Your lunch box should look like a tech pouch

The best lunch box for carrying inside a briefcase is a slim, insulated zipper pouch — not anything with a handle, a hard shell, or a cartoon print.

That’s it. A rigid lunch box is bulky and screams “school.” A flat pouch slides next to your laptop, looks like a cable organizer, and keeps your food contained. Most of them have a waterproof lining and a decent zipper, so leaking isn’t an issue.

Look for minimalist options like the Rains lunch pouch or something similar from a brand that makes tech organizers. If you don’t actually need insulation — say you’re eating right away or packing dry stuff — a stainless steel bento box from LunchBots works too and looks genuinely classy. But then you’re carrying a metal box, which is less flexible. The pouch is the best all-rounder.

Your future self will appreciate not having to explain why you’re carrying a Ninja Turtle lunchbox into a boardroom.