How Much Time Do People Spend Searching for Misplaced Things?

On average, people spend a year of their lives searching for misplaced things, according to research conducted by Priority Management Pittsburgh. One of the most commonly misplaced items that people waste time looking for is their keys, followed by remote controls. An IKEA study of common habits found that an average of six seconds are spent searching for keys each morning. Other misplaced items vary by gender. For example, men are more likely to search for clean socks and their drivers’ licenses, while women spend more time looking for their shoes or their children’s toys. Collectively, Americans are estimated to waste over 9 million hours daily looking for misplaced things.

More about wasted time:

• A Forbes study concluded that the average executive spends nearly a month out of every year looking for misplaced documents or information.
• Women spend a year of their lives selecting their daily outfits, according to a 2009 Matalan survey.
• In the US, the average person spends approximately three hours a day watching television, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor.