Not too long ago, I was searching high and low for my reading glasses. I was beyond frustrated, and spending way too much time looking in piles, baskets, cubbies and everywhere else. I finally asked my daughter if she’d seen them. She took one look at me and burst out laughing. Of course she did, because the darn thing was sitting on top of my head. Just add that to our long list of ADHD family foibles.

But all laughing aside, it’s a real problem that frustrates most if not all of us with ADHD.

One of the things I stress frequently in my ADD Action Team sessions is that it is imperative to have a home for everything. I know it sounds simple and maybe even silly, but it works. If you know that you are apt to lose…er…misplace your keys, then it’s time to have a designated place to put your keys every time they leave your fingers. It’s best to keep such things in logical places, i.e. hanging on a key ring near the door you typically use to get in and out of your house. Or in a small container near your entry/exit way.

There are lots of suggestions and tips for how to stop losing things. Below are my favorites and some just might be new to you.

Terry’s Top 12 Tips on How to Stop Losing Things

  1. Take a Mental Snapshot. This takes practice, but the idea is to force yourself into the habit of slowing down long enough to SEE where you put things down so you can later find them. We are a distracted, harried bunch, so it’s tough, but it can be done. Slow down and watch yourself put down your watch, remote, etc. and take a mental snapshot of yourself doing this.
  2. Wear a fanny pack and keep easily lost items on your body: keys, wallet, cell phone, etc.
  3. Label your stuff. Lots of us don’t bother buying a labeler because we’re afraid we’ll never use it or…we buy one with the intention of organizing our life but never get around to doing it. If you buy a labeler with the intent of using it specifically to put labels on your and your family’s easily misplaced or lost items, you’re likely to use it for other things too. Here’s one I like.
  4. There is an incredibly cool and helpful new service that sends you tags and labels to put on your items you can’t afford to lose. FoundIt.net offers a *very* reasonably priced subscription – based service that will give you an ID number for your tags and labels so that when someone finds your lost wallet, cell phone, etc., they can simply text or call to let you know they’ve found it. Check out www.FoundIt.net (PS: FoundIt is offering a 10% discount to my readers. Just type in ADHD when you order).
  5. Lanyards are a great way to keep your stuff on you so you don’t lose important things. There’s even one for your cellphone, iTouch, etc. We use this at our house: Check it out HERE.
  6. Have a routine. When you leave the house, make sure everything you need is at hand. When you return, put your things away before doing anything else.
  7. Buy items that are brightly colored. I always buy a red wallet so I can find it quickly in my purse. This is the one I have. Do the same with your phone cases, key lobs, notebooks, purses, briefcases, etc. I even used to dress my kids in bright colored tops so I could find them easier if they got lost at the beach, mall, etc. I called them my Crayola Kids.
  8. If you tend to lose things at home or at work, I really love the Click ‘n Dig Item Locater. You simply attach a little receiver onto your phone, remote, key ring..even your cat..and then push a button on the color coded base unit so that the item will beep.
  9. Sing. Yes, as you’re putting an item down, sing or talk to yourself: “I’m putting my keys on the bank ledge, I’m putting my keys on the bank ledge.” Of course, you might want to be a bit discreet when using this little trick. Once you get the hang of this, you can start reciting it mentally.
  10. Buy duplicates. Of course, unless your last name is Trump or Rockefeller, this works best for inexpensive items like pens, reading glasses, keys, etc. Ideally, we’d all have multiple electronics that we often lose, but…
  11. Do you lose your car in the parking lot? I do and it’s a morbid fear I have. There are apps you can use now to help find your car, but some are a little hard to figure out. Instead, use your Smart Phone to take a picture of the aisle sign or if there is none, take a photo of identifying landmarks. You can also use your Notes app on your phone to jot down this info. Or go low tech and use a pen to mark it on your hand.
  12. PortaPocket! This very cool product lets you attach mini pockets onto your arm, wrist, ankle, etc. via Velcro. You can see them HERE.

    Do you have some tips that work for you? Please share them in my FORUM .