My recommendation is a small thing: a trashcan with a swinging lid!
Covers the trash, reduces smells, will prevent trash tetris (sometimes), and very good instead of foot-pedal opening trash cans or trash cans put in a cupboard.
Another thing are toothbrush holders that stick to mirrors. Might jog that memory of needing to brush your teeth!
Wall-mounted keyholder by your door, too. Anything I put on a flat surface will eventually be lost or covered with more junk & papers. My keys are WALL-ONLY!!!
What item(s) have helped you with your struggles?
I always lock me in from the inside, so i can’t leave without touching the key.
I have a rule of holding my keys in view while closing the door. Haven’t had a single incident since. That said, that is a nifty way of doing it, I imagine my cat would play with the keys hanging out of the lock.
I always touch my keys, wallet, then phone when closing my apartment door or leaving a friend’s house. Having the keys in hand isn’t quite enough for me to feel comfortable.
I’ve been living in the same place for 13+ years and I’m moving this weekend. I’ve never had to call someone to bring me a spare set of keys…
…until yesterday. I had my spare set of (just) car keys next to my normal set of all keys. I have a club on my steering wheel so I couldn’t even go do what I was going to.
All my friends used to have copies of my keys. I also had a copy in my desk at work, one in my gas tank, one in a key lock box. Now I have a keypad on the door so I only have to remember the code.
That sounds dangerous in case of a fire.
A hidden, coded lockbox can be a life saver. Nothing like the “Did you bring a key? No, I thought you did!” conversation.