kvanhook Loc: Oriental, NC

I tend to lose things. Then I forget what I lost. When I find them, it's a real surprise.

mr spock Loc: Fairfield CT

You got away relatively cheaply Jerry. A few moths ago I "lost" my cell phone. After several days of looking I bit the bullet and bought a new one at Verizon for $700
Sure enough I found my old phone wedged between the seats of my pickup. Went back to Verizon to see if they would buy my new one back. I was told they'd be happy to. And they offered me $35 for my $700 phone.
At least I now have a backup.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

I promise it will be in the last place you look!

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I lose small things regularly. Glasses are frequent offenders because I only need them to read so they're off and on many times a day. My phone at least has an app that tells me where it is (or where it was when the battery died). If I remember to leave it off silent [edit: just checked and it was still on silent at 10:30am], I can just call it. Probably once or twice a month either my wife or I is called on to call the other's phone.

Last Christmas the kids gave us a package of AirTags. I put one on my keyring for a while but I rarely take my keys out of my pocket since the car is RFID so I don't need to. The door I usually use to enter the house has a numeric keypad. So I kept getting notifications of where my keys were. I took the AirTag off since I didn't need it. The AirTags don't fit on my glasses, but they only cost about $8 each. What I usually lose are random items that are not really worth putting an AirTag on. Lost my digging bar. Misplaced my pickaxe, but eventually I remembered where I put it. My pocket knife is another candidate, but putting an AirTag on it would make it hard to use.

I just haven't found anything that an AirTag would fit.

Have not yet lost my mind (unless you ask my wife).

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Jerry, Many folks use a filing system, however, I use a "piling system". I put everything into piles. When I need to find something, I may not know exactly where it is at the moment, yet I know it's in the pile of "stuff" somewhere along with numerous old phone cords, dead batteries, container lids, empty boxes that I kept in case I needed to return something...ten years ago now, knobs, old remote controls, parts off of something that had broken that I thought I may need some day, and of course, keys that go to things unknown and locks that have no keys.

mr spock Loc: Fairfield CT

Thanks for your comments. I'm sure your wife has a COMPLETELY different take on what going on

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I buy mine from TracFone - never over $100.

Chiroman8

Dear Jerry,

Now don't forget where you put your list ! Also may you & yours have a beautiful & great 2023 .Happy New Year !

Pax. Chiroman8

cruise4two

As a master of the "piling system" I know exactly what you mean.

My better half likes to disrupt my system at times...amazed by everything she manages to find that I've been looking for forever and a day.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

Check the garage area. You may have put the Hickory Farms box there to keep it cool until you saw your son.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Thanks for the suggestion. I was hoping my dog might sniff it out, but no.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

When I was in grad school there was a professor who successfully used a piling system for papers. He had 3 tables, about 3' x 6'. Each table was completely covered with piles of papers to a depth of about 2'. But if you asked him for a particular paper, he would go to the right table, the right pile, and the right level in the pile, and pull out the paper he wanted.

3x6x3=54 cubic feet of paper. Typical paper was 8.5" x 11" (about 0.65 square ft). If the typical paper thickness was 0.003" (0.00025') the total number of sheets of paper was about 332,300. Call it 300,000 allowing for inaccuracy of memory.

I have a couple reams of 20 lb paper (500 sheets). The ream is approximately 1.5" thick, leading to my estimate of 0.003" per sheet

Floyd Loc: Misplaced Texan in Florence, Alabama

Jerry
I've progressed to being in my late 80's and find as you will that your "Forgetter" has gotten much better than your "Rememberer". As several others have noted, there is stuff you cannot enter into your computer. Many times, if I'm away from the house, what I wanted to remember has been forgotten by the time I get home. There was something else I wanted to share with you but, I have forgotten what it was. lol

BebuLamar

OK but I think he has less than your estimate. When he piled the paper they stack higher than in a brand new ream of paper.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, my brain is almost full now. As I try to force new things in, old things are forced out.