Organization - Never Necessary Until it is Necessary

First off, instead of a motivational poster - I just want to say that I finally got around to attempting an Xtranormal.com cartoon to add to this post, so please let me know if it sucks or not, thanks.

So I have this really, really, really big problem (I don't actually think I can truly represent the true bulk of this problem with words, so I will leave it at that). Imagine this - every morning you wake up, the sun is bright and beautiful and immediately you are in the best of moods. You shower, the water is a perfect temperature, warming and relaxing every part of your body. You leave the shower feeling clean and totally refreshed. I check the clock, for once I am on time and everything is going perfectly - NICE. I make a boisterous breakfast worthy of at least a king or four and I continue to just feel freaking awesome. I gather my books for class, and I grab my laptop and toss everything into my backpack. I am ready to go! Or so I think, keys? UMD ID card? Wallet? None of them are anywhere to be found. Excellent, I have an extra six whole minutes until I need to leave for class - of course I can find them right? You have to be kidding... I need three days to find the things that I lose (seeing as my room looks something like a post nuclear holocaust, riddled with clothes, books, papers and other miscellaneous objects). I look around for twenty minutes, no luck. Screw it, I will find them later I think and I scurry off to class, late again....

Does anyone else have this problem? I know I am not the only one - not everyone can be perfectly organized like that perfect person who is just perfect and neat and organized (bahh I hate those people). Okay back to my point, plenty of people have this kind of problem. I propose a few fixes for this type of problem.

• The Back-up Wallet - Okay, so you are the guy that leaves his wallet in the jeans he drunkenly wore last night. These jeans are now somewhere completely lost to all mankind (under your bed, bottom of the hamper, in your room mates room, etc.). You have no chance of finding the damn thing before your class starts or before you become so hungry that you eat your own fingers (and you can't cook dinner either because you have been too lazy to go to the grocery store for the last four days). Simple fix, the back up wallet. This guy contains the bare essentials that we need for survival as college students. Money - somewhere between the three dollars needed to buy 3 tacquitos from 7-11 and twenty dollars to buy a lot more tacquitos. This wallet also contains something like a dominoes gift card (or subway if you are the healthy type). Now if you are as bad as me, this wallet will contain another essential - the backup swipe (Student ID).

• The Back-up Swipe - Throughout my life at Maryland, I have lost somewhere around... twelve to fifteen swipes (I can't be sure because I often find lost swipes and then re-lose them). Therefore I have found it has become very important for me to have backups ready. When I am late for class, swipe is nowhere to be found and time is of the essence, I can simply grab my backup until the original is found. (and hope that I don't lose this one too).

• The Special Spot - Now for a chance to NOT lose everything in the first place. Think of this - everything that is important for daily function, is always in the same spot. Go to Target and buy one of those sticky 3M hook thingamajiggys and stick it somewhere in your room - we will name it "The Key Hook." Now whenever your keys leave your pocket or purse or man bag (I won't judge) you can put them on this hook and you will never again lose them. Now, somewhere on your desk create a cellphone/wallet/ID/(whatever else you carry) friendly environment. This could be just empty space, a spot on a shelf, or a special little station to store all of this stuff. You should also find a way to route a charger for your cell phone as well. This will help make sure that you don't lose your phone because it is off charging somewhere random in your house or apartment.

Not only will you feel more organized, you won't keep losing your shit. Can you imagine that? No more lost phones, no more lost keys, no more lost wallet - a dream come true. My room mates always complain about my things being scattered across our apartment, a phone in this corner, wallet in this corner, hat under the couch, and more. If I could impliment these exact ideas - none of this would ever happen. I'm trying, eventually I will get into a routine and life will be more simple.... trust me... Have faith in me (cuz I don't).