How to find something that you lost?
A lost item is a problem for millions of people. There is statics where the average person surveyed lost nine items daily. It is not only intriguing but also frightening because that is nearly 3,300 (3,285) items per year and about 60 hours lost per year, or close to 2.5 days. Over an average of 60.5 years of adult life, that’s nearly 200K (198,742) items lost and 3,680 hours wasted or over 150 days (153.3 days) in a lifetime. But we are not here to tell you about the deplorable statistics, but to improve it for the better! Stay calm and analyse your actions by conducting a systematic, thorough search with our tips on “How to find something that you lost?” and you will certainly achieve more.
Try to remember the last location of the item
Yes, this is clearly what you were doing before stumbling upon this article. But this is actually the primary step towards solving your problem of finding a lost item, and it is somewhat more global than you think. But firstly, you should make a few steps for a systematic search.
To start a systematic search, you must:
- Calm down. First of all, you will be seized by fear, since each thing has not only material value, but also important for us. The best way is to find the strength and stop the stress that ruins your attempts to pull yourself together.
- Do not rush. Only an orderly search can yield positive results. In a rush, you can inadvertently create confusion and hide an object in such a way. Therefore, start at the surface by separating the checked areas from the rest with marks or records.
- Look at the areas where the object should be. You may not remember how you bring the lost thing in such places, and yet it is all about our habits. Some people constantly put phones in a backpack, thus it would be better to search from there.
- Increase your search area gradually. You should not rush right away and look for lost objects in different places. Start with the nearest area, and if you will not find the loss, move on further. When you do not know how and in which direction to increase your search range, just continue it from the near corner or room to find an item.
Also, consider the places where the item could not be because, in this way, you begin to narrow the search circle. However, we recommend checking these places as well, albeit last. Therefore, it is better to start by making a list of places where your lost thing may be located while setting priorities, based on which you can begin your search journey.
If you do not know how to prioritize, then we recommend starting with the messiest places to find lost things as quickly as possible, since such areas are the most common for losing things. You will need to clear them to find lost objects. That will help in any case since there will be no possibility to lost something in the future. Proceed gently and thoroughly, considering your past actions in this location.
Find out the date of loss
It is also equally essential to record the date of loss or the last time you saw this item. It is not uncommon for people to forget how and where they lost objects, but if you remember your actions in various locations committed on the last day seen, you will most likely find them there. In addition, it would be better to immediately go through all the places that could relate to the loss, while your memory can still remember something about it. You may be lucky, and you will immediately find a lost object, or maybe you will come to the realization of its exact spot. The main thing here is to adjust your thinking to recreate the picture of what was happening that day. The fact is that by staying in possible places of loss and remembering what you thought and felt when you have last seen your item, you will create the necessary environment to recreate past events. They will obviously fill in the gaps in your memory and show you how to find something that is lost.
Ask for help finding an item
Maybe you just have to mention about lost thing to your friends or colleagues and someone of them will immediately hand it over to you. There are situations when close people may take our things, and forget to tell about it. Also, they can help you with your search. After all, two heads are better than one, especially when the person was with you at the time of the loss. Do not hesitate to ask other people if the situation with the loss occurred outside the home. Call the establishments you have recently visited and ask them.
You can also use printing to make flyers about a lost item. Do not forget to mention in your ad about the approximate place of the thing and its distinctive characteristics. That will clearly bring your chances of finding an essential item to you, as hundreds of people will see these flyers. It would be better to put up a reward to get more people interested in the search and to speed it up, but it is not required. In the lower part of the flyer, write your contacts and post them on telephone poles or message boards in the area where your item is likely to be.
Use the help of the lost and found websites
Perhaps you left your thing in a public place like a café. This means other people might have found it. In some cases, this leads to the fact that they post their founds on lost and found sites, like Lostify. Alternatively, you can post your own missing item announcement, this feature is absolutely free! The site is simple to use and has understandable functionality, including searching for found things by city and region, viewing ads about lost and stolen things. It happens that people lose things far from home or while on a trip, but even here, Lostify will help you out. The site base has more than a hundred countries and thousands of cities, so an extended search is guaranteed!
How to find lost things with Lostify:
- Register on the site in two clicks, for example, using a Google account.
- Search for the lost item by name, category, and location in the “Found” section.
- If there are no matches, create an ad in the “Lost” section using the “Report a lost item” button. Select a category and fill in all the fields for an improved search.
After posting your ad, the site will search instead of you, and when it finds clear matches, Lostify will link to your account, so do not forget to check it from time to time. This method is global, so you can find any lost or stolen object anywhere. By using the Lostify service, you will definitely increase the chance of finding your property.
We hope that our tips on “How to find something that you lost?” helped you. By using all of them, you will surely achieve success in the search process. Do not forget that the best way to find a thing is a difficult task, so you need to follow some rules.
In order not to lose things, you should:
- Highlight items. Use distinctive features that are clearly visible. It can be a bright case for your mobile or removal from silent mode.
- Use a tracker. Purchase or download a location tracker for your object.
- Focus your attention. Whenever you leave an essential item, take a few seconds to memorize where it is.
- Don’t make a mess. Cluttered space is one of the reasons why objects are lost. Maintain order and don’t throw around items that are important to you.