We all use keys. Some of us have and use more keys than others, but we all use keys.
We have keys for homes, apartments, automobiles, rooms, garages, sheds, vaults, luggage, lockers, safe deposit boxes, mail boxes, offices, desks, furniture, cabinets, lawn mowers, recreational vehicles, gates and a host of other things.
Keys almost always come in sets of at least two and usually more. In some cases we have extras made.
Quite often we hide an extra key or give one to a neighbor, relative or friend in the event one is needed in an emergency.
It can all add up to a lot of keys in a lot of places and a lot of things to remember.
Here are some simple questions for you:
- do you know how many sets of keys you have?
- do you know what each is for?
- do you know where the original and every copy is?
- do you know how to replace a set if they get lost?
- do you know where they can be replaced?
If you can truthfully answer yes to each question, you should be proud of yourself, because most people can’t.
Even with the best of intentions, and even with a good system of remembering, time has ways of making us forgetful about where we stored a key, what a key is for, who we gave a copy to, or where the code is for getting a replacement made.
Here are some simple suggestions for you:
- try to locate every key you have
- identify what each is for and test them
- set any that are not in use or which you can’t identify aside in one place
- create a journal for information about each set of keys you can identify and use:
o where it came from
o what it is for
o how many copies there are
o where the copies are stored and who has them
o the manufacturer
o how to replace them
o and anything else relevant
o give a copy of the information about important keys to a trusted relative or estate executor in the event of an accident, so that these folks can access and carry on affairs if need be
- keep the records up to date
It is not hard to do and does not take that much time, and once it is done, it does not take much effort to keep the information up to date because we don’t tend to change keys all that often.
Once you have your journal, you won’t have to worry about remembering about all those keys any more.
Bob Robinson
Bob Robinson is a computer professional and consultant in the data management profession with over 30 years experience in data processing.
As the founder of RecordsKeeper Software, Bob’s passion is to provide ideas and software that helps people get control of their lives, to function better and to improve the ability to manage their affairs by having well organized information about everything that is of importance to them.
Presently, Bob is writing articles and building his business.
You can reach Bob at rbtrobinson@rogers.com or visit the RecordsKeeper website at http://www.therecordskeeper.com