Sometimes we need help remembering where we put things. Most of us have at one time or another lost our keys, glasses, checkbook, or that piece of paper we had just a second ago. Have you ever stopped to think about why we misplace these items so often? Usually it's because we aren't paying attention when we put them down. We're distracted, and putting something down is not what we're focusing on. Misplacing things has nothing to do with how old we are—only with how busy.

Choose One Place

How can we prevent ourselves losing things we need and save ourselves the aggravation, not to mention wasted time, that goes along with it? The best way to remember where things are is to always put them in the same place, what I like to call a forget-me-not spot. Why? we can apply “over-learning” to help rev up our recall for where we put things. If we always put the items we need, such as our wallet, keys, and glasses, in the same place, we don't need to pay attention to where we put them, as they will always be in that forget-me-not spot. Here are some tips for using a forget-me-not spot:

1. Pick a convenient place. Your forget-me-not spot should be conveniently located so you will really use it. At home, I think the best place is near the door you use most frequently. At your office, the best place is most likely somewhere on your desk.

2. Make sure it can hold all your things. Your forget-me-not spot should be something that can hold the objects you want to put there. It can be a drawer, a shelf, a bowl on a tabletop, or a box. I once heard about a woman who had a table in her foyer painted with images of her keys, wallet, and glasses. While it probably worked well, it's not really necessary to go to so much trouble! Plain or fancy, make sure your forget-me-not spot can fit all the objects you need it to. It's also nice if there's extra room for small items you may need to remember to take someplace, such as a book you need to return to the library or dry-cleaning receipts.

3. Get into the habit of using your forget-me-not spot. If a forget-me-not spot is going to work for you, you really need to use it. This really is a case of use it or lose it!


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