Seven Tricks to Help You Stop Losing Your Phone (and Wallet, and Keys)

According to a recent survey, Americans lose five things every month and spend about 17 hours searching for those things every year. If you lose your keys, wallet, or phone on a regular basis, you’re not alone. And while repeatedly losing items can be a sign of conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), for most people, losing stuff is usually the result of simple absent-mindedness.

Just because it’s not a sign of a serious problem doesn’t mean constantly losing stuff doesn’t negatively impact your life. Losing a phone can be an expensive mistake, and losing a wallet or keys can ruin your day even if you have trackers on them and can retrieve them relatively easily. Plus there’s the trouble of replacing things and possibly having to change the locks on your doors or take other precautionary measures. If you lose stuff all the time, there are some straightforward techniques you can (and should) employ to help you stop losing your stuff.

Speak up

Get into the habit of narrating your actions. When you put things down, say out loud what you’re doing, e.g., “I’m putting the phone on the counter.” Reading and speaking out loud can help improve memory in many different contexts, and this can help “anchor” the item’s location in your memory.

Use dedicated storage

Stop dropping your stuff wherever you happen to be standing. At home, have designated places for your frequently lost items—a bowl for your keys, a charging station for your phone—and always put them back there, even if it’s slightly inconvenient. On the run, have a designated pocket or bag where everything goes. Additionally, if you come across your stuff outside of that designated place, don’t just think huh, that’s not where it’s supposed to be and move on—pick it up and move it to the right spot.

Make it stand out

A lot of the stuff we lose is pretty neutral in appearance—a white or black phone, a brown wallet, etc. It’s easy to overlook them. Adding something distinctive can make them jump out to you, making it less likely that you’ll leave them behind. Colorful key tags or striking keychains can help keep your keys top of mind, as can a colorful phone case.

Scan your location

A simple habit to develop is to scan every location before you leave. Take a few seconds to just look around your restaurant table, seat on the train, rental car, hotel room, or gym before you walk out the door. This accomplishes two things: One, it helps you spot your stuff before you leave, and two, it stops you and forces you to think about where your stuff is.

Attach items to yourself

Remember when you were a kid and your mittens would be sewn onto your coat so you wouldn’t lose them? That trick still works. If you’ve tried to be more mindful and you’re still losing stuff, try attaching it to yourself. Simple carabiner key chains can be hooked to belt loops or bags; wallets can be chained to you; glasses can be strapped around your neck; and phones can be strapped to your body, making it more difficult to leave spaces without your stuff.

Take a photo

When you put something down or store it someplace unusual, take a photo of it. If you realize hours later that you walked away without grabbing it, you can scan your phone to see exactly where you left it.

Use a separation alarm

Find Your Device apps are great for finding your lost phone, but they don’t prevent you from losing it in the first place. A separation alarm for your phone will go off when you move more than 50 feet or so away from your phone, instantly alerting you when you leave it behind. You can also buy reverse separation alarms, so your phone will alert you if you move away from something else—like your wallet.