5 Cheap(ish) Things for Hybrid Office Workers

Nothing can halt productivity quite like your phone or laptop running out of battery. With a portable power bank, you can keep your device running even when you’re nowhere near an outlet.

The sleek, ultrathin TravelCard Plus can fast-charge most smartphones and other portable devices. It may not fully charge a phone from 0%, but it can easily top off or revive one with a battery that’s in the red.

For laptops, we recommend the Einova Eggtronic 63W Power Bank because it is lightweight, slim, and covered in a fabric exterior that adds protection from scratches. It also won’t break the bank (pun intended) in comparison with other USB-C laptop chargers.

Bag organizers can help stop cables, pens, lip balms, and more from disappearing into the depths of your backpack. The Container Store’s Micro Mesh Pouches come in three sizes and four colors for custom organization.

Pack like items with like so that you can find things more easily. Some suggestions: a tech pack for items like cables, a microfiber cloth, and a flash drive; a pouch for toiletries such as a small tube of hand cream, a sunscreen stick, and hair ties; and a mini first aid kit with bandages, aspirin, antibacterial wipes, and eye drops.

A multi-tool is one of the most versatile and useful things to have, whether you’re working around the house, venturing into the great outdoors, or even commuting. Small, everyday problems like a stray thread, an unopened bottle, or impenetrable plastic packaging are a cinch to take care of if you have a great multi-tool on hand.

The smallest multi-tool we recommend is the Gerber Gear Dime, which can attach to your keychain and is about the size of a slim Bic lighter. Tools in this tiny package include a pliers and wire-cutter combo, a knife, a clamshell cutter for packages, Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, scissors, tweezers, a file, and a bottle opener.

Even if you only occasionally need to hold paper together, such as receipts for reimbursement, a large, medium, or small binder clip is a versatile problem-solver:

• It can replace the broken crocodile clip on your ID badge holder.
• You can use it to temporarily fix fashion mishaps: hold up pants with a broken zipper, keep a loose skirt hem in place, or replace a missing button on a shirt cuff.
• It can keep hotel curtains shut when you travel for work.
• You can attach it to the edge of your desk to create a spot for hanging your headphones.
• It can keep snack packages closed for a crumb-free backpack.

If the thought of having your purse or backpack come into contact with dirt, water, and germs disgusts you, using a bag hanger or hook is the simple, inexpensive solution. And you can hang up more than just bags, suspending anything that you would ordinarily hang from a hook, such as a coat or umbrella.

We like the Clipa2 Instant Bag Hanger because it can work with different types of surface edges and thicknesses, from a table edge to the top of a bathroom-stall door to a handrail at a park. It’s a round, metal carabiner that unfolds into a hook and can support 33 pounds, according to the company.

Wirecutter executive director of commerce Leilani Han found that it even works well as an actual carabiner—in her case, to hold a hair scrunchie to her bag handle—and says that it can also quickly attach keys to a bag for easy access.

This article was edited by Alexander Aciman and Erica Ogg.