How to Find Missing Keys

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Nothing is more frustrating than lost keys. You're all set to go, the clock is ticking--and yet, you're stuck. You can feel your bad mood sink in as your curse yourself for being disorganized. Missing keys will send most people into a panic, but with the right technique you can locate your keys quickly.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Step1

Relax. This might seem impossible, but the more desperately you want to find your keys, the less likely you are to locate them. This is because of a combination of Murphy's Law and of most people's inability to function when they're not calm. So meditate, say a prayer, do a soothing yoga pose--whatever it takes to take off the edge.

Step2

Convince yourself that you'll find the keys. Even if it feels like you're lying, vow that these keys will be found. Decide there's no alternative. Be confident, and soon those keys will be yours.

Step3

Close your eyes and envision yourself the last time you had the keys. Try to remember the weather, what you were wearing, what else you were carrying and what was going on when you entered the door. Imagine yourself walking in the house, greeting your family or roommate--setting down your things. Return to the places where you lingered as you walked in and check there for the keys.

Step4

Systematically go through the house beginning with the room it's most likely to be in and ending with the least. Don't just look on table surfaces and chairs. Look on the floor, in drawers, on chairs and under furniture. Often lost keys have fallen on the floor--or if you have small children, they might have made the keys part of a game.

Step5

Sit down and have a cup of tea if you still can't find the keys. You probably are panicking and need to take a break. Calm down, remind yourself that this too shall pass, and repeat the process again.

Step6

Clean your house if you still can't find the keys. As you sort through piles of papers, laundry and clutter, the keys will appear.

Tips & Warnings

To prevent losing keys, keep them in exactly the same place every day. You might also consider buying a keychain that responds to clapping or another sound command.