I do the 'dedicated place' and I found that after the first week or so, it got a lot easier to remember to put stuff there. The other thing that helps is finding a place that is mostly easy to keep clear. (I have a bowl on the top of the kitchen counter, and I stick stuff in there.)
Things that help: - it is where the keys are, and I cannot leave the house without the keys (whether or not I drive, chances are I need them for work.) I don't know what the "I will notice if I don't have this" thing is for you, but including that in whereever you put it might help?
- it is also where the wallet lives (and I purposefully have a fairly small wallet so that I don't leave cards separate from it: whenever I do, I end up with them all over the place, and that's bad), and I like having the possibility of emergency caffination mid-day if required.
- my phone does not live there, because it is also my alarm clock and sleep tracker. But I have found I am not that likely to wander off without the phone, fortunately.
Re: Managing pocket stuff
Things that help:
- it is where the keys are, and I cannot leave the house without the keys (whether or not I drive, chances are I need them for work.) I don't know what the "I will notice if I don't have this" thing is for you, but including that in whereever you put it might help?
- it is also where the wallet lives (and I purposefully have a fairly small wallet so that I don't leave cards separate from it: whenever I do, I end up with them all over the place, and that's bad), and I like having the possibility of emergency caffination mid-day if required.
- my phone does not live there, because it is also my alarm clock and sleep tracker. But I have found I am not that likely to wander off without the phone, fortunately.