{"items": [{"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972282770412", "anchor": "fb-972282770412", "service": "fb", "text": "My solution: I'm fairly \"warm blooded.\" I forego the hat, ear-warmers, and mittens :) And I often don't carry my phone since I don't feel the need to be connected 24/7.", "timestamp": "1544755323"}, {"author": "Todd", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972287391152", "anchor": "fb-972287391152", "service": "fb", "text": "I have a fairly similar system with fairly similar results. The big difference is that I group things by categories to facilitate figuring out what goes where. As a simple example, any small electronics peripherals (power cords, headphones, usb cables, etc.) go in a particular pocket of my backpack. If I'm traveling, when I get where I'm going (hotel, host's house, etc.), I'm allowed to take that stuff out of my backpack, but I can only put it in a particular type of location (e.g. a nightstand) while not in use - and if there's no appropriate location, the item(s) must remain in the backpack. This iterates across different sets of items, so that when I'm packing to leave, I only need to gather items from a few such locations.
It's perhaps slightly riskier but slightly more flexible than your approach, I would guess. But it still results in me doing seemingly odd things like:
- Declining to hang my jacket up in a host's closet if I think I'd fail to track the closet as a place to check for my stuff - this tends to happen because of the meta level of, e.g., \"all the places my stuff can be are in this room\", but the closet is on a different floor
- Piling everything awkwardly onto one nightstand instead of splitting it more comfortably across two to avoid mixing my stuff with the host's on the second nightstand - the visual clarity of \"everything here is mine\" is important.
An example of where this can break down because my thinking is too high-level is sunglasses. I tend to think about my backpack as having \"all the stuff I might need when I'm out\", without really thinking about what that means at the detail level. But sometimes when I drive somewhere, I decide that I don't really need my backpack, I just need my wallet & keys, failing to account for the fact that my sunglasses are also in my backpack and I might want them while driving.
The best solution is probably just to assume I always need my backpack, as opposed to trying to remember to add sunglasses to the list of \"things I need to take out of my backpack\", especially because if I take them out of my backpack, I might end up leaving them in my car if it's dark when I drive back. If \"just always bring the backpack\" seems obvious, well, it is, but until I moved to Boston I pretty much drove everywhere, so I spent much of my life with the mental model of my car being one of the places I could leave things permanently (like sunglasses), and it takes awhile to undo that.", "timestamp": "1544757624"}, {"author": "Ezra", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022", "anchor": "fb-972289951022", "service": "fb", "text": "Yep -- not losing stuff is definitely part of the luxury of being male. We are able to create systems because we always have pants with pockets. It's not the only factor by any means, but it's a big one.", "timestamp": "1544758535"}, {"author": "Liora", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022&reply_comment_id=972291108702", "anchor": "fb-972289951022_972291108702", "service": "fb", "text": "→ just this afternoon as i was walking around in a masterfully designed dress with deep pockets i had an inexplicable sense of calm and thought JESUS IT'S THAT I KNOW WHERE ALL MY ESSENTIALS ARE WHAT A MENTAL RELIEF", "timestamp": "1544759510"}, {"author": "Christopher", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022&reply_comment_id=972309097652", "anchor": "fb-972289951022_972309097652", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Ezra, can't women do this same thing with a purse/bag? Sounds like Jeff's backpack fills the same role.", "timestamp": "1544771517"}, {"author": "Ezra", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022&reply_comment_id=972316008802", "anchor": "fb-972289951022_972316008802", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Not really. For one thing, society is much, much more exacting of women in terms of style. It's possible for Jeff to basically always wear his backpack when he leaves the house with his laptop, etc. and still be respected professionally and socially, but a woman faces much more pressure to dress professionally/elegantly/attractively (but not too sexy!). Walking that line requires many different coats and bags, each of which have different capacities and arrangements for carrying stuff.
The other issue is that Jeff keeps his most important stuff in his pants pockets. The benefit of this, as he points out, is that when he's missing something, he can literally feel the difference on his thighs. I also have been doing this since I was maybe ten years old. Wallet right pocket, keys left (and since I had a cell phone, phone left too). I'm 36, so I figure I've been doing this for at least 5,000 days in a row. Women don't get the benefit of this developed instinct if they carry all their stuff in a bag. Bags go in and out of style, you need a variety of them, and none of them will tell you when you've forgotten your keys.
