A place for everything and everything in its place.

It sounds so sensible, doesn’t it?  And it is.  It is!  Having a place for everything—a defined place, makes it easier not only to put things away, but to find them, too.

Ah, if only we could find the time to create those magical places.

I have been extremely successful with this philosophy in some areas, and embarrassingly poor at it in others.

The Ones That Have Worked:

1. Eyeglasses.  I didn’t wear glasses until I was 25, so I never had to worry about misplacing them as a kid.  As an adult, however, I searched for them on a regular basis.  It was my father who suggested creating a “spot” in each room.  If I took them off in that room, I should put them in that spot.  Then, I would only have to check the designated spots, rather than digging through drawers and handbags at all hours.  Brilliant!  This suggestion has worked like a charm, and nowadays if I can’t find my glasses, I’m probably wearing them.
2. Purse.  After several scrambling, panicked moments of “where could I have left it?,” I chose a hook near the entryway to keep my purse and, astonishingly, I manage to put it there 95% of the time.  The other 5%?  I never claimed I was striving for perfection.
3. Shoes.  In a sensible scenario, finding shoes would not be a problem.  And really, it’s not finding a pair of shoes that’s difficult, it’s finding the pair of shoes.  Which, essentially, means I have too many shoes. 
4. Camera.  When we first went digital, we were constantly tossing that tiny camera in our coat pocket or a purse or just carrying it outside for a quick snapshot.  No film!  No strings!  But who knew where to find it later?  Camera-hunting was the basis of many an argument.  “Well, you had it last.  I’m sure.”  We finally designated a cabinet to store camera-related equipment only.  The videocamera, extra tapes, batteries, and the actual camera can all be found in there.  Almost always.

The Ones I Haven’t Figured Out Yet

1. House Phone.  Now this seems silly, doesn’t it?  I mean, there is an OBVIOUS place you can put the phone.  Somehow, though, ours never seems to be there.  Perhaps it’s the price of freedom.  No longer tethered to the machine, as I was for all of my talkative youth, I wander aimlessly around, multi-tasking at it’s worst, while jabbering away with my friends.  When I’m finished chatting, I simply set the phone down.  And when I need it again, the hunt is on.  Now where did I put that thing…?
2. Cell Phone.  See #1.  I try, I really try, to put this in its “spot.”  I think it might have feet.
3. Credit Card.  Okay, sure, this should be in my wallet.  But when I need to run into a store quickly, I don’t want to be all heavy laden with my big old mom purse.  Who needs all that?  I just grab a credit card, a little cash, and my Driver’s License.  I stuff them into my pocket, and then…oh, which pocket was it?
4. Checkbook.  Hmmm.  Despite the fact that there is a clearly designated place in our desk drawer, I can never, ever find the darned checkbook.  As I’m typing this, I’m wondering why 2 of the 4 items I can’t find on a regular basis are related to money.  Perhaps I should be one of those cash-only people.  Or would I lose the envelopes?  Highly likely, I’d say.

So how about you?  Am I alone on this one?  Are there some things you can always find and some that elude you on a regular basis?  Any tips from you uber-organizers out there?  Love to hear them.

*This title is borrowed from an old Veggie Tale song.