Four Hacks for Not Losing your Stuff this Fall

Statistically, winter is prime time for losing your keys, wallet, phone and, of course, your patience. Since we are in the business of finding things, we thought we should get a little proactive with these four hacks for not losing your stuff this Fall.

Something we hear frequently from our community is, “I never lose stuff, but I misplace things everyday.” This is in large part due to the fact that generally, we don’t think about where we put our stuff until it’s gone. These tips will help you develop a solid system for keeping track of your stuff this Fall. If you don’t lose things, you likely have a spouse or best friend who is always making you late because they can never find their stuff.

1.Designate places for your stuff- and stick to it!
It sounds simple, but, the fastest way to find your stuff, is not losing it in the first place. Set out a dish or install a small hook for your keys next to your door. Always put your wallet on top of your dresser when you get home. Even if you don’t always put your keys there at first, you’ll at least have a place to start your search.

2. Bunch similar items together.
Do you buy a new pair of gloves every winter because you can’t find that cozy pair that you picked up last year? What about your beanies? Ski goggles? Try bundling all of this stuff together, first by item (gloves, beanies, goggles), then by season (spring, summer, winter). This gives you an organizational strategy for both finding and storing your easy-to-lose items.

3. Gamify.
Want to make this system really work? Turn it into a game and raise the stakes. Challenge a friend, spouse or coworker (someone you spend a lot of time with ideally) to see who can spend the least amount of time searching for misplaced stuff. Start every week with a certain number of points, for every minute you spend searching for your lost keys, wallet or phone, you lose a point. At the end of the week, compare scores and determine a winner. Obviously this requires honest self-reporting, but remember, the goal isn’t to win, it’s to spend less of your time searching for lost stuff. Most people spend 10 minutes a day looking or lost things, think about how much you could save over a month.

4. Tile it, obviously.
If organization is impossible for you, or if you just want to have an awesome back up should any of these strategies fall through, try Tile. This tiny Bluetooth-enabled tracker allows you to find anything nearby with your phone. It even works the other way around -- if you lose your phone, you can ring it with your Tile.

If you’re constantly losing your phone, these phone-finding facts will be super helpful!