In the current Neat Living Poll at the Neat Living Blog, the number 1 item that people say goes missing is keys! Keys are one of the most annoying things to not be able to find! It wastes so much time and energy and creates unnecessary stress. Not being able to find your keys can even make you late for work or important appointments! The good news is that losing keys is actually one of the easiest organizing problems to solve.

One way is to create a landing and launching space near your most frequently used entry / exit door. In that space you can place a key hook, a decorative box or a basket without a lid to hold your keys. If you are like most people who like to just drop things, the basket is the one that is most likely to really get used. Many people won't do the extra step it takes to open a box or hang it on a hook.

Make sure to place a key holder container for each person to place their set of keys. An added bonus to using a basket is that you can also place other things there as well, for example, mail till you are ready to sort it. Men can also use it to place their favorite baseball cap, wallet, change, and other things from their pockets.

For ladies, it's also critical to give your keys a home in your purse. Always put them in the same place and you'll never have to hunt for them again. If you don't have a pocket in your purse for your keys, find a small container, maybe a plastic cup, or a small box or anything that you can put in your purse so that you always drop your keys in it. I have a empty tissue box that I cut down in my purse where I keep my wallet, business card holder and a small pad of paper for notes. It works great!

The real trick to being able to find your keys is to change your habits. To help you make the change, you may need to set up a reminder system. Perhaps by placing a big sign that you will see when you enter the house. It could say something like:

"Did you put your keys where they belong''"

You can take the sign down once you start automatically putting your keys where they belong. Once you get the hang of it, you'll reduce your stress, save time and it will go a long way to make you feel more in control of your life and your stuff!

2006 Ariane Benefit, Neat Living All rights reserved.