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How to stop losing things |
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HOW TO STOP LOSING THINGS
by Dr. Tyeese Gaines Reid
When you're in a rush, can you never find what you're looking for? Do you chronically lose things? Well these tips are for you!
I can lose something that was in my hand 2 seconds ago, and never see it again in life. I’m convinced there’s a gremlin following me around eating whatever I’m looking for. But just in case that gets refuted, here are some tips to keep you on track and in the know:
Make a place for everything.
Be strict. Don’t start running around in a hurry before you make sure that you put the valuable things back in its place (wedding ring in the jewelry box, credit cards in the right slot). Luckily, I knew that my school’s registrar’s office hadn’t returned my Visa check card because when I opened my wallet that evening, there was a hole right where I always put that particular card. Had that hole not been obvious, it might have been days before I needed the card again and looked for it. The next day, I was able to start tracking down the card, which ended up having fraudulent charges from the school employee that I gave my card to (dummy).
Slow down.
I lose the things the most when I am running a mile a minute and short on time. Yes, I know: Why would you want to slow down when you have no time? Well, it takes more time to go back and look in the car, your purse, your desk, the diaper bag for something you lost than to just slow down and ensure you put it in the right place the first time.
Get organized.
This is a complicated issue in and of itself, however, just cleaning up doesn’t usually do the trick. How many times have you cleaned the entire house and then couldn’t find anything? You tidied up, but you didn’t organize your stuff in a way that makes sense. This will lead you down two paths: the soon to be messy again path or the I can’t find anything path. It may take a week or two to do a complete organization overhaul. But, once it’s done, it will be easier to find things because there won’t be any “junk piles” or “junk drawers” where things can hide. If you don’t have time for an overhaul, at least keep your junk separated. Keep the clothes pile on one side of the room, the shoes pile on another or the papers and books pile somewhere else. That way you don’t have to tear the entire room apart looking for one thing. You at least have a general idea of where it could be.
The purse.
Purses should be called bottomless pits. Get yourself a purse organizer that keeps everything in its place. When you’re ready to switch bags, the organizer gets pulled out with your stuff neatly inside and placed into today’s bag du jour.
Keep important things (like keys) away from tiny hands
Kids hide things. Kids forget where things are. Kids swallow things. This is a bad setup from the start. It’s tempting to let your house keys entertain your toddler while you cook breakfast, but when it’s time to go, you’ll be tracing your toddler’s steps (under the bed, toy chest, refrigerator) looking for your poor keys. Even if your child is old enough to communicate, you’ll likely be met with an “I don’t know” or the infamous shoulder shrug.
Tyeese Gaines Reid is a one-woman juggling act: writer, mom, wife and doctor. She is the author of "The Get A Life Campaign," a pocket guide for busy women who want balance in their lives (http://www.getalifecampaign.com), on sale now. The Jersey City-native has written for 5-Minute Clinical Consult, Boston Magazine, M.D. News and NBC6 in Miami. Tyeese can be contacted at
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For more time-saving tips for busy women, visit http://www.getalifecampaign.com.
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