Driving through a deep tunnel can be a bit stressful. Doing it while driving a huge truck and a trailer increases the stress level considerably.  Being stopped by the New York City police, asked to back it up and open the rear door and then realize—you do not have the key for the lock on the door makes the stress level even crazier than the angry drivers behind you.

How much time do you waste looking for things?

The key to happiness
It was with this recent experience in mind that I was reading that the key to happiness is:  Putting things away in their proper place. So you always know where they are.

I know I would have been incredibly happy to know where that key was.

You don’t need to go through my extreme example, however, to know how stressful it can be to misplace something.  Think of all the time and blood pressure points you’ve spent looking for things like cell phones, the notes from  your client meeting, your wallet.

It’s easy to blame age for losing things but the biggest culprit is simply not putting any thought into where we put them in the first place.

Deal with it now or deal with a lot more stress later
According to professional organizer Emily Herwig the secret to never losing anything (and decluttering your life) is to follow the simple habit of mindful handling.  Whenever you pick up something, make a conscious decision about what you are going to do with it when you put it down.  But not doing that, you are creating a potentially huge amount of work, clutter, and stress for yourself.

Herwig graphs it in the decision box below.

Clutter Decision Matrix © Tidy Life, LLC

Just imagine how much less stressful you would be if you never had to deal with that sinking feeling of where’s my cell phone, what happened to my passport, and where is the key to my lock?

Mojo Moves

• Think about what items you lose most often and figure out a place you will always put them (e.g. a key rack next to your door)
• Practice mindful handling starting now
• Notice how good you feel when you always know where thing are

Got stories on what happens when you lose things?  Tips on how not to?  Share below.