Where Things Are

I sometimes forget where things are.

I chalk this up not to old age, or even to “senior moments,” and hopefully not to that dreaded disease which begins with the letter “A,” but rather to the fact that, as the late George Carlin observed, we all have too much “stuff.”

It’s easy to keep track of five items, more difficult to keep track of 500 items, and nearly impossible to remember where 5,000 items are kept.

Take books, for example. When I buy a book, whether I read it or not, I do not throw it out. It will eventually end up in one of several bookcases – or elsewhere in my house. I now have thousands of books, many of which have a special meaning to me. But how can I possibly remember where a book I bought in 1983 will be found? I know it’s somewhere in the house (because I don’t throw books away), but where? If I were a librarian, I suppose I could keep my books in alphabetical order by author, but then I’d have to remember all the authors. And putting a paperback next to a hardcover or coffee table book doesn’t look attractive. And then there would be the problem of constantly moving the books to make room for new ones.

To solve the problem of not remembering where things are, I’m developing a system. It’s simple, really. My system is to take a basic spiral notebook and list where things are.

Here are some examples:

batteries are in a blue box on shelf near computer

cell phone equipment and info is in the bottom drawer of dresser

light bulbs are in the second floor hall closet

You get the idea.

Now all I have to remember is to make entries in the notebook.

And remember where I put the notebook.