I suppose that's my rant. I used to have a pet theory that lack of consistent pants was the source of the whole \"women are flighty\" bullshit in our society but now it seems likely that it's actually more of a contributing symptom. Who knows? Gah.", "timestamp": "1544789124"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022&reply_comment_id=972319481842", "anchor": "fb-972289951022_972319481842", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Ezra \"Bags go in and out of style, you need a variety of them\"
I think this varies a lot? My mother's whole life that overlapped with mine (~30-60) she had the same kind of bag, replacing it a few times when it wore out with one identical except for color", "timestamp": "1544792285"}, {"author": "Ezra", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022&reply_comment_id=972320380042", "anchor": "fb-972289951022_972320380042", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Yeah, I'm sure it's possible but it bet she was more the exception than the rule. I guess my main point is that on average it's a LOT harder for women (and also probably people whose jobs require them not to have stuff in their pockets) to keep track of their stuff from day to day, so we should be wary of attributing our systems to just discipline or good sense without recognizing that it's relatively easier for us.", "timestamp": "1544793084"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022&reply_comment_id=972321018762", "anchor": "fb-972289951022_972321018762", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Ezra \"we should be wary of attributing our systems to just discipline or good sense without recognizing that it's relatively easier for us.\"
Yes, sure. Though the people I know who have the most trouble with losing stuff are male programmers who could apply a system like this.", "timestamp": "1544793414"}, {"author": "Ezra", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022&reply_comment_id=972321802192", "anchor": "fb-972289951022_972321802192", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Hahaha, yeah, I can see that! As a quasi programmer, I need more help keeping my projects straight than my physical objects... ;)", "timestamp": "1544794006"}, {"author": "Lauren", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022&reply_comment_id=972325230322", "anchor": "fb-972289951022_972325230322", "service": "fb", "text": "→ This is one reason I wear men's jeans, the pants of privilege! Years ago, when I saw my gf empty her (also men's pants) pocket for the first time it was like a clown car joke-- she had her keys AND phone AND wallet in one pocket??? I have never looked back. Or lost my wallet since.", "timestamp": "1544796880"}, {"author": "Julia", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022&reply_comment_id=972331931892", "anchor": "fb-972289951022_972331931892", "service": "fb", "text": "→ I obviously could either wear pants with bigger pockets or wear something like a fanny pack, but I don't like how they look.", "timestamp": "1544800422"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972289951022&reply_comment_id=972338423882", "anchor": "fb-972289951022_972338423882", "service": "fb", "text": "→ \"she had the same kind of bag, replacing it a few times when it wore out with one identical except for color\"
Found a picture (bottom right, purple)", "timestamp": "1544803653"}, {"author": "Mike", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972290050822", "anchor": "fb-972290050822", "service": "fb", "text": "Any time I am about to close a door that I have a key to, I physically touch that key (or the whole carabiner I keep my keys on) before letting the door close. It's less necessary now, since I use my key to lock my apartment door any time I leave, but it got me through college without locking myself out and is still useful for not leaving my car keys in the car.", "timestamp": "1544758681"}, {"author": "Katarina", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972290050822&reply_comment_id=972313818192", "anchor": "fb-972290050822_972313818192", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Bing bing! It's also become a habit to double check the door is locked, for every door that ought to be.", "timestamp": "1544784361"}, {"author": "Ben", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972291238442", "anchor": "fb-972291238442", "service": "fb", "text": "You just gave everyone the perfect list for April 1st. Beware.", "timestamp": "1544759583"}, {"author": "BDan", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972311717402", "anchor": "fb-972311717402", "service": "fb", "text": "I find this sort of thing works well for things that are easy to make a home for (e.g. keys go on the hook by the door), but for a lot of things, especially less frequently used ones, I have trouble figuring out where to put them. And for very infrequently used things I have trouble remembering where they live even if I figured out a good place the last time I used them.", "timestamp": "1544776607"}, {"author": "Wolf", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972313653522", "anchor": "fb-972313653522", "service": "fb", "text": "In my view it is a discipline thing. Most people know it is better to put their stuff in the same place all the time, but it requires a minimal amount of time that some people can be much easier trained to invest.", "timestamp": "1544783771"}, {"author": "Victor", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972314242342", "anchor": "fb-972314242342", "service": "fb", "text": "I confirm all of the above.
Sewing pockets is a nice idea though!", "timestamp": "1544785872"}, {"author": "Julia", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972339456812", "anchor": "fb-972339456812", "service": "fb", "text": "Obligatory link to how to expand women's pockets: https://thewholesky.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/pockets/", "timestamp": "1544804582"}, {"author": "Anna", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/972282615722?comment_id=972428643082", "anchor": "fb-972428643082", "service": "fb", "text": "I have a similar system but with multiple coats, I have 2 homes for keys: left pocket, and bowl by the door. This works pretty well. My phone and water bottle are usually all over the place though. I love the pocket extension!!!", "timestamp": "1544835635"}]}