Principle Ten
The Eureka Zone
The majority of lost objects are right where you figure—once you take a moment to stop and figure.
Others, however, are in the immediate vicinity of that place. They have undergone a displacement—a shift in location that, although minor, has served to render them invisible.
Some examples:
A pencil has rolled beneath a typewriter.
A tool has been shoved to the rear of a drawer.
A book on a shelf has gotten lodged behind other books.
A folder has been misfiled, several folders away from where it belongs.
Objects are apt to wander. I have found, though, that they tend to travel no more than eighteen inches from their original location. To the circle described by this eighteen-inch radius I have given a name. I call it the Eureka Zone. With the aid of a ruler (or a Eureka-Stik—click here for instructions on making one), determine the Eureka Zone of your lost object. Then explore it. Meticulously.
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This is perhaps my most effective Principle.
Has it worked for you?
If so, all right! Skip ahead to “A Final Word.”
If not, move on to Principle Eleven.
