The short answer
- Is it normal?
- Now and then, yes. The CDC lists sometimes forgetting where you put your car keys as a normal change with aging.[3]
- What helps most
- One home for each thing, used every time. The NIA and Mayo Clinic both suggest keeping keys, glasses, phone and wallet in the same place each day.[1][2]
- When you put it down
- Pause, look at the spot and say it once: “Glasses, on the bookshelf.”[2]
- When to see a doctor
- When things turn up in odd places, like a wallet in a kitchen drawer, or when memory changes worry you.[4]
Why do I keep losing my keys and glasses?
Usually because they were put down somewhere new while your mind was on something else.
Mayo Clinic suggests limiting distractions and doing one thing at a time. Focusing on what you want to remember makes it more likely to come back later.[2]
Is it normal to misplace things more as you get older?
Now and then, yes. The CDC lists sometimes forgetting where you put your car keys as a normal change with aging.[3]
Mayo Clinic says typical age-related changes include misplacing your glasses sometimes, and that these changes don’t disrupt daily life.[4]
How do I stop losing my keys for good?
Give each thing one home, and put it back there every time. Both the NIA and Mayo Clinic suggest keeping keys, glasses, phone and wallet in the same place each day.[1][2]
- Choose one home for each item, close to where you use it: a hook or bowl by the door for keys, the bedside table for reading glasses, one charging spot for the phone.
- Put it back every time, even when you’ll “just need it again in a minute.”
- Keep a spare key or pair of glasses, and write down where the spare lives.
- Tell your household where the homes are, so things come back to them.
- Run one quick check before you go out: keys, phone, wallet, glasses. Same order, every time.
Where should I keep my keys, glasses, phone and wallet?
Wherever you’ll pass them every day. Fill in the card below, print it and stick it inside a cupboard door or by the front door.
How do I remember where I put something?
Pause for a second when you put it down, look at the spot and say it to yourself: “Glasses, on the bookshelf.”
That small pause is the focus Mayo Clinic describes, and saying it once repeats the information.[2]
What should I do when I can’t find them?
Stop, take a breath and retrace your steps in order, starting from the last time you remember having them.
- Check the usual place first, then pockets, bags and coats.
- Walk back through where you went since you came in: the door, the kitchen, the chair you sat in.
- Look in the spots where things get set down on the way: a counter, the car, a shopping bag.
- Ask someone else in the house.
- When you find it, put it straight back in its home.
Do key finders help?
A small tracker on your key ring can make your keys ring from your phone. It’s an optional extra. A usual place works without batteries or an app. We don’t sell or recommend any brand.
When is losing things a reason to talk to a doctor?
When things turn up in odd places, or when memory changes worry you or the people close to you.
Mayo Clinic lists misplacing items in odd places, such as putting a wallet in a kitchen drawer, among possible early symptoms of dementia. It says to seek medical care if you’re concerned about memory loss.[4] This page is general information, not medical advice.
Where this comes up in the journal
The Everyday Memory Journal has a full “Where it lives” page (page 43) with room for spares and two cut-out cards. Its daily helpers include Leave a cue in your path (Day 3), One place for papers (Day 9), Note where you parked (Day 15) and Retrace your steps calmly (Day 18).
Print the first three days free, or read the companion guide, how to remember names.
Free by email
Five Memory Warm-Ups, free by email
Five short memory activities in the journal’s format, each about ten minutes, with answers. Ten large-print pages to print at home, in US Letter or A4. They aren’t in the free sample or the guides.
Get it freeIt’s free, and no card is needed. On Gumroad, the online shop we use, leave the price at 0, click “Add to cart” and enter your email address; the PDFs arrive straight away. You’ll then get occasional emails from Wren & Co.: up to five over three weeks (four with tips, the last about our US$19 journal), then only now and then. You can unsubscribe at any time. How we use your email
Sources
[1] Memory Problems, Forgetfulness, and Aging
nia.nih.gov/health/memory-loss-and-forgetfulness/memory-problems-forgetfulness-and-aging
[2] Memory loss: 7 tips to improve your memory
mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/memory-loss/art-20046518
[3] Signs and Symptoms of Dementia
[4] Memory loss: When to seek help
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/memory-loss/art-20046326