113 cell phones are lost or stolen every minute.₁ I tell you this so you won’t feel bad if it happens to you more than you care to admit. But fear not! We have some very basic tips that can help you keep track of that expensive little gadget and a couple things you can do if it does slip through your fingers now and then. Lets all stop losing cell phones!

The most bizarre place I ever found my phone.
Roy’s still asleep as I wake and reach over to grab my cell phone which I place on my nightstand every night. It’s not there. Then I remembered reading on it before bed. I must have fallen asleep with it in my hand. I look under my pillow and don’t see it. Well, maybe it fell off the side of the bed. I  grab a flashlight and start shining it on the floor. No phone.  Maybe it bounced under the bed or nightstand. I get down on all fours peering under everything. Nope. Could it have gotten wedged behind the bed? I carefully pull the mattress out from the wall, so as not to wake Roy. Nothing there. OK… maybe it fell off Roy’s side of the bed. Uh uh.

Now I’m lifting the covers and shaking them. I take my pillow and turn it on end in the event it crawled into the case. I carefully feel under Roy’s pillow. At this point I’m thinking… “What the crap!?!” As I’m standing there wondering if maybe it was transported into another dimension, Roy shifts in bed and turns over onto this stomach.  And there, stuck on his bare back like a piece of toilet paper stuck to a shoe, is my phone. Evidently he was so tired he laid down on top of it and didn’t notice. The slick screen stuck to his back and embedded there for who knows how long, until he turned over.  Being me, I of course had to take a photo before I peeled it off. I used his cell for that. I guess things are  always in the last place you look.

 

Ideas To Help Stop Losing Cell Phones

 1. Get Off Auto Pilot

We tend to do so many things without thinking. Practice being more aware of your actions. As you lay your phone down just focus your attention on it. It’s that simple!

That’s actually good advice in any situation. Work on being less distracted and paying more attention to what you’re doing.

2. Say It Don’t Spray It

When you lay your phone down actually speak out loud where you put it. “I put my phone on the bookcase.” “I put my phone on the bathroom shelf.” etc.

You’d be amazed at what that one little focused statement can do for your memory! It forces you to be present and aware.

3. You Don’t See That  Everyday

This one is kinda fun. When you lay your phone down whip up a quick mental image of something weird that incorporates the phone.

Lay it on the kitchen counter? Create an image of a cell phone eating a plate of food. Lay it someplace in the bathroom? An image of your phone sitting on the toilet. You get the idea.

 

4. Home Sweet Home

Have a designated spot or spots in your home where your phone lives. A pretty little basket by the door, a decorative plate on the kitchen counter etc. You can have one in all the main rooms if you want. The trick is to get into the habit of using those spots. After three weeks it should be natural!

I saw this Command plastic cell phone pouch (to the right) and thought it was pretty cool. Cheap too. You can stick it anywhere you want as a spot to store your phone.

5. Charge!

These tend to work really well as a “home” for your phone because it’s not just a place to store your phone, it actually charges it. You can buy or make all kinds of these.

The one on the left if from Amazon. You can make the one on the right using this tutorial.

If You DO Misplace Your Phone

Use Apps

Install one of those apps… the one’s that literally show you where your phone is via gps. Those are worth their weight in gold. Even if your phone is on vibrate they can make it beep. You put the app on your phone and then on your computer or another digital device such as an iPad etc.

We used the app when Roy lost his phone and had no idea where. His second copy of the app was on his iPad so he opened that up and saw the phone was in the house. (Thank goodness.) We just had to narrow down the location. We told the app to make it beep while he and I walked around trying to locate just where in the house it was. Ends up it was in the bottom of his closet… inside a boot. Go figure.

A Few Apps To Find Your Phone

Find My iPhone   Lookout  Where’s My Droid

Call Yourself

If the phone is turned up and you know its close by you can always call it from another phone. If you don’t have another phone handy there is a cool site that lets you plug in your number and it will call your phone for you. https://www.callmylostphone.com