I had to laugh...I was in the middle of reading this thread, when my teen son came to INSIST I help him find part of his soccer uniform. (THis time, its not me..I quit washing his clothing because I got yelled at for it daily...SO satisfying to look him in the eye and say...I DON"T DO YOUR LAUNDRY!) SO..its not just YOU...hehehehehe.
When this happens to me, I usually just start organizing my area. I find what I'm looking for within about 10 mins- AND I have a cleaner area! One time I looked for a book..a pink book. When I found it? The cover is actually BLUE!
:::SIGH:::: good luck!