Give essentials a home
Not ratedADHD evidence
Return important things to the same obvious place, and you'll search less.
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 An editorial priority for the general list, weighted by certainty. It does not predict 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.