Is Your Wallet In Your Back Pocket or Front?

In either case, you might consider making a switch

Photo by Geoffrey Crofte on Unsplash

It takes some time to adopt and adapt to new habits and routines. I've done it many times over the years. After making the desired change, it takes consistency over time, and one day the new change becomes habitual.

For example, I was a back-pocket wallet guy for about half my life. I switched to carrying my wallet in the front pocket because it’s easier for pickpockets to lift your wallet from a back pocket.

Being in a crowded city, on public transit, and often frequenting crowded places was one of the reasons for change. The other reason that prompted the front-from-back shift was that driving, especially longer distances, with extra bulk in my right back pocket, created a misalignment in my posture.

After a long drive, I discovered my ass hurt and later heard that it was terrible for the spine over time. These were good enough reasons for me to make a habit change.

Of course, a guy's wallet was much bulkier at that time. Today, with the advent of digital technology, we can hold many of those cards, IDs, and tickets in virtual wallets on our mobile devices.

We don't have much need to pull out our wallets anymore if we have a smartwatch paired with our device. Many of us don't even handle real cash these days.

At first, switching to a new routine is weird — we default to our old habits without thought. Over the years, the company I currently work for was spread across three floors.

Occasionally we would move people around. If we were moved to another floor, it was not uncommon to press the elevator button and get off at our previous level. It takes about a week of pressing the wrong button to learn.

Similarly, I found myself slipping my wallet into my rear right pocket for a time until It eventually became routine after multiple corrections. After some weeks, the front pocket no longer seemed unnatural.

And after many months and years, slipping my wallet into the back pocket again seems illogical and awkward now.

Rewiring the brain is a fascinating science. I'm currently exercising behavioral therapy and…