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Do you often find yourself in a frenzy and tearing apart your home in search of something? Are you late for work again because you couldn't find your car keys? Use this guide to save your time.
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Check your immediate surroundings. Survey the room or rooms where the item might be. Don't go into depth, searching under piles of clothes and inside pants' pockets. Instead, just look around to see if the item is in plain sight.
Look for the missing object where it is supposed to be, or where it can usually be found. If you lost your check card, then you should obviously check your wallet. If your keys are missing, then look in your door and car locks to make sure you didn't simply forget them.
Search for the missing object in depth. Now that the object is not in plain view, look in more detail around your home and car. If you have a messy residence, this may require some time. Make sure to be thorough. Most people have the same daily routine, which will narrow things down a bit. Eliminate places that the item is very unlikely to be (such as keys in the oven) to save time.
Think back to the last time and place you used the missing object. Did you take it to work or to a friend's house? Were you recently at a restaurant or on the city bus? When did you use the object last? Retracing your steps may lead to the object. It is usually when we are on auto-pilot and get distracted that these things happen.
Call the people and places you've been recently. Now that you have narrowed down the places it could be, call your friends, your job, the bus station, etc. They may be holding your missing object for you.
Consider the possibility that the item may have been stolen. Do not panic, but consider how much the item might be worth to a stranger and whether anyone might want it as their own.
Take the necessary steps to replace the missing item, or if it is found, make sure it doesn't get lost again. If the item is not recovered, get the keys replaced and locks changed, save up for another ring (if you didn't have insurance), or put that cell phone insurance to use. If it is found, get a better key chain (and use it for its purpose), organize your home, and have a designated place to store your valuables until the next time you need them.
TIPS
Do not look blindly for the item. The first reaction is to search for the missing item everywhere imaginable, leading to frustration. Take a moment to calm down and think logically. Be methodic and split the area up in smaller zones and scan one at a time. If you go back always search the area as you've earlier defined.
Check everything again and again. If you have searched your room for your keys three times, check again. It is not rare to find something in the very place you have already searched what you thought thoroughly.
Don't forget the automobile! For most people, the last place they were before coming home was in their car. For small objects such as keys and credit cards, be sure to look between and under the seats of your car to make sure they have not fallen out of your pockets.
Consider the item's characteristics. The nature of certain items makes them easier or more difficult to locate. Missing cell phones, for example, can often be recovered by simply calling the number of the phone.
If none of this works, just stop looking. Get your mind completely off finding the object. This gives the amazing computer in your brain a chance to work. This can also lead to instant recall.
The most common misplaced things are: keys, wallet, purse, cell phone, and the remote control. Try to keep backups of these, so that if you don't have time to look for them, you can still get by.
Write your name in Sharpie on valuables in a hidden place. That way, if they get stolen, you can easily prove it's yours.
Put your keys on a nail or key hooks (available at a hardware or home decor store) next to the door. You will always have your keys handy and the fire dept advises putting them where you can grab and go. You could also keep a dish (I've used a frisbee and an abalone shell at different points in my life) where you put all those important things--phone, wallet, keys, change--right as you walk in the door.
Put your jewelry into a jewelry box in a bureau drawer to keep it easy to find and a clean look to your bureau.
If you don't find the item quickly, stop looking and start picking up and/or cleaning your house, car, or office. This changes your focus and level of frustration. When you find the item, you'll be on your way to more organized surroundings and less likely to misplace things.
Know your habits. Some people lay things down around them neatly; some of us toss. If you're a tosser, go into the most traveled spots of the most suspect rooms, then pretend that you're tossing the object as you turn in a circle. This gives you a radius (based on how you would toss that particular object - you'd toss yours keys differently than a notebook or breakable object) of roughly where it would be, including the trajectory it could have bounced off of the bed or a sofa cushion.
If you do find the missing item (or have to buy another one) then try to remember where the first place was you looked for it, when you first lost it. Put it back in this place and you should avoid losing the same thing more than once. Usually the first place that springs to mind will be the same one.
Warnings
If the item can be easily replaced, then cut your losses to avoid further inconvenience. Check and credit cards, for example, can be replaced by your bank, usually free of charge. If a card has not been found after going through the steps, call and have the card deactivated and have a new one sent. Many places do not check photo I.D when using such cards, and if it has been stolen, you could be hurt financially.
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Posted: 2006-12-06 21:48:21
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