Throw away all unnecessary clutter . You must be ruthless. You must have a rationale for everything you keep in your desk. Proper life organization begins with a clean desk. The psychological lift it will give you will propel you through the subsequent stages of managing yourself with respect to time.
Absentmindedness is a time consuming habit that can be overcome.
It is nothing more than inattention. We must convince ourselves we want to recall where we left things and that we are going to recall where we left them. One way is to have a reason for putting something where you did. I keep my spare glasses with my contact lens solution. If you have a logical reason for putting things where you do, you will probably be able to recall the reason - which in turn will remind you of the place.