Problem: You can’t remember where you put your keys, wallet, or train pass.
This is typically an attention issue. You toss your keys down when you walk through the door while preoccupied with something else. A few hours later, you can’t remember where you put them. The act of putting them down also goes unnoticed because keys are mundane items — you probably wouldn’t forget where you put a $100 bill. “If you don’t perceive an event as important,” author Aaron P. Nelson, Ph.D., says, “your memory will cast it off quickly.”

Solution: Pay attention when you’re putting things down, and tell yourself, silently or out loud, what you’re doing: “I am putting my keys in my coat pocket,” for instance. Consistency is an even better strategy. “If you put your keys in the same dish every day, you’ll always, without fail, know where they are,” says Elizabeth Edgerly, Ph.D. “Having a good memory often has to do with developing good habits.”