Posted by: Kye Stone2 min read

ADHD and Losing Things: How to Keep Your Keys, Wallet and Work Stuff Together in One Place

Your keys are in yesterday's coat, your work pass is in the car and your charger's at the office. Fixed pockets, a few spares and one pouch keep it together.

Keys, wallet, work lanyard, tape measure and notebook grouped in an organiser beside a backpack.

What's happening

ADHD and losing things often comes down to how many places your stuff can be. Your keys go in whichever coat you wore, your work pass ends up in the car, your laptop charger stays plugged in at the office and your wallet's in a different bag. Everything has several possible homes, so every time you need something, you've got to check them all.

How to get moving

Give each item one pocket and stick to it. Keys always in the front pocket of your bag, wallet in the zip pocket, work pass clipped to the strap. You stop searching because there's only ever one spot to check. Then cut down how often things get unpacked. A second charger, spare earphones and a few pens that live in your work bag for good means nothing needs to come out at home.

For things you can't double up, like keys and wallet, a Bluetooth tracker can help you find them once they've wandered. AirTags work with the Find My app on an iPhone, and tags marked "Works with Android" show up in Google's Find Hub app.

Important tip

Use one bag if you can. Swapping between a rucksack, a tote and a gym bag is how the wallet ends up in the wrong one. If you need different bags, keep the essentials in a small pouch that moves between them as one item. Keys, wallet, pass and earphones go in the pouch, and the pouch goes in whatever bag you're using, so you're moving one thing instead of six.

(Important context)

This is lived-experience content. It is not a promise that a particular idea will work for everybody.

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