# Give essentials a home

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://adhd100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://adhd100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://adhd100.jock.pl/home-for-essentials/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-29
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-29, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 76 of 100 in the list: https://adhd100.jock.pl/#home-for-essentials

Put important things back in the same obvious place, and you'll search for them less.

**The number:** Keep important belongings in set places ([East London NHS Foundation Trust, 2026](https://www.elft.nhs.uk/adult-adhd-services/support-available))

## The evidence

- How sure: Certainty of evidence: Not rated. Measured in people with ADHD.
- Evidence grade: C. Grade C: small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- Basis: ADHD clinical guidance and programme content; the isolated strategy has no separately rated efficacy estimate.
- 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.

## 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

1. Pick a handy, secure spot for keys, wallet and other essentials.
2. Use a tray, hook or shelf you already have before buying a system.
3. Put each thing back there after you use it.
4. If your usual route through the house makes the spot easy to miss, move it.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 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.

### What it looks like

- Use one tray for your wallet and travel card.
- Keep the reusable work bag on the same hook after unpacking it.

### Common mistakes

- A storage place that takes effort to reach is easily bypassed, so move it onto your usual route.
- A tray can fill with unrelated clutter, so keep its purpose narrow.

### A structured start

**Make one location reliable**

1. Give one frequently lost item a home.
2. Practise returning it after use.
3. Add another item only when the first location works.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [Support Available (Adult ADHD Services)](https://www.elft.nhs.uk/adult-adhd-services/support-available), East London NHS Foundation Trust

## Sources

- [Support Available (Adult ADHD Services)](https://www.elft.nhs.uk/adult-adhd-services/support-available), East London NHS Foundation Trust, 2026 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [Description and Demonstration of CBT for ADHD in Adults](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3874265/), Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 2010 (Tier 2 study)

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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.

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