If you are prone to losing things, forgetting where you put things or even just walking into a room and forgetting why you did in the first place, this column is for you. 

First and foremost, I want to disclose I myself have lost my keys to my dorm more times than I can count, and I have continued to lose my keys as I’ve moved apartments as well. But, by following these tips I’ve received from others and come up with some myself, the frequency at which I lose my keys has been decreased drastically. 

Depending on which dorm or housing arrangement you live in, you may have one key, two keys, a key and a fob or any other possible combination of keys you can think of — the more the merrier, right? 

Your first instinct might be to put your keys on a lanyard and just bring that lanyard with you wherever you go. That’s great; if that works for you and you never tend to lose the lanyard, stick to it. However, for me, putting my keys on a lanyard, which then I would just carelessly throw on my desk or in my backpack or who knows where else, I would lose the lanyard with the key attached to it. Here are some other ways you can hold onto your keys to make sure they are always safe with you because if you do lose the keys and cannot find them anywhere, you may be fined to replace the lock, and nobody wants that. 

Put your keys on a hair tie or bracelet and wear them around your wrist

One of the first ways I kept track of my keys when I first moved in was tying them into a hair tie so I could just wear them around my wrist. I would wear them every day to the point that if I forgot to, it would feel weird walking around without them around my wrist. Additionally, by doing this you always will have an extra hair tie with you in times of desperation. 

Tie your keys onto your shoelace before you leave

If you wear sneakers or shoes with laces quite often, this is a good tip for you. Before tying your shoes to leave your dorm for the day, lace in your keys and then continue to tie your shoe. While this may be just a little inconvenient for quick access to your keys, you can be pretty confident that at least the keys are not going anywhere. 

Wear keys as a necklace 

If you’ve seen Zoey 101, this trick might already be on your radar. If not, I will just look super clever in giving you this tip. If you have an extra necklace chain lying around or you want to spend a couple bucks getting one from a craft store or even using string, you can throw your keys on that and wear it as a necklace. Like the bracelet, if you do this every day, it will feel strange if you walk out without this necklace on. 

Keep your keys in your phone wallet 

Within the past couple of years, the phone wallets that just stick to the back of a phone have become pretty popular. Generally meant for money, credit cards and IDs, these can also be a great spot for your keys. If your key also happens to be a card instead of an actual key, this is great for you. These phone wallets aren’t too expensive, and you can sometimes even get them for free as companies or other organizations use them as an advertising tactic. 

Keep keys in one place and one place only  

No pun intended, but consistency is key. Make sure you’re keeping your keys in one place and one place only. If this means creating a spot on your desk to keep them there or putting up a hook by your door to keep them there, do it. My first year of college, the only time I would take my keys off my wrist was to shower. I would often still wear them while sleeping. Other times I used a Command strip to hook my keys on for when I wasn’t wearing them. Figure out a plan and stick to it; it will only benefit you. 

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