it’s not the tool itself, but how YOU use it that makes it’s so valuable.

Introducing…The Mobile Office

The Mobile Office can transform those endless driving-the-kids-around hours by helping you to pay bills, write birthday cards, open the mail and file it, file your other papers, go through paper piles, update your calendar, and much, much more while you’re waiting for your kids!

But What Exactly is a Mobile Office?

Good question!

There are as many Mobile Offices as there are personalities, which is another amazing characteristic of this tool. You personalize it for your life, to-do’s, small business, and schedule.

For example, my daughter plays Club Volleyball, and as a result, I spend a lot (a whole lot) of time in gyms across Colorado. Usually about half of the day I’m watching my daughter play and the other half is down time for me, so it’s a great time to bring my Mobile Office along and get some of those annoying to-do’s done.

For this purpose I need a mobile office that has a mini “desk,” because usually there aren’t tables where I can work.

So, I use a Trapper Keeper type notebook that is large enough to hold a clipboard. Voilà! A built-in, mobile desk that works for me.

Here’s another example: I work online, so I have a Hot Spot service on my phone (part of my Mobile Office Organization) that serves as my internet when I don’t have Wi-Fi. This allows me to knock out even more of those annoying to-do’s.

Okay, so I’ve dazzled you with stories of the Mobile Office. Now, let’s talk about how you can make one of your own!

Supplies Needed to Create Your Own Mobile Office

You probably have most of these supplies hanging around your house, so this is a budget-friendly tool, too. Ch-ching!

You may need additional supplies that I haven’t listed here. That’s okay. This is just a starting point. Make this Mobile Office your own, so that it will work for you!

Think about what you’ll be using your Mobile Office for to help you brainstorm.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. As always, my favorable opinions of awesome organizing supplies are 100% my own. I only recommend products that I use and love.

Basic Supplies:

Something to Hold it all Together (a Notebook, Tote Bag, Mobile File Cart…again, make it work for you and use what you have, at least in the beginning!)
Pencil Bags to Keep Your Mobile Office Organized
Zippered Storage Pouches
Recipe Card or Business Card Sheets
Envelopes
Greeting Cards and Envelopes
Postage Stamps
Your Address Book (Or computer, if it’s located there)
Sticky Notes
Calculator (I use the one on my phone)
Notepads or Loose Leaf Notebook Paper (or both)
Pens, Pencils, Highlighters
Eraser
Scissors (I didn’t think I’d use these, and I have. A lot!)
Paper Clips
Alligator Clips in Various Sizes
Accordion File
Note Tabs
Dividers
Your Computer
Checkbook
Small Stapler (one of those mini ones you loved as kid?)
Rubber Bands
What you use at your desk…

There are a few additional items that I always keep in my Mobile Office:

A copy of my blog calendar.
Copies of my blank calendar, because I use it to plan all the things! (Grab a blank calendar for yourself!)
My to do list and a few extra copies, so that I can add to it as needed. (Grab a Things To Do printable, too!)

Love printables? Snag 5 more by becoming a
Calyx and Corolla Insider!

Now, channel your inner organizer (I know it’s in there), and put it all in your “Something to Hold it All Together.”

Do it in a way that makes sense to you!

How To Use Your Mobile Office

Your Mobile Office is set up and packed with goods! Now, how do you actually use it?

Here are a couple of tricks to making the Mobile Office work for you.

Create a Mobile Office Routine That Works For You

Tired of hearing me say, “For You” yet? Sorry, but it’s the best part of the Mobile Office and what makes it work. 🙂

The following are a few things to consider when creating a Mobile Office Routine that works for you.

Where are you going to store it when you’re not using it?

I suggest keeping it in the same place when it’s not in use or you’ll be scrambling to find it when you’re already late and trying to run out the door.

When I’m not using my Mobile Office, it’s located in my office behind my desk. I do this, because my schedule is different every day. Also, I load it up with to-do’s in the morning as I’m reviewing my to-do list for the day.

See how this “make it work for you” thing works?

It wouldn’t work for me to store my Mobile Office in the car. I’d be running back and forth in the morning with mail that needs opened, papers that need sorted, and those thank you cards that I’ve been meaning to send for three months that I’m finally going to write at the volleyball tournament this weekend.

Instead, I just fill my Mobile Office while in my home office and grab it on my way out the door.

If it works better for you to keep it in the car or in the kitchen or in your “to go out” bin, put it there.

Empty your Mobile Office as soon as you get home (if necessary)

I use my accordion file to sort my paper piles. Then, when I get home, I just take my accordion file to my file drawer and place each section in the correct hanging folder. This wouldn’t work for me if I didn’t empty my accordion file and my Mobile Office on a regular basis.

I’d also forget to mail those thank you notes and they’d sit in my Mobile Office for another three months and I’d be plagued by guilt. And I’m SO not going there!

So empty your Mobile Office regularly!

Restock and reorganize your Mobile Office regularly

Picture this: You’re waiting for your little darling to finish up karate practice and you’re knocking those to-dos out like dirty diapers, in seconds flat!

Until….

You need envelopes and postage stamps to mail the bills you just paid. You frantically search your Mobile Office, but to no avail. You’re so angry that you sit there and fume until your little darling comes happily bopping out of practice. Drat! You could have finished your list of tasks if you hadn’t forgotten to restock your envelopes and stamps!

*Wondering if I was a drama queen as a child? The answer is a resounding yes! 🙂

So, restock and reorganize your Mobile Office regularly. I add a reminder to my Google Calendar, because I’m forgetful.

You’ll finesse and tweak your Mobile Office Routine until it’s second nature.

I know it seems like a little work up front, but once you get into the routine of using your Mobile Office, you’re going to start seeing the benefit of more done in less time.

Now you know how to turn your car waiting time into to-do list butt-kicking, getting-all-the-things done-time. By creating a mobile office and building a routine around effectively using it you can get more done in less time, which leaves you extra time for the most important people in your life!

Pin It

Don’t forget to pin it!

Here are more ways that we’ve added to the amount of quality family time we have during the week:

Thanks so much for being here today!

Join the Office Organization Challenge!

Each day for 7 days, we'll tackle one office trouble spot, get it decluttered and organized, and create processes to KEEP it that way!

Take back your work space, beat overwhelm, and make the most of your business building time!

Get More Done with a Mobile Office