Nothing is more frustrating at the time being than misplacing something just when you need it the most. You may always ask someone around for help regardless if they know or not, but actually, you only need one thing: your memory!
Unfortunately, our memory may not work effectively due to the overloading of information it processes day by day. Don’t worry, because you can also relay to basic search procedures. So are you still with me on this? Let’s get it on one by one.
1. Keep Calm. Be Confident and Search
Misplacing an item can take so much of your time. If you don’t want to end half or worst your entire day without finding what you are looking for, then relax. Calm yourself and for a minute or two, forget the pressure of finding your lost item. You won’t be able to think clearly when your mind is clouded.
It will also help to boost your confidence that you are going to find what you are looking for. Remember that having a positive mind is a good jumpstart.
If you were able to organize your items and their designated places then you can start searching from there. There are times that your memory, especially when stressed, tells you that you have already got your stuff when in fact you have not yet. According to a certain Professor Solomon, most lost items are usually found within 18 inches from their designated spot. It’s just that we tend to put the item within but just a little off the usual location.
If you can’t find it, it is time to go to the next step.
2. Try to Remember Where You Last Saw It
To lighten yourself up since the first step didn’t work out, you can roleplay as an investigator in a crime scene here. This is where you retrace the series of steps before you put your lost stuff down and forgot about it. Little by little, details will come out on the surface of your memory.
If the above is not enough, try to put the mindset you were in the last time you saw the lost stuff into the mix. Believe it or not, what you were thinking and feeling the last time you held your lost item will help you track it down.
3. Go to Your Cluttered Space
It could be enticing to start your search at the cleanest or organized spot at home, but it is not the wisest thing to do. With reference to a study from the University of Aberdeen, you need to look first at the most cluttered areas. Why? Simply because if it’s there, it is very much obvious and you would have found it easily.
Missing items are most likely to be buried under the piles, so it is a straightforward activity that will save a lot of time. Also, you can clean up a little while doing the search. Place every item you encounter in the search in a clean area so it won’t mix with those you haven’t checked yet.
4. Ask for Help to Make an Expansive Search
If there is someone with you before you lost something, ask them if they happened to see it. It is always possible that someone grabbed your stuff by mistake. If they happened to see it or it is with them then congratulations! Your search is over.
On the other hand, you can ask for someone’s help to speed up the search. You can just tell him how your lost stuff looks like or show a photo of it for more precision. A fresh set of eyes is effective since there are times that you might be staring at the same thing, but still overlooking what is in front of you.
Prevention Is Better Than Search
1. Clean Up
A neat and clean area is very pleasant to the eyes. It doesn’t only make you feel better, but it will also reduce your chance of misplacing or losing an item. Imagine if your desk is free from clutter and you happened to put your key there unconsciously during a phone call, you will easily see it even though you forgot that you left it there.
2. Maintain Awareness In Everything You Do
We know how stressful everyday life can be and maintaining a relaxed, and aware mindset all throughout the day is very challenging. However, you have to do this so you really know what you are doing with your stuff, where you used it, where you placed it or when was the last time you held it. This is a habit that you have to build up.
3. Put Your Stuff in the Same Place
Things, especially the small ones like keys, jewelry, wallet-size cards, should be placed in their own individual spots like bowls, cardboards or cabinets. If it is in your aesthetic preference, putting a label in each spot is much better. What matters is that you put your things where it should be.
4. Make Sure You Have a Plan B-plicate
This is very much applicable to items that you can duplicate such as house keys, car keys, identifications that you can photocopy, among others. Duplicates should not be kept in the same place as the original. For example, if you thought you already had your house key with you but it wasn’t, you won’t be able to enter the house. However, if you have a duplicate in your purse then re-entering will not be a problem.
Nevertheless, don’t rely too much on your plan B because it eradicates the importance of finding the lost item. Imagine if you drop searching for the lost item because you have a backup, what would happen if you lost the latter? You will just go back to the stressful search over again.
5. Use Tracking Mobile Applications
If you are the type of person who keeps on losing stuff at home, you can take advantage of amazing technology that can fasten the search for your lost items. There are mobile applications that you can download from Apple or Google Play that are designed to pinpoint your lost item. Two of the many samples of it are the Tile Tracker and Find My iPhone or Android. Some features include beeping when you are in close proximity with the lost item and providing a map that will get you to the vicinity of the item.
Conclusion
We all have moments where we misplace or lose our stuff even though we just held it not long at all. Some studies say that unawareness is one of the reasons why we tend to forget things, so we have to make sure that we are aware of our surroundings all the time even though we are multitasking.
But what happens if your mind skips? Well, don’t worry because it is normal. There are simple ways that you can always follow to make your search for the lost item easier and faster. On the other hand, it will also help if you create a list of to-dos to prevent misplacing or losing items in the future.
