grammar pet peeve

"It's" driving me nuts. I see it wrong in writing from everyone, from the lowly public school student to the creative director to the star tech bloggers. I'm talking about the difference between "it's" and "its".

it's: a contraction of "it is"
its: the possessive form (things belonging to it)

It's very simple, just follow this single rule for its proper use:
When writing "it's", mentally insert the word "is" in place of the apostrophe. If that doesn't express your meaning, TAKE OUT THE APOSTROPHE.

Examples:

It's driving me nuts: It is driving me nuts.
Correct meaning, keep the apostrophe.

The pan lid lost it's handle: The pan lid lost it is handle.
Incorrect meaning, TAKE OUT THE APOSTROPHE, use "its handle".

That's it. Nothing else to remember. Learn it. Love it. Live it.