You remember Waldo, right? The guy that stood around in a series of very busy pictures while you hunted for him? Turns out that was in some video games, too, like The Great Waldo Search.
But, unlike the books, there's a strict time limit that you can extend slightly by finding little clocks in the levels.
Or, you can plug in a second controller and press the B button. Do that and the clock will stop counting down, giving you plenty of time to find everything in the stage.
And, since you get bonus points for having extra time on the clock when you're done, if you stop the clock immediately, you'll get a heck of a bonus when you finish each stage.
So that's what I'd do.