How often have you misplaced something? You think you’ve put an item “here” and when you look for it, it isn’t “here” anymore – it’s there, somewhere, where you didn’t put it in the first place…or maybe you did…?

Growing up my Dad kept on misplacing the car keys. Whenever he needed to go out arguments ensued because he couldn’t find them. Because there was no set place to store them, it always came to, “Who took my keys?”

The whole family scrambled about looking for Dad’s misplaced keys until they were found under some books, in a jeans pocket or behind a photo frame.

I admit to sometimes misplacing my specs or sunglasses. After much searching I usually find them where they’ve been all along. Whilst I’ve been searching for them in my bag, underneath pillows and the cubbyhole in the car – they’ve had front-row seats, quietly witnessing the whole spectacle from the top of my head.

I chatted to my doctor about this, and he said that what most people think is memory loss is actually NOT! It’s merely not being present and mindful when doing something because we’ve got a dozen thoughts going through our minds while trying to do something at the same time. Also known as doing something without thinking about it, multi-tasking or operating on automatic.

If we all were a bit more mindful we’d save on money spent on vitamins or the latest memory enhancing supplement.

Here are a few strategies which work for me:

1. When placing the item somewhere, look at it and take a mental snapshot of it;
2. Say “I am placing my <insert item name> on the <insert place> so that I will find it later;
3. Stop multi-tasking – seriously! Do one thing at a time only;
4. Take an actual photo of the item in the place you’ve put it in – I usually do this when I park my car somewhere – guaranteed to help me find it if I misplace it in the parking lot – seriously.

My phone is full of these types of photos…

Try the above and let me know how it goes. It seems to work for me. It’s cheaper than supplements, saves time on looking for said item and supports family harmony.

Disclaimer: The above works ONLY if it was you that misplaced something. If said item was moved by someone else without telling you, all I can say is –  family harmony, family harmony, family harmony, family harmony, family harmony….