Same. I have a "keys-wallet-phone-pad" routine in which I make sure my pockets contain all of: my keys, my wallet, my cell phone, and the 7-inch tablet that I carry everywhere. I've gotten into the habit of doing it every time I get up if I'm not at home or at my desk at work.

I used to have a doormat that said "mobile phone, keys, wallet" (in Swedish) https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/7f/58/df/7f58...

These days I just tap my pockets. I freak out if I do that check when I happen to be holding onto my phone or keys

I use this technique too. Very, very effective. Unfortunately I often cary a pocket radio, which I unconsciously note as either wallet or phone. Have started to use its clip to attach it to my shirt.

When 100% jet lagged traveling with a colleague we setup the "coat, phone, creditcard" check as a joke whenever we were walking out of a place. Surprisingly it saved a phone twice and a coat a million times because the destination had great weather.

I do the almost the exact same thing, minus the pad. I repeat "keys, wallet, phone" (in that order) as I touch each one when I'm leaving.

Bonus, when you get into a good enough habit of doing this, you even do it automatically when you're drunk.

That is exactly what I do, "keys, wallet, phone" in that order.

2007 before leaving the house: "Wallet, keys, cell phone, iPod, blackberry" oh how far we've come.

Another thing that helps, and I do it as well. Is to have dedicated pockets for each item. E.g. Car keys in back-right, house-keys in back-left, cellphone in front-right, and wallet in front-left.

I do the tap phone and keys check, but I keep my wallet in my backpack tied to a string on a carabiner, so it's always in my bag, except when in my hands.

Same thing with my glasses, either they're in my bag, or on my face.

Yes, the usual triple tap routine

I add passport when I'm heading to an international flight. Wallet and passport.

spectacles testicles wallet & watch (originally a joke about the sign of the cross, but it's how I remember everything when I leave and also some fun blasphemy for the whole family)

If anything a bit of blasphemy is going to make it even more memorable, so it is a good strategy!

I do something similar. I touch my keys, wallet, and phone through my pockets, and then check my fly before I walk out the door (four things). Every now and then, I'll wear a belt, and I always end up checking my keys, wallet, phone, and belt (four things) and then walking outside with my fly down.

I add a pants zipper check to that routine. I do a very quick touch to make sure my zipper is up after leaving the house and any time I leave a bathroom.

In the days before cell phones the common check-list was 'testicles, spectacles, wallet & watch'

I take them out of my pocket and put them in my hand (often the keyring around finger) as I close the door. Also: if I'm in the car, and the car isn't running, the key must always be in my pocket; never in the ignition, cup holder, etc. I should probably get a spare just to open the car door, and put it in my wallet.

My variation on that is to only ever lock my front door or car using my keys from the outside. It's a bit less convenient than using the lock on the inside, but is guaranteed to avoid lockouts.

I have a rule that I only close the front door with the keys inside the lock and after having turned them in the unlock position.

Has served me very well so far.

I spin my keys to see if I'm in base reality.

I leave my front door keys in the front door on the inside. That way those keys also have a place.

I live alone, so there is no one else using the same technique who I could deadlock (pun intended).

I do not push the key all the way in. Pushing it all the way in could prevent someone else unlocking the door from the outside.

Yep, I do the same. Keys, wallet, phone.

The ADHD Triple-Tap

Mine is quadruple. Pocketknife, phone, wallet, keys, in order of importance.

I used to have five, but smartened up: keys, wallet, phone, smokes, lighter

I do the same. Every time I leave the house, before I close the door, I make sure to tap my phone, wallet and keys.

Same when exiting my car, I make sure I have my keys in my hand when I close the door (I don't have remote locking).

I just bought a new car with a RFID key. The key never leaves my pocket. As I put my hand around the door handle, it unlocks. Once I'm in the car I press a Start button and it's ready to run. When leaving the car I press a special spot on the handle and it locks all the doors. If I were to leave the key in the car and lock it from the outside, it wouldn't matter because I (or anyone else) could unlock it simply by grabbing the handle again.

On the other hand, I know of people who have problems with putting their keyless entry dongle down in the car and having trouble finding it when they try exiting. I've never had that problem with keys.

I do that with my keys and wallet whenever I travel because I'm paranoid about losing them.

Traveling is its own house of horrors in this regard because not only is losing something much more disruptive but also your common items tend to be out of place. My keys are never actually in my pockets when I travel, e.g., so my usual pocket patting routine trips me up.

And you can't even keep stuff in one place! I'm stupid about my passport and I end up moving it to 5 or 6 different places at different stages of my trip (security, airport gate, etc).

It drives me nuts, because I'm really not that worried about it, I just want to be able to check that I didn't leave it somewhere.