Do you have specific procedural rules WRT ordinary, everyday things? Possibly you developed these rules because of some mishap.
My examples: I never set my glasses down on any surface where anyone typically sits or stands. I never put then on a chair seat, for instance, or on the bed, or on the floor. Once in college I set my glasses on the lawn when a bunch of us were sitting around, and a friend stepped on them and broke them. I made myself a rule. Haven’t broken a pair since.
I always lock my car. The main reason is so I don’t have to wonder, “Did I lock it?”
When I get up on a ladder or a chair to fix something around the house, I put my cell phone at the bottom of the ladder, just in case. I live alone, and maybe the neighbors would hear me if I feel and screamed loud enough. Not positive.
I keep my keys attached to my purse at all times, except when actively locking/unlocking my house door. My car senses my keys, so I don’t have to unhook them to open the car door or start the car. You will never see me fumbling for my keys, or wondering, “Where are my keys?”
I’m truly not OCD… I mean, my desk looks like a family of squirrels lives there, as do my bureau drawers. These are just my humble attempts to keep some order in my life.
I don’t recall how I got this habit as it makes no sense whatever.
I put my shoes/boots on right foot first, left foot next.
Tie the shoelaces in the same order.
Now I find me putting on my socks in the same manner.
Weird.
I locked myself out once. $150 for a locksmith. Not again! Now, I’m kinda obsessive about checking I’ve got my keys.
If a bag of groceries has glass containers – jam or pickles or whatnot – I carry it with one hand holding it up from underneath. Won’t trust the hand-holds on a grocery bag ever again.
Just before I lock the house or car door, I pat the outside of my pants to feel that the keys are in the pocket. I have locked myself out of my house once and out of my car once, and that was enough. Similarly, I pat my pants to verify that I have my wallet when I walk into a store. I reached the checkout once with no way to pay, and that was enough. Before entering the checkout lane I open the wallet to verify that I have either enough cash to pay for everything or my credit card. Again, I once I had my wallet but was a little short of cash, and that once was enough.
I’m a little obsessive after finishing cooking to check that all the (electric) burners and the oven are turned off. It took more than one mistake before I got so careful. On the rare occasions when I use stove-top gas burners, I don’t have to worry so much about it because it’s patently obvious when they’re on and when they’re not.
Until about a year ago, I used to keep a notebook in my car where I listed the opening and closing times of various businesses, government offices, and libraries I regularly visit. I compiled it after I finally got sick of showing up five minutes after some damn place closed or an hour before they opened or on a day they were closed. I got in the habit of checking the notebook if I was in any doubt about whether they might be open. Now I check their hours on my new smartphone instead.
I grew up in a tall thin house where things were always having to be moved up and down stairs, so my mother would always leave a pile of stuff at the top or bottom, and whoever was next on the stairs was supposed to take them with them.
I wear my jacket everywhere. Work badge in left pocket, car key* in right pocket, sunglasses/eyeglasses in left inner pocket. Recently added hearing aid batteries in right inner pocket. If I switch jackets, everything goes; if it’s hot, I just carry the jacket.
*House keys are in my pants pocket - I hate having that enormous fob-key in my pants, and I hate having extra keys dangling when I’m driving. Plus, if I manage to lock my key in the car, I can get into the house for the spare.
In the last 12 months I got sick of getting part way to work and wondering, “did I lock the door?” Sometimes I would go back, sometimes I wouldn’t I’d just worry on and off all day, however the door was always locked. So the problem wasn’t locking the door it was remembering locking the door. So now I face the door, grab the door handle left handed (I’m a righty) and try it in each direction. Just the change of hands after locking seems to do the trick.
I thought everyone had the glasses rule–even without anything bad happening to them.
As for others: after opening the trunk, I always put the keys in my pocket, so I don’t accidentally lock them in the trunk. It’s automatic, whether radio or real keys.
I always keep a little bit of backup of my medicine. And I always set an alarm so I’ll remember to take it. And while I’ve been getting lax lately, the rule is that I take the medicine, then shut off the alarm. And the alarm is never where I can reach it from where I’m sitting.
I always end phone calls to loved ones with “love ya,” and also use it when I leave their house. It started out as just a habit, but I kept said habit for a sorta morbid reason: so I know the last thing I say to them will be that I love them.
