changing needles-rocket science?

[jinxnit55]

How do you guys change needles? I just had to frog a nice rib knit hat because when I tried to change to smaller needle to decrease, it was just a mess. The stitches were offset and sproinging up like coils out of a mattress; I had a tough time figuring out which order to put them back on, I dropped a bunch of them, etc. I tried going back a few rows
and starting over, that didn't work, then wound up unraveling the whole thing. It was like I was walking a dog that slipped its leash and I was running after it, not catching it. Is this something that gets easier to do? Any tips?