How often do you spend your time looking for something that is supposed to be in it’s place, and is not? Studies have shown that north Americans collectively spend nine million hours a year looking for things. And it is not just the looking and wasted time that gets to us, this usually happens when we are in a hurry. “where are my keys?”..… “I can’t find my runners”…. “where is my schoolbag?” It’s easy to be an armchair quarterback and tell people to put things where they belong and you will always find them. However, when the time comes and you cannot find what you need, this advice comes too late.

I have been told that I am a ‘loser’. And it may be true that I misplace things a lot, however for the most part I always find them again. What I am most proud of though, is I have developed what I call my “Emergency Find It” program that I use when I need something in a hurry, and cannot find it. Like most, this usually happens when I am going out the door, or on the phone, or on a deadline. To understand the “Emergency Find It” program, you must understand what happens to you physically when you realize you need something and you do not know where it is.

* Your heart rate increases, you breath faster and begin to sweat
* You develop ‘tunnel vision’
* In beginning to search, you begin to think randomly instead of logically
* In short, it is mild panic. (for some not so mild)
* We stop thinking.

These physiological symptoms are real and cause us to be ineffective thinkers. It is actually the beginning of our ‘fight or flight’ response. This is a time when we begin to act physically and not mentally. That is why we begin to move faster and speak louder. These actions will not help us find anything.

So what do you do when you are in a panic and cannot find what you need, in a hurry?

1. Stop. Breathe. Count to ten. (no kidding, this is for real)
2. Say out loud, “I know where it is, and I will find it”
3. Take one big cleansing breath.
4. Close your eyes, and think about where you last saw the item.
5. If the item is not there, breathe, close your eyes and think about where would the most logical place be. Then think about where you may have laid the item, while on the way to do something else. When was it last in your hands?
6. Ask others who may have had access to it, if they have it. Do this without raising your voice or beginning to panic again.
7. Finally, think about what that item is associated with, and look in the places the associated items are. If all fails, give up for now. Sometimes that allows the panic to subside and when we are thinking logically again, we find the item(s).

Do not feel bad if you are a bit of a ‘loser’ like I am. You can get around it. I have a friend who has told me, “you have forgotten more than what some people know” Think about it, that could be a compliment! The world will not end if you do not find it right away, so relax, and know that it is somewhere! Don’t let the artificial stress of losing things cause you to ‘lose your life’ because of raised stress levels. Breathe. You will find it…….. now……..where did I put my car keys?

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