Give essentials a home
Put important things back in the same obvious place, and you'll search for them less.
Not ratedADHD evidence
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Pick a handy, secure home for the thing you lose most often.
5 minutes
Clear that small space and put the essential there.
15 minutes
Set homes for a few frequently lost items and rehearse returning them.
30 minutes
Walk through your arrival and departure routine and simplify any awkward return step.
A plan
Make one location reliable
- Give one frequently lost item a home.
- Practise returning it after use.
- Add another item only when the first location works.
How sure the science is
Not rated, ADHD evidence
No pooled trials to rate. This rests on single studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Measured in people with ADHD.
ADHD clinical guidance and programme content; the isolated strategy has no separately rated efficacy estimate.
The number, drawn
Keep important belongings in set places
Why it matters
Losing essentials can wreck a plan that would otherwise work. Fixed places for important things are part of adult ADHD CBT content and NHS guidance. Nobody has established a separate effect size for a key tray or a labelled shelf.
How to do it
- Pick a handy, secure spot for keys, wallet and other essentials.
- Use a tray, hook or shelf you already have before buying a system.
- Put each thing back there after you use it.
- If your usual route through the house makes the spot easy to miss, move it.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- Use one tray for your wallet and travel card.
- Keep the reusable work bag on the same hook after unpacking it.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeA storage place that takes effort to reach is easily bypassed, so move it onto your usual route.
- Common mistakeA tray can fill with unrelated clutter, so keep its purpose narrow.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- C Small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- The number
- Keep important belongings in set places (East London NHS Foundation Trust, 2026)
- Benefit
- 42/100 The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Quick win
Sources
- Tier 1 guidelineSupport Available (Adult ADHD Services)East London NHS Foundation Trust, 2026
- Tier 2 studyDescription and Demonstration of CBT for ADHD in AdultsCognitive and Behavioral Practice, 2010
General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.