I’m so frustrated with myself. No clue when was the last time I’ve seen this thing (wallet of crochet hooks). Yesterday I searched every project bag, every bag of my yarn stash, every drawer, nook and cranny where I might have put it absent-mindedly. I just went through them all again today. I have memories of seeing it on the breakfast table, on my desk (where the cat tried to annihilate the decorative tassle on its zipper), and in a project bag. I’ve moved it somewhere. I want to start a new project but need a hook of unusual size that is in the wallet. I haven’t been motivated to crochet in a while, and I caught a spark over the weekend by finishing up another project. Blegh. Fuck.
Thank you for reading my rant while I wallow in self-loathing.
P.S. This thing is neon fucking pink and bigger than a paperback book. I must have a forgotten project bag smushed into a closet or left out in the camper. I thought I accounted for all my half-started projects though.
I hate when this happens to me, and it’s all the time. Usually I’ll finish a project and either leave the tools in the room I was working in (the project was done, so I moved on to other tasks, cleaning up is its own project of course) or they get piled my the basement door to eventually get put back in the tool chest. But then my lovely wife, whom I love more than anything, cleans up because either we have friends coming over, or because she’s stressed and cleaning is what she does. She’ll put away those tools, and the screws I left out, plus all those cords I need for that thing. To me all of those things are not gone forever. Even assuming I’d remember I left them out a month or three ago, they aren’t even there anymore anyways, they are where she thought they should go and I don’t know where that is.
Me: I’mma just put this right here so I know where to find it
(never sees it again)
I’ve had to make designated spaces for things and always put them there. Took some training, but has been working well.
Yep, everything has a place. And if I need the same tool for 2 different things, each project box gets it’s own tool.
I’ve also started using a shopping list app to organizer containers/toolkits/project kits, etc (Anylist). I can create many lists (but I keep it to a few), and I make sure to label each container/kit, and add pictures to the list items.
Teach me your ways. I’ve been trying so. hard. to do this. It just won’t happen, to my ever increasing frustration.
For me, it helped that I chose locations where it “made sense” but was also convenient.
I’ve got a big, decorative bowl on a table by the front door where my wallet, keys, etc go. Basically all the stuff I need when I leave the house is there, and I dump them back immediately when I get home.
My remotes, e-reader, laptop, etc are usually on the coffee table. When I’m not using them, they go inside (it’s a lift-top with storage inside).
Just little stuff like that + forcing myself to repeat until it’s a habit.
If you’ve got something you want to find a place for, ask yourself, “If I was looking for this, where is the first place I would look?” I’ve ended up changing where I keep things because sure, it might havd been in a logical place, but it wasn’t where I would think to look. It’s not foolproof, but it helps.
I’ve been starting with just my phone, since it’s what I lose the most. If it’s not in my pocket, it has a designated spot in each room, mostly next to where I usually sit. Since it’s something I use a lot throughout the day, I get a lot of practice at making the habit.
For other things, I really like the launchpad approach. I keep my wallet, keys, sunglasses, coins, etc. in a box right by the door. The first thing I do when I get home is empty my pockets and put everything in that box. That way it’s always there. Unless my partner takes it lol
This advice always gets downvoted, but it works for me. I’ll offer it for what it is.
When I lose something I’ll take a moment and politely ask the thieving house elves to give it back. Then I stop thinking or stressing about it. I usually find it within a day.
I will leave out some of my Trader Joes dark chocolate peanut butter cups as an offering. I hope this pleases the Fae.
If you’re like me, you’ll eventually find it in a place that makes no sense whatsoever.
Like with a travel toothbrush, or in a utensil drawer, or with your last phone’s USB cable, idk.
Bonus point if you buy a replacement and find the old one’s hiding place when putting the new one in that “place you’ll never forget for sure, but totally just did”.
This is totally what I’m expecting.
This thing DID have a designated place. Or it was kept out in the open where I could see it. But I must have hastily scooped all clutter into a black hole before a guest came for the weekend, and ☆blip☆ there it disappeared.
I just got back from the craft store with my replacement hooks, so I guess does anybody have the over/under on how long it will take for my original thing to surface?
My guess is that when your done with this project and go to put the replacements away, you’ll find the originals, but ONLY if the return period on the replacements has already passed.
Instead of trying to remember where you put it, imagine if you had it in your hand and you wanted to put it away where you would put it. Imagine you’ve never own one of these before (this is important so you don’t pollute your thought process with all your previous search efforts).
You brought it home from the store, you used it and it rattled around for awhile until you decide to put it somewhere for future use. Where is that place? Would that place have existed when you put your actually owned needles away before? If not, where would the place that existed have been?
