I own Samsung Galaxy buds, rather than Airpods but the logic is the same (the audio quality is worse though). You don't lose them because they live in a chargi

I own Samsung Galaxy buds, rather than Airpods but the logic is the same (the audio quality is worse though). You don't lose them because they live in a charging case and they go straight from ear to charging case. You never put them down anywhere else. The difference with using them is bigger than you would imagine. There's no untangling of cable, no threading down clothes, no restriction on where you put your phone (assuming it's vaguely nearby). I can, for instance, put them in one handed while never taking my eyes off the road.