How To Find Lost Objects

Step 1: Don't look for it

Something's lost, and your first thought—your basic instinct—is to look for it. You're ready to start rummaging about. To hunt for it in a random, and increasingly frenetic, fashion. I know you're eager to find that lost item. But don't look for it yet. Wait until you have some idea where to look. And Professor Solomons Principles are going to help you do just that!

Step 2: You're the one that's lost

Have you ever stopped to think that maybe it's you that are lost—not those keys or that umbrella? Because a fundamental truth is this: There are no missing objects. Only unsystematic searchers. Accept that—copy it down and tape it to your mirror—and you'll soon be finding things with ease.

Step 3: Remember the Three C's

To find a lost object, you must be in the proper frame of mind. And that means paying attention to the 3 C's. They are: COMFORT - Start by making yourself comfortable. Have a cup of tea, perhaps, or a stick of gum, or pipeful of tobacco.
CALMNESS - empty your mind of any unsettling thoughts. Pretend that the sea is lapping at your feet. Or that you're sitting in a garden full of birds and flowers. And finally, CONFIDENCE - tell yourself you will locate that missing object. (To enhance your confidence, you might want to don a thinking cap.)

Step 4: It's Where It's Supposed to Be

Believe it or not, things are often right where they're supposed to be. Is there a place where your missing object is normally kept? A particular rack, or shelf, or drawer? If so, look there first. You may actually have hung up your coat last night. Or put the dictionary back on the shelf or returned the tape measure to the tool drawer. Even if you didn't, someone may have done it for you.

Step 5: Domestic Drift

Many objects do have a designated or customary place where they are kept. But the reality is that they aren't always returned there. Instead, they are left wherever last used. Such objects have undergone Domestic Drift. Relax. Get comfortable. Pour yourself a cup of coffee. Now try to remember. Where were you last using that pliers, or tape measure, or fountain pen? Where did you last have it? Because that's precisely where it still may be.

Step 6: You're Looking Right at It

All right. You checked where it's supposed to be, where it was last used and where it might have been casually tossed. And it wasn't there. Or…was it? It is possible to look directly at a missing object and not see it. This is due to the agitated state of mind that often accompanies a misplacement. Go back and look again. It may be staring you in the face. Occasionally, our distress is such that not only do we overlook an object—we forget what we're looking for! To avoid this, repeatedly murmur the name of the object. “Scissors, scissors, scissors.”

Step 7: The Camouflage Effect

Don't be fooled. Your object may be right where you thought it was—but it has become hidden from view. Be sure to check under anything that could be covering your object.

Step 8: Think Back

You were there at the scene of the misplacement. You were there when the object was put down. You were there—because you did it! So you must have a memory—however faint—of where this happened. Are you prepared to think back and retrieve that memory? If so, you may soon be making a beeline to that forgotten place.

Step 9: Tail Thyself

If you still haven't found your object, it may be time to recreate the crime. Remove your thinking cap and don your detective's cap. For you are about to follow your own trail. Let's say you come home from work and find a letter in the mail. Sometime later you're ready to read it…but it's missing. Okay, start at the door and retrace your steps since returning home. Where in the house did you go? Stop at each place and look for the letter. Hmm, a coat thrown across a chair. You were here. (Check under the coat and in its pockets.) A depression in the sofa. You were here. On the kitchen counter, a glass. You were here. On the table by the armchair, sweet wrappers and a novel. You were here.

Step 10: It Wasn't You

When all else has failed, explore the possibility that your object hasn't been misplaced. Rather, it's been misappropriated. Perhaps someone you know has borrowed your umbrella, or eaten your doughnut or taken your magazine into another room. Approach that person and inquire if such might not be the case.