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Easy ways to retrace your steps and find what you’re missing
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Ugh! You swear you had your keys a second ago, and now they’re just gone! Before you panic, take a deep breath. Everyone misplaces things every now and again—losing things is a part of life—but finding them doesn’t have to be a nerve-wracking scramble. In this article, we’ll teach you where you can look and how you can retrace your steps to find lost objects. Who knows? With a little help from the experts, you may find those keys faster than you can say “lost.”
Things You Should Know
- Before frantically looking all over your living space, double-check that your missing item isn’t where it’s supposed to be.
- If the item isn’t where it usually is, check the most cluttered area of your living space since it’s easy for things to hide in large quantities.
- Retrace your steps if all else fails, going through the motions of what you were doing when you last saw or used the missing object.
Steps
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Double-check where the object usually is. If there’s a place where you typically leave the missing object, start there. Maybe you forgot you put it back, or it’s hidden under something in the near vicinity. Either way, it’s worth taking a look.
- For instance, your coat may have fallen off its usual rack to the floor, or your phone may be in a drawer beneath the counter you typically put it on.
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Look in places where you’ve lost this item before. Do you tend to lose your keys, phone, or jewelry often? If so, it may have ended up in a similar place as before. Think about where your common lost objects tend to be lost. Then, check these areas thoroughly.
- For example, maybe you have a habit of leaving your keys in the lock or your bag in the car. Check these places before extending your search.
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Look in the messiest areas of your living space. Believe it or not, studies have shown that lost objects tend to be misplaced in the most cluttered areas. So, before you panic, check your house or office’s dumping ground. Shift through everything to see if your lost object got hidden in the pile. [1] X Research source
- Scan the space and search for objects of the same color and size as your missing item. [2] X Research source
- Sort through everything slowly and carefully, placing each item to the side to clear the space.
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Peek under and around larger items. Your lost item may have accidentally slid down a crack in the couch or kicked under the bed. Larger items can easily hide smaller objects, so consider how big your lost item is and then check things it could be hidden by.
- For instance, you might have inadvertently set a pile of magazines on top of your keys or glasses.
- If you lost something in your car, check underneath the floor mats.
- If you’re in the living room, look between the couch cushions and under the rugs.
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Locate a lost and found box if you’re in a public space. If you’ve lost this object while you were out and about, check to see if the store, building, or area has a lost and found. Sometimes, you can get lucky, and someone else will find your lost item and turn it into a front desk or employee.
- Lost and found boxes usually aren’t on display, so you’ll need to ask an employee for assistance.
- Schools, stores, parks, stadiums, and theaters tend to have lost and founds.
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Close your eyes and picture when you had the object last. Sometimes, thinking about the last time you saw or used the object can help you retrace your steps. Consider everything you can remember—even something as silly as what you were eating or listening to could be helpful! [3] X Research source
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Look in the place where you last saw or had the object. Follow your reconstructed memory to where you last remember using or seeing the lost object. Sit or stand in your exact position when you saw or had it last, and look around you.
- Continue going through the motions of your memory until you find the object.
- For example, follow the steps and motions you made when you came home from school. Pretend to set your bag on the chair, place your phone on the kitchen counter, etc.
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Try looking at the room from a new angle. If you’ve retraced your steps, gone through all the motions, and still haven’t found anything, change your perspective. Crawl instead of walk down the hall, or sit where you were standing. Seeing things from a different point of view can help you notice details you may have missed before.
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Ask for help from friends or family. It’s possible that someone else saw you with this item before you lost it. Reach out to a friend or family member in the same space as you and ask if they’ve seen the missing object. Who knows? They may have accidentally moved it themselves! [4] X Research source
- Try saying something like, “Hey, I’m looking for my keys. Have you seen them around?”
- If you lost the item outside your home, give the place where you think you lost it a call. Perhaps they have a lost and found, or someone has come across the item since you left.
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Make objects stand out so you won’t lose them as easily. If you have a tendency to lose things, make them bigger and more obvious. Give the commonly lost item something that’ll catch your eye in a cluttered space. This way, if you do misplace it, it’ll be easier to find. [5] X Research source
- For instance, attach a large, colorful keychain to your keys or put your phone in a bright neon phone case.
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Attach a tracker to important items and use an app to locate them. Bluetooth tracking devices are a great and effortless way to keep your phone, keys, or wallet from getting lost. Simply attach a small tracker to the device or object and connect it to its corresponding app. This way, you’ll know where your belongings are 24/7. [6] X Research source
- Tile is a tracking tag or tracker that can be used on small or large items like keys, phones, and bags.
- Cube Tracker can help you find your keys, phone, or dog.
- Apps like Find My iPhone and Google Find My Device make it easier to find your phone without a tracker by using GPS location.
