What To Do When You Can't Find Something Theorem

Over the years I've stumbled upon a phenomena for which there is a basic theorem that is very practical. Countless times I have lost or misplaced something I needed, and this something should be readily at hand, but it is not. How do you find your lost "thing"?

Maybe it's the keys, wallet, sunglasses or phone. Really it can be anything (usually small). The following technique has worked in spectacular ways for me for over a decade:

First, (Step 1) when you realize you can't find something, spend no more than 5 minutes going through your recent movements - basically the classic advice usually given. Thus:

Retrace your steps and think of everything you were doing (or thinking) from the last time you know you had your missing item; do this search quickly and vigorously, trying all the obvious possibilities

If this doesn't work and you still can't find your item do the following (Step 2)

In a calm and detached manner, in each area where you have recently visited (where you might have lost your item), organize the space completely, putting things in their place, and generally tidying up, without regard to the issue of your lost object; your object may suddenly appear at this time!

If Step 2 works you will likely be surprised and delighted at where the item actually was and that the process worked. The key is to change your disposition from an aggressive, targeted search to a systematic, dispassionate area cleanup activity. In other words, take a deep breath and straighten up the surroundings.

An important rationale for this approach is that it's important to not get frustrated and expend a lot of energy on a protracted search, possibly in a cluttered area. Stuff can get lost in very creative ways and over time you want to get less bent out of shape, not more!

I have consciously used this technique successfully dozens of times when I have had to resort to it (i.e. when Step 1 fails).

Restated, the theorem says to look in the obvious places first, and then forget about the explicit search for the moment and just clean up the immediate area where the item was most likely lost. The item will then pop out of its hiding place during the straightening up.

If your area or areas require careful or complex navigation, then the 5 minutes may not be appropriate and the time needed may be dependent on the environment. So it could be a lot more (for example if retracing your steps means driving or walking somewhere).