Finally realized I was overpacking for coworking spaces in Bali

I used to bring my whole setup every day - laptop, monitor, keyboard, mouse, headphones. Then last week I saw a guy at Hubud in Ubud working from just his iPad and a bluetooth keyboard. He told me he spends $15 a month on cloud storage and uses a cheap folding stand. That made me try leaving my monitor at my homestay for 3 days straight. Has anyone else downsized their daily carry and regretted it?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_henderson8616d ago

Oh man this hits hard. I did the exact same thing when I first started coworking in Canggu. Lugging a 15 inch laptop plus a portable monitor plus cables and a mouse everywhere. My bag weighed like 10 kilos easily. Then I spent a week traveling around Lombok and only brought my phone plus a tiny foldable keyboard. Honestly I work in documents and spreadsheets all day and realized I could do 90 percent of my work from a tablet or just my phone. Now I leave the big monitor at my place and just use a cheap tablet stand I got for like 8 bucks online. No regrets at all, my back is way happier and I don't feel like a pack mule every time I walk into a coworking space.

gavina7316d agoMost Upvoted

Did you catch that piece on NPR a while back about how carrying heavy bags long term messes up your posture? I mean, I read somewhere that even a few extra kilos can shift your spine alignment over months, which explains all the back pain people complain about in coworking spaces. Maybe it's just me, but I've started keeping a spare charger and keyboard at my regular spot so my bag stays super light for the walk over.

anna_fox716d ago

Poke fun at the pack mule thing all you want, but I'm pretty sure my spine is now permanently curved from hauling a laptop bag that weighed more than my first car.