What does your brain do when you're looking for something?

[jcp]

Like a lot of you guys its the item I was just using that goes MIA. Whenever I finish for the day I put everything up in its place. Next day I'm off to a good start until I get out the first tool. Then its "where the he@@ did I just lay that down"? I swear I've retraced my steps since getting the tool but almost invariably it's somewhere I didn't think I just went.

 

[westerner]

I know one of these days I’m going to go out there and it will be laying in plain sight.

This is my problem. As I search for the thing, my brain pictures it in a particular color and orientation.
It can be literally right there on the bench, but if it don't fit my mental picture, it is invisible.
Gonna get worse before it gets better, I'll wager.

 

[strantor]

I’m the same way, with a twist. 25ish years ago I hit my head hard enough to knock my eyes out of alignment! They are now aligned parallel and don’t easily converge to look at things directly in front of me. I can look directly at something sitting on a table and not see it. If I look away and then scan my bench as I look back down I see it.

I can't tell if you're joking or serious.

If you're joking, my reply is "I wonder if I sustained a similar head injury when I was too young to remember (haha)."

If you're serious, my reply is "I wonder if I sustained a similar head injury when I was too young to remember (...)."

I thought that looking directly at things and not seeing them was a part of daily life for everyone. It never occurred to me to question that (until now).

 

[savarin]

The one I particularly hate is the invisible tool you just put down.
Its there, its has to be, I just put it there, I was using it there and put it down there, where the hell has it gone.
Then you have a walk to check else where but you know it wont be there because you were using it back there so back to the original search and find someone has replaced it exactly where you thought it was, your eyes have been sliding over it again and again

 

[strantor]

Apparently, when I finish with a tool or part, I just throw it over my shoulder. So it can be in literally any part of the shop, even if I never stepped away. There are two good things about this:

1) no need for frustration, just start a whole shop search. None of that “where did I use it last” nonsense. Just wastes time.

2) In the search I will likely come across some shiny thing that triggers a brilliant thought requiring immediate attention. This completes the search entirely. In the course of the new project, at some point a new whole shop search will occur, and the original missing part will be discovered, generally right where it was left. This also terminates the previous search. See?

I feel like this is revolutionary, and more easily implemented that all your above suggestions. I should write a paper on this, maybe I will when I come across that darn pen.

You and I might be cut from the same cloth but you've apparently decided to embrace your nature and I'm still fighting mine. You sound happier than I am, so maybe I'll give your way a shot!

 

[rabler]

Ah, tape measures, and utility knives. I know I have at least a half dozen, if not a dozen of each. Yet when I need one, I can't find one to save my life, even if I used one 5 minutes ago. I find the solution is to buy another one on the next trip to the hardware/big box store. Then for a week or so I find all the others. I think they all come out from hiding to check out the new kid.

 

[mmcmdl]

I own a 40 year old Snap On cart that I push around at work . It contains most of the tools I use daily . The crap is piled 4 inches high . The only tools I have NO problem finding are my picks . I just route around until my finger tips start bleeding and dig down deep .

 

[mmcmdl]

At home ? Ha , I look the other way and hit the Ace Hardware 200 yards away . If anyone needs any oil filters , I have quite a few dozen of them I can spare . Extension cords ? I think I have 3 miles worth . Where they are ? I have 2 100 footers on the back of the Kubota , they don't move . The ones dedicated for Christmas lights ? God only knows . That little plumbing job the other day left me with a huge pile of tools in the family room . Took hours to find them , but the good news is I ended up with 2 five gallon buckets of extra 1 1/2 PVC fittings . ( which will be lost by the next plumbing job )

 

[great white]

PTSD has essentially destroyed my shirt term memory. I can put something down, turn around once and then its gone. Finding it again can be a challenge even if its sitting right in front of me.

As such, things have a designated place where I keep them. Ie: keys go into the same kitchen cabinet every time, etc.

I’d like to say my shop is the strictest level of organization so I can find things easily, but its not.

It’s basically the 10 pounds of dookie in a 5 lb bag, so I end up searching for items far more often than I care to admit….along with far more frustration and anger than I ever wanted in my life.

 

[Weldingrod1]

As one of my techniques for addressing this issue, I added so mamy sharpie holders and caliper hangers that I can grab two sharpies from any point in the shop and at least one caliper
Of course, my shop is a shipping container, so it's not as big a statement as it sounds!

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