Hasta La Ideas

Order a copy today of ​Never Too Busy to Cure Clutter​ by Unclutterer’s Editor-in-Chief Erin Rooney Doland.

Do you have a problem with losing things? If so, you’re far from alone, as Kathryn Schulz wrote in “When Things Go Missing” in The New Yorker:

Passwords, passports, umbrellas, scarves, earrings, earbuds, musical instruments, W-2s, that letter you meant to answer, the permission slip for your daughter’s field trip, the can of paint you scrupulously set aside three years ago for the touch-up job you knew you’d someday need: the range of things we lose and the readiness with which we do so are staggering. Data from one insurance-company survey suggest that the average person misplaces up to nine objects a day.

I’m a pretty organized person, but I’ve certainly misplaced things. I recently left my iPad behind in the front desk of the organization where I volunteer on Monday mornings. I noticed it was missing on Monday night and knew where I must have left it, but I had jury duty early the next day and couldn’t go pick it up. Fortunately, a neighbor did that for me.

I’ve also sometimes left a sweater or jacket behind after working with a client. And just recently I misplaced a Visa bill and had to call to ask what I owed so I could make the proper payment.

Looking back at these instances of misplaced items, I can see where I went wrong and define strategies to avoid such problems in the future.

Ensure that everything has a “home”

I know this might seem obvious, and I’m normally good at having homes for my things. For example, I don’t lose my glasses or my keys because they always go in the same place. But exceptions to the rule can cause me problems.

I realized that when I take off a jacket at a client’s home or office, I often place it wherever is convenient at the moment: on the back of a chair, on a doorknob, etc. From now on its home is going to be right next to my purse. (I never forget my purse! And I couldn’t get far if I did, since it has my car keys.)

Make sure things get to their defined homes

I have a place for bills to be paid, but I set my Visa bill down somewhere else “just for now” rather than taking the 20 seconds to put it away properly. Bad idea! I know that, but we all mess up occasionally. Misplacing the bill was just a reminder not to get lazy about putting things away properly. This is especially important with things like papers which can so easily get buried.

Limit what gets carried around

When I first started my volunteer work I thought it might be handy to have my iPad with me. Since then I’ve realized it doesn’t really help, so now I leave it at home. I can’t leave something behind if it didn’t come with me in the first place! The fewer things I carry when I’m out and about, the less chance there is I’ll lose something.

Post written by Jeri Dansky