Welcome to the center of my world

The center of my world these days is red, about three feet high, with a tray on top and three drawers below.  This red cabinet is located just inside my front door, under a mirror and next to the chair where my backpack sits when it's home and not on my back at school.

This is the last stop I make right before I go out the door every day into a world which seems to punish the unprepared. Know what I mean? It's my last chance to get it right. I think of it as my launching pad. It's also my dumping ground when I come back through the door. It's kind of like magic. If I put it there, that's where I find it the next morning! Simple.

On the tray:  everyday items like my watch, ring, wallet, keys, change, earbuds, sticky notes for reminders, pens, etc.

In the drawers:  my daily gum supply, sunglasses, lip balm, stuff like that.

The night before I try to pack up my backpack and put it on the chair. That's when I check to make sure I've put everything back that I took out, add anything else I need and make sure I've got the basics like pens, pencils, etc. I try to put stuff there as I take it off or empty my pockets. I'm finding out that I always have more time the night before than in the mornings to think and plan.

If I'm missing something I try to leave some kind of reminder; for example, I'll leave my laptop zip case on top of my backpack to remind me that I need my laptop that I'm still using that night. These work like cues and make it harder to mess up.

Each morning when I stand at the red cabinet all I have to do is empty out the tray. Well, leaving behind the change. This is also when I see any reminders - some I put there, some other people leave for me - or any special item for that particular day. I check for what else I need before closing up my backpack, add my Peace Tea to the side pocket, zip it up and I'm out the door.

Why it works for me:  

It makes it easier to remember, and harder to forget. Sounds simple, right? Things I usually need or want are in one place, in plain sight, where I'll make one stop before I leave. I think of it as the neck of a funnel:  in advance there's lots of time, things, thoughts, plans, etc. but then all narrowed down to one place at one time. In the mornings, when I have the least time and the most pressure, it's all there. Not perfect, but usually and mostly.

I've found that if I have what I need and want, I can carpe the day before it can carpe me.

So I'll be blogging as I figure this stuff out. School's hard enough, and life's piling on the older I get. Some of my friends are doing OK and some are messing up. I want to shift the odds my way. Some of my friends think this stuff works. Maybe it will give you some ideas too.

Michael

Wallets: My Crazy Luck

Five times.

Five times have I lost my wallet.

You would think that by the third or even second time, I would have come up with a better way to keep my wallet with me. I didn't, not until the fifth time!

The first few times were not that big of a deal: leaving it at a friend's house, forgetting it in the car, and so on.

But the last two were the ones that really made me realize that I needed a way to keep my wallet with me.

The first of these two times was at the Texas State Fair, which is enormous and crowded. This was where I learned my first important wallet lesson. I didn't notice until just before we left that I had lost it; but we searched and searched and searched. Then, just before we left, my best friend suggested we check the lost and found (duh).

So in we went, and sure enough, to my incredible luck, there it was! An officer had found it and turned it in. Incredible luck, but I got my wallet back, with all the money still in it. The lesson I learned here was never wear basketball shorts and take a wallet. Those shallow, slippery pockets just beg the wallet to fall out.

The second of the two times was at a local mall. I was just eating ice cream and seeing a movie with a few friends, but somewhere along the way I lost my wallet. It wasn't until I got home that night that I noticed it was gone.

We went all the way back to mall and searched for a good 45 minutes trying to find my wallet.  We searched all over where I walked, and we just couldn't find it.
But then, the next day, a very nice police officer showed up at the front door, holding a soaking wet wallet, with a soaking wet drivers license permit. I just couldn't believe it!

A little while later, I bought the be-all-end-all wallet solution: a chained wallet (Here's the actual wallet). Chains aren't just for show, you know.

So that's what works when it comes to wallets (and keeping track of them): a chain.