Are you the type of person who’s constantly misplacing essential objects, like your wallet, glasses, smartphone, or keychain? It can be exasperating when these items are nowhere to be found — and you’re already late for work.
There are some smart steps to take, however. Read on for five tricks to try when you’re looking for lost keys.
1. Don’t Panic!
Freaking out over a lost item isn’t going to help. In fact, it’s going to make things worse. Turning the house upside down leads to a mess that you’ll have to clean up later.
Panic can also cause you to overlook some of the simplest solutions. So take a deep breath or three, and approach the problem logically. If you can’t find your car keys, but you’re at home and the car is in the driveway, then you know that the keys are close at hand.
After all, they can’t have grown legs and walked away. Another good thing to remember is that you can always call on a locksmith, like http://www.barrybros.com, to help you out. So all hope is not lost!
2. Retrace Your Steps
What were you doing the last time you had the keys? If you had just returned from the supermarket, for example, maybe you set your keys down on the kitchen counter along with the grocery bags.
Or maybe you went directly to the living room to greet your family, in which case it makes sense to check the couch and coffee table.
3. Enlist Help
Sometimes, all you need to find your lost keys is a fresh pair of eyes. This is especially true if you’ve already spent some time checking the usual places, to no avail.
Ask your spouse or roommate if they’ve seen your lost item, whether it’s keys or something else. They may suggest some places to look, and it’s important not to disregard your opinion. Even if you think “I never put my keys in my coat pocket,” check the coat pocket anyway.
4. Tidy Up
A cluttered or messy home makes it more difficult to locate lost keys. Start tidying the common areas and you may very well find the keys hiding under a stack of newspapers or mail.
They could be lost among the kitchen-table clutter. Or you might find them hidden in a pants pocket, buried under a mound of laundry.
Naturally, it makes sense to keep your home as tidy as you can to prevent losing things in the first place. But if they are already MIA, a little straightening up can go a long way.
5. Look Up, Look Down
We often expect items to be on eye-level surfaces, because that’s where we often put them. In the case of lost keys or other objects, however, it can be helpful to scan the areas above and below the ordinary countertops and tabletops.
Maybe you tucked your keys on a high shelf to keep them away from a curious toddler, or even left them on the floor under the coat rack when you were taking off your winter gear.
Do You Struggle to Find Lost Keys?
Are you perpetually in search of some lost item? Have you developed any habits to help you locate lost keys?
Let us know how you deal with finding important objects by leaving a comment below!