Goodbye to my faithful old bag, hello to the New Year

I've had this bag for 10 or maybe even 15 years. It was the first one I ever liked, because it was small, black, sturdy and had lots of compartments.

And then it developed a hole.

It was just a small hole at first, but then I noticed that quarters were at risk of falling out.

Soon thereafter, I noticed the strap was fraying.

My teenage daughters started making increasingly pointed comments about finding a replacement. ("MOM....!")

And then I started noticing that it was often stuffed to the gills, making it hard to find things, and get them out.

And most sadly of all, my wonderful new phone - the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 - did not fit easily into its appointed compartment.

What was my problem?

Easy. I never thought I'd find another one I liked.

But I did, and it's actually better. The new bag is also black and sturdy, but it is larger, lighter, and holds everything in roomy comfort - including my ginormous phone. And it has even more compartments than the old one.

You know what's coming next: The metaphor!

When a habit, hobby, volunteer activity, work assignment, or even a career, develops signs of no longer working, it's time to consider moving on to something new.

And what comes next is often better.

Productivity blogger LG Earnest offers a free guide to help you figure this out: