One of the most common places to experience a laptop theft or loss is at the airport. In fact, a recent Ponemon Institute study (see blog posts here and here) have quantified that very thing, noting that about 12,000 laptops per week are lost or stolen in US airports alone.

We are all creatures of habit, and an important (and good) habit to get into is having a mental checklist/procedure when you travel, for all your gadgets. You probably do this already, actually, just like you do when you get dressed for work: keys (check), cell phone (check), wallet (check) and so on–you check these items off as you get them.

And you probably have a bit of a helter-skelter checklist in your mind when going through airport security. But develop a better one–perhaps even write it down on a slip of paper that you can keep in your pocket without turning it over to security before they scan you. This is especially crucial when you’re late and hurried, a scenario that greatly increases the likelihood you’ll leave something important behind.