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Keeping track of personal belongings has never been my strong suit. Turns out, “frequently losing things” is one of the ADHD symptoms described in the DSM. Inattention, forgetfulness and disorganization can contribute to misplacing small items (my can opener) to important items (my driver’s license). Looking at old pictures results in a lot of “I forgot about that hoodie... where did it go?!” I’m the person who never could find matching socks, loses one of my gloves every winter, and doesn’t trust myself to buy nice sunglasses because I know it’s only a matter of time. And often (but not always), after I’ve bought a replacement— the old one shows up.

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Coping mechanisms I have finally developed over the years:

- Buy the same socks in bulk (so it doesn’t matter if you lose one). I literally ordered 30 pairs of black ankle socks on Amazon and omg it’s made mornings so much less stressful.

- Always keep gloves in a zipped pocket of your coat when not in use.

- If you’re prone to losing certain items (sunglasses, hair ties, phone chargers), buy them cheap, in bulk, and keep backups/spares.

- For those who carry purses: Always keep keys/ID badge/etc. in the same pocket when not in use.

- I do my best to purge/clear piles for 10 minutes once a week (usually Sundays). It’s crazy how many things turn up that I thought I’d lost forever.

- Honestly, just keeping things in the same location as much as possible (deodorant, remotes, my Apple pencil) has helped the most. Deciding “this is where you live now” for items I lost most often. If they have a home that’s easily to remember and access (in a spot that makes sense), it makes a world of difference. Keep things super close to the spot where you’ll need to use them so if you do need to snoop around, you have a smaller area you need to search.