Have you ever thought about how much time you spend looking for things?
A few weeks ago, I brought home a super important list. I intended to use it that evening for a work project. I took it off the bulletin board at the office and that was the last thing I concretely remembered.
I was pretty sure it made it into the car and then the house, but after searching for about an hour it was just gone. I gave up, did my best to recreate the list and moved on.
The next morning when I arrived at the office, I looked around the parking lot and retraced my steps. I even asked around. No luck. By this time, I had easily spent two hours looking.
Later that evening, J was getting something out of the refrigerator and found my list. Turns out I put it next to the milk. I surmise I must have put something in the fridge on my way in the house. Either that or I was far more stressed than I acknowledged.
The list wasn’t what was important. I was able to recreate the information, but I wasn’t able to get those two hours back.
The solution to constantly looking for things is an easy one, and one I hope to begin using religiously. Have a place for everything. Keys go in one place, cell phone in another (or the same!). Every. Single. Time. Repetition is the key.
Now, once I’ve accomplished that, what will I do with all that extra time? What would you do with all the time you spend looking for things?