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Make a mental note when you put down something important. When you set down your phone, laptop, or keys, take a second to memorize where it is (especially if you’re prone to losing things). Solidifying the object's location in your mind and being more mindful can help you remember where the item is later. Think of it as a failsafe when it comes to retracing your steps if the object is ever lost. [7] X Research source
- Try saying, “I’m putting [the item] on the [location of the item]” out loud or in your head. [8] X Research source
- Consider writing down the item's location on a notepad if you’re concerned about forgetting.
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Keep your space neat and tidy. The best thing you can do to avoid losing things is be organized. Cluttered and crowded areas make it easier to lose objects, as things can fall under other things or get wedged between something else. Regularly clean and organize your living spaces, so you won’t have to spend more time looking for things later on. [9] X Research source
- Have a designated spot for all your important items. For instance, place a hook by the door for your keys, an empty drawer in your desk for a laptop, and a phone stand on the table for your phone.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow would I find something that my siblings took from me?Community AnswerCheck their room secretly. If you can't find it still, confront them and see if they will return it. You can also tell your parents about your suspicions too.
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QuestionI lost my small earring but I found one of them. What should I do?Community AnswerKeep the found one somewhere safe. Keep searching for the other one by retracing steps and using the suggestions in the article. It'll turn up eventually, just be sure to remember where you've put the found one.
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QuestionI've lost my school planner and I don't know where it is. What should I do?Community AnswerCheck the most common places first, like classrooms, your desk and other places you might usually see it. Then, if you still can't find it, look in more uncommon areas, like bathrooms or closets. Don't panic, keep your mind clear and take deep breaths. It will probably turn up.
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Tips
- Reframe thoughts like, “It’s lost forever” into positive ones like, “It’s around here, and I will find it.”Thanks
- Try not to panic when you think something’s lost. We know it’s hard but take a few deep breaths. The calmer you are, the easier finding your lost object will be.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- If you are struggling to find something small and shiny (like an earring), turn off the lights of the room that you think it's in. Use a flashlight or a similar device to meticulously scan the floor and surfaces of the room for a glint or glimmer. The glint or glimmer is often a sign of the object you are looking for.
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References
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/03/well/missing-keys.html ?
- ↑ https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2019.00089
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/03/well/missing-keys.html ?
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201101/mindlessness-and-memory-slips-how-find-what-youve-lost
- ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/02/10/how-to-stop-losing-things/
- ↑ https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/symptoms-and-diagnosis/symptoms/hiding-hoarding-losing
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201101/mindlessness-and-memory-slips-how-find-what-youve-lost
- ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/02/10/how-to-stop-losing-things/
- ↑ https://psychcentral.com/adhd/adhd-tip-how-to-stop-losing-your-stuff#7-tips
About This Article
Article Summary
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To find a lost object, stay calm and try to remember the last time you saw it. If you're feeling frustrated, try recruiting a friend or family member to help and turn the search into a game to make it more fun. After searching for some time, try taking a break from looking and doing something else. Taking some time to focus on something else might help you think of a new place to look. You could also put on some music and use your search as a chance to tidy up a bit. You just might stumble across whatever it is you are looking for. For examples of common areas where items get lost, like in a messy car or between your couch cushions, read on!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I lost my watch that was super expensive from my dad. It has been lost for a little over two months, and I'm always being grilled on the words "find the watch". It isn't the first time I've lost it. My sister found it under my bed and I haven't stopped looking there. I think it is still in my room, though. If you lose a watch, most of the time it has a glow or beeps at 6:30 P.M. If it does glow or beeps, that is your biggest help. I wrote down notes from this article and I think it'll help me. " ..." more
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"I lost my watch that was super expensive from my dad. It has been lost for a little over two months, and I'm always being grilled on the words "find the watch". It isn't the first time I've lost it. My sister found it under my bed and I haven't stopped looking there. I think it is still in my room, though. If you lose a watch, most of the time it has a glow or beeps at 6:30 P.M. If it does glow or beeps, that is your biggest help. I wrote down notes from this article and I think it'll help me. "
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"Honestly, I was looking for my credit card for 1 1/2 weeks. I looked on this page, and it said to look in odd places. I was feeling tired, and I had a coffeepot in the fridge (who knows why). As I take out the pot, I see my credit card just laying inside it. Thanks, wikiHow!"
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"Thought I lost my house keys, and ran up and down the stairs 3 times looking. Turns out they were tucked in the makeup part of my purse. Still felt stupid and frazzled, so I read this article. Thanks for reminding me to slow down and put away things in the right place!"
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"I liked the step where you trace back your steps to the room you think it would most likely be in and then cut the room into sections and look very deeply through each section. Instead of looking through one room though, I'm looking through each room!"
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"After reading this I took a few deep breaths and cleared my mind as recommended. I then finally went to some random boxes I didn't think would possibly have my item in them, and 5 minutes in, sure enough, there it was! (After spending hours looking.)"
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