How to Make Sure No One Steals Your Pen

We all have our favorite pens--you know, the ones where the ink flows so smoothly and it's a pleasure to hold. Then someone borrows it and you lose it forever. They don't mean to take it; they just borrow it and forget to return it. And you forget that you lent it to them.

An easy way to not lose your favorite pen is when someone asks to borrow it, give it to them with the cap off. All of us have had countless experiences of ruining that great shirt or blouse when a pen leaked and permanently stained the fabric because the cap fell off, and so we are far less likely--even when not even aware we are doing so--to not want to place the pen in our pocket with the cap missing. And since a pen is just awkward to hold with the cap off when not in use, it triggers the borrower to remember to return the pen to you. Even if they forget, the cap sitting on your desk with no pen attached will quickly remind you to ask for it back.