I picked up the wrong keys when I was going out. And it was because I never consciously picked up the keys. My mind followed an automation script, the wrong one.
Our minds have a lot to think about. So to reduce load, they make automation scripts out of things we regularly do. And we call them habits. Picking my scooty’s key was something I do often. So my mind made a script out of it. And it ran this script when I went to take my home’s keys, kept at the same stand.
James Clear’s book Atomic Habits is a brilliant book on making these habits. But he also shares a way to stop running these scripts (habits).
Point and call.
Basically, you point at everything you do and call it out loud. This adds another layer of consciousness and reduces the chances of mistakes.
It’s especially useful when you’re habitual to doing something which is too error-prone or a single error could be life-risking. They use it at Japanese Railways.