There are reasons for this, maybe to be posted sometime later, but…
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Door locks**:
All doors locked, all the time, no exceptions. Car, house, gate, RV, it doesn’t matter. I have no problem being out and about but when I enter any of the above, the doors are closed behind me and locked.
Exits:
Again, derived from past experience. When I enter any place (theater, stadium, restaurant or airplane) I will habitually find and note where the exits are. My wife finds it comical sometime, and will quiz me after we’re seated somewhere. “So, where’s the nearest one?” I can always point to it. If seated too far away, I may request another seat or table.
Fire:
Nothing bad has happened to me on this front, but a few years as first-responder (ambulance) made me pretty cautious. Burns are among the most horrible things I’ve seen, and I try to reduce this risk. My airplane(s) always had more fire extinguishers available than required. My boat has an extinguisher mounted at each cockpit seat, two in the cabin, and an automatic suppression system in the engine compartment. There’s one behind the seat in my truck, and one in each end of the RV. I enjoy campfires as much as anyone, but I will have a portable extinguisher beside the lawn chair while its burning. (If I ever met Smoky the Bear he’d probably tell me to lighten up )
On the lighter subjects, one of my “rules” is: “Nothing falls off the floor.” This is mostly used when traveling in the RV (or the boat). If it’s breakable and/or important it’s stored at floor level, at least while in motion.
I have several daily acronyms I use to combat forgetfulness. MMPG-BWK is one (Music-Medicine-Phone-Glasses while packing my lunchbox, followed by Badge-Wallet-Keys before walking out to the truck). I probably am too obsessive, but in 25 years I’ve never once arrived at work without my badge.
I find myself doing this now that I live in a multi-story house again. Though since I live alone, the pile doesn’t move as quickly as it theoretically should.
Same here. Only ever lock the car with the key fob, never lock it from the inside with the lock button then close the door, never. Likewise I always shut the garage door with the door remote, never by pushing the button on the door motor then slipping under the door.
Whenever we went out, my mother always had to find her glasses, a major undertaking.
When I started wearing glasses, I implemented a hard and fast rule: I come into the house, I take my glasses off and put them in the same spot every. single. time. I never break this rule.
It helps that my prescription allows me to get away with not wearing my glasses in the house. Not everyone is so fortunate.
When I remove my hearing aid it goes into a hearing aid case. Always. Except for one time, and one of our dogs chewed it up, creating a $3,000.00 dog toy.
Re car keys: I’ve had two Saturns, and would have a third one if they hadn’t stopped making them. Interesting security feature: if you used the key fob to electronically beep the door lock, then later you unlocked the door manually with the key, you could not start the car for 30 minutes. I accidentally did this only once and had to sit in the parking lot for 30 minutes before I could start up and drive away. If you beep it closed, you have to beep it open. Or lock manually and unlock manually.
You’d think so. But I was at my book club a short while ago and one of the women (adult, age 40-ish) took off her glasses and put them on the floor. In a room full of people. :smack: Since I’m old enough to be her mother, I said, “Don’t ever put your glasses on the floor!”
Growing up, whenever I had a school project, I never had the most basic stationary supplies, because my sisters would lose them or take them. My mom wouldn’t notice either mishap (sisters took or lost everything).
When I got married… it was the same damn problem: Glue, scissors, stapler, staples, paperclips, etc… all gone, lost misplaced. No longer needed for school, but could I PLEASE have a damn scissors for once?
Now on my own: I bought a half-dozen scissors, assorted glue, various types of paper, staplers and things like tweezers, super glue, envelopes etc… and spread them around my place.
I prepared to lose some, but I don’t lose any. I prepared for others’ mishaps.
If I am doing anything in a car other than getting right out pretty much as soon as I stop the windows go down. Hard to lock yourself out when the windows are down.
My current house has two ways to lock the front door. One is a regular door knob that you can lock and pull the door closed. The second requires using the key to lock the dead bolt from outside. I use the later.
Middle of nowhere and the gas tank is kinda low? Get some fracking gas.
Getting a meal somewhere? Do I have enough CASH to pay for it if my plastic money cards go tits up for some unknown reason?
Planning anything with anyone? Assuming they know and think like me? uhhhh no.
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