One of the easiest things to do is misplace a personal item.
The loss of items like keys, pen, phone, socks, remote etc. is a common experience. An experience which always happens with a price, even when the lost or misplaced item is recovered. People have missed appointments or flights, arrived late for work or meetings, and suffered stress or anxiety. In every instance at least time is lost, irrecoverable minutes.
The number one time-waster is looking for things that are lost, says John C. Maxwell.
I agree. My life abounds with instances where time scheduled for something else was spent seeking misplaced items. One fateful day in February, I misplaced my car keys. After my unsuccessful frantic search, I took mine and my colleague’s kids to school using commercial transport. The kids were late. I arrived work late, stressed and drained at 9:18AM!
I daresay, one of the easiest things to do is waste time. Since time spent seeking lost things is wasted, and it doesn’t take much to misplace stuff.
How does one keep from misplacing items?
How does one keep from spending at least thirty hours annually doing avoidable search? Yes, that’s the average time spent seeking misplaced stuff. After paying the price one time too many I learned to use a simple two-fold strategy to keep me from losing my stuff. I literally
- Create/ find a place for everything.
- Keep everything in it’s place.
Create A Place for Everything:
If you don’t have a place for your stuff you will definitely misplace them. You will end up keeping your things anywhere, which actually is nowhere. Because anywhere can mean one hundred possible places. All you need may be hook(s) for keys, a holder for pens or remotes, a space in your wardrobe assigned for socks or boxers etc.
It is enough to have a place for your stuff. Take the next step, place your stuff where they are meant to be.
If you don’t have a place for your stuff you will definitely misplace them. You will end up keeping your things anywhere, which actually is nowhere.
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KEEP Everything IN ITS PLACE:
Once you have a place for your stuff you must learn to keep them in the places you designated. Else, they will end up anywhere nowhere. Resist the tendency to keep things anywhere because it is convenient. Actually, it is not convenient. It only seems so. Later, when you waste time looking for a misplaced item, it will be clear placing things anywhere is not convenient, in the long run.
It is unwise to spend thirty two to ninety one hours of your life each year seeking things you misplace or lose. It is wasteful. Learn to have a place for everything and put everything in its place. Use the saved time to improve yourself, learn one simple skill at a time.
Any ideas on how to prevent the misplacement of personal stuff?
