🫥 How to Stop Losing Everything? ADHD-Friendly Systems That Work
✨ Simple Strategies to Keep Track of Your Stuff (Even When Your Brain is Chaotic!)
📖 Meet Jake. At 32, he's smart, funny and constantly misplacing things. Every morning, he spends 20 minutes searching for his keys, wallet and phone.
By the time he finds them, he’s already late. 🚗💨
Later, he swears he put his headphones in his bag - they’ve disappeared.
His friends joke that he’d lose his head if it weren’t attached.
Sound familiar?
If you have ADHD, keeping track of your belongings can feel impossible.
But the good news is: you can create systems that work with your brain, not against it!
Let’s dive in! 🚀
❓ What Is Going On?
Losing things isn’t just about being forgetful- ADHD brains process organization and memory differently.
🔬 Scientific Backing:
📉 Working Memory Deficits → ADHD affects working memory, making it harder to hold onto information like "Where did I put my keys?" (Barkley, 2010)
🌀 Object Permanence Issues → Many ADHDers struggle with object permanence, meaning items seem to "disappear" when out of sight. (Brown, 2009)
⚡ Executive Dysfunction → The prefrontal cortex in ADHD brains has difficulty creating structured habits, making it hard to consistently put things in the same place. ADHD as an executive dysfunction T Zorcec 1, N Pop-Jordanova
⏳ Last-Minute Chaos → ADHD brains struggle with time perception, leading to rushed unintentional item placement. (Med Sci Monit. 2021 Jul)
🎯 Dopamine & Attention Gaps → ADHD is linked to lower dopamine levels, making it difficult to stay mindful about where objects are placed. (Mark S Gold, 2014)
⏰ When ADHD Strikes
It’s not always about being forgetful - ADHD can create specific situations where items vanish into thin air.
💥 Hyperfocus Mode → You’re so immersed in a task that you forget to place items in their usual spots. Your phone? Lost under a pile of papers.
⚡ Time Blindness → ADHD often makes it hard to gauge how long tasks take. The rush of trying to be somewhere makes items slip through the cracks.
🎯 Executive Dysfunction → You intend to organize your things but the effort to start feels overwhelming. So you skip it altogether, only to lose everything later.
🧠 Low Dopamine → On low-motivation days, staying aware of your items feels impossible and they get lost in the shuffle.
💥 Impact:
Why Losing Things Affects You More Than You Think
Losing items isn’t just frustrating.
It can ripple into other parts of your life, creating stress and disorganization.
🔑 Stress & Anxiety: Losing things creates anxiety, making your brain go into overdrive. This causes stress that can be overwhelming.
⏳ Time Wasted: The time spent searching for misplaced items adds up.
What could you have been doing with those extra minutes?
💸 Financial Strain: Replacing lost items, like a phone, keys or wallet, can be costly over time.
😔 Self-Esteem: Losing things often leads to feelings of failure, causing a negative loop of self-criticism, which only worsens ADHD symptoms.
🔄 Before & After ADHD-Friendly Systems
❌ BEFORE:
Jake is constantly searching for things, getting frustrated and buying replacements.
✅ AFTER:
Jake uses ADHD-friendly systems. His keys go in the same spot every time, and his essentials are always within reach.
Life is easier!
Want to try it?
Here’s how! ⬇️
🛠️ ADHD-Friendly Strategies to Stop Losing Things
📍 The “One Spot” Rule – Choose one designated home for keys, wallet, and phone. Use a bowl, hook, or tray near the door.
👜 Bag It Up – Always keep your essentials (headphones, meds, chargers) in the same bag or pouch.
📅 End-of-Day Reset – Take 2 minutes before bed to put everything back in place.
🔔 Tech Alarms & Trackers – Use tracking devices like Tile or Apple AirTags for frequently lost items.
📝 Visual Reminders – Sticky notes, whiteboards or labels to remind you where things go.
🚀 Dopamine-Friendly Storage – Use clear bins, color-coded trays or fun hooks to make organizing easier.
🎮 Make It a Game – Challenge yourself to put things back faster or reward yourself for staying consistent.
📌 Attach Things to Bigger Objects – Keys on a lanyard, AirPods in a big case or a wallet inside your bag.
Which strategy are you excited to try? 👀
✅ Action Plan to Keep Track of Your Stuff
1️⃣ Identify your most lost items. (Keys? Glasses? Wallet? Remote?…)
2️⃣ Choose a designated spot for each one.
3️⃣ Set reminders or alarms until the habit sticks.
4️⃣ Use tech or labels to make things easier.
5️⃣ Celebrate small wins! 🎉
📝 ADHD-Friendly Organization Cheat Sheet
Struggling to keep track of your stuff?
ADHD can make organization tricky, but these simple tools and habits can help!
✅ Designate a “Home” for Essentials – Keep keys, wallet and phone in the same spot every time. Try a wall hook or catch-all tray like this.
📍 Use Hooks, Trays & Pouches – Visual storage helps! Stick-on hooks like these can keep bags, keys, or headphones in sight. Or use sticky notes.
📝 Label Everything – Make it easy on your brain! Use a label maker like the Brother P-touch PTD210 or DYMO Embossing Label Maker for quick identification.
📌 Sticky Note Hacks:
Color-Code Reminders – Use to categorize tasks (e.g., yellow for urgent, blue for errands).
Transparent Notes for Books & Papers – Clear sticky notes let you write on documents without covering text.
Visual To-Do Lists – Use sticky notes on mirrors, doors or your laptop as quick reminders.
"Put Back" Reminders – Place notes inside commonly misplaced items (wallet, bag, keys) to remind yourself to return them to their spot.
📱 Try Tracking Apps & Alarms – Set reminders for important items.
Try Tile Tracker or Apple’s Find My for lost phones and wallets.
📝 Label Everything – Make it easy on your brain!
Use a label maker like this one or sticky notes for quick identification.
🚀 Create Fun & Simple Systems – ADHD brains thrive with engaging methods! Color-code bins or use habit trackers like Todoist or Habitica.
🎮 Gamify Organization – Turn tidying into a challenge!
Apps like Tody make chores feel like a game.
🌟 Progress Over Perfection – Small wins matter. Even 5 minutes of organization can make a huge difference!
Which of these would help you the most? 😊
🔗 Practical ADHD Tools
📱 Tile or AirTags – Track lost items easily.
🔔 Find My iPhone/Android – Locate your phone fast.
📖 Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD by Susan Pinsky – Great book with practical tips.
🌟 Todoist – Task manager to stay organized.
🚀 Final Thoughts
Losing things with ADHD isn’t a personal failing—it’s a brain wiring issue. The good news? Systems can help! Start small, experiment, and find what works for you.
💬 Which tip are you going to try first? Comment below! ⬇️
📢 Share this with someone who needs it! 🚀
I'm personally going to try the sticky notes the clears and the white and different colored ones give that a shot and the colored bins. But until that time that I acquired the notes and the bins I'm going to try the putting everything in one spot for now. LOL
🩵🩵🩵