Your personal item (tote or backpack) can either maximize your luggage or literally weigh you down with things you'll never need. Whatever you pack should be what you absolutely NEED: your laptop for work, reading material, a lipstick for touch-ups. Do you really need to bring two pairs of headphones or three books? Are you actually going to watch anything on your tablet or will your computer suffice? When you pack the bare essentials, you have extra room to pack the things you may actually need, like additional makeup, a second clutch, or your liquids bag so you can breeze through security.