How to Stop Losing Things 

Oh well okay! I guess the chat closes automatically a few minutes after the video is over. Good to know. I'll keep answering q's for a bit here if you post a comment. Thanks everyone for coming and watching with me!!!

Inner voice is important. After she found a "lost" thing, I told my kiddo: "You're great at finding things." She responded: no one has ever told me that before. Say it to your kids; say it to yourself!

Someone was so distracted they accidentally hit dislike instead of like.

"It is really hard to lose a wall." Hahahhaha Is that a challenge? 😁😆

I wish everybody wore a label on their forehead. I can't remember names to save my life.

If I can't find something after looking in several places, I will put it back in the first place I looked for it. That place was where I thought it should go. Helps me have good places for things

Ok random thought that might not even be helpful lol: If you’re just THAT disorganized, like I am sometimes, maybe just have a designated room for things. I live in a house with 6 adhd brains (we drive my mom INSANE), and one rule we have is the remote NEVER leaves the family room. Every time someone takes it out of the room, it gets lost. If an item only needs to be used in one room, make mental lines and say, “when I step over this line, I can’t take x object with me.” It helps a lot.

Yeah, the coat closet thing, it is so hard to convince people that opening a closet is to much and the coat does need to be somewhere else

I'll end up putting things where they should go but I'll sometimes forget that I did, so there have been times where I thought something was lost when it wasn't.

Mindfulness is helping me. I seriously have to say in my mind, "I'm putting this here." about everything I put down. Except when I get distracted in the middle of putting something down... lol!

I SERIOUSLY need this video. I was almost late this morning because I lost my keys when they were in my pocket and thought I forgot my phone even though I put it in my book bag. Thank you for everything, Jessica. My life has been significantly easier since I've found your channel.

This is actually the perfect time. i just found my wallet and dont wanna be moneyless for a week again

Saw the thumbnail, and thought it said "How to stop things" and thought "yes please"

Tip: Since I’m a high school student, I have so many things that go in my backpack on a daily basis. Once I’m done with my homework (an eternity later), sometimes it just feels like too much to put my stuff back in my bag, so I put my backpack, folder, binder, school bullet journal (planner), etc. in a somewhat neatish pile on the floor of my room in front of the door so I can’t leave without it, and I put it all in my bag in the morning. This may not work for everyone, but it has worked for me really well, and I don’t have to force myself to put my stuff in my bag when it’s just too much mental energy to expend.

The old adage: "A place for everything, and everything in its place." Simple zones for where "that thing" should be. Label makers are great for giving neckties to electrical plugs. (printer, phone, computer, etc.)

Not sure why this is, but sometimes watching a video helps validate work-arounds I've been using. Having a label to attach to a "work around" makes it a "thing I do", rather than a "quick fix" and I'm less likely to abandon it for something else. I'm really grateful for this channel and all the work that goes into it.

Ohhh so that’s why I lose things when I put them where it “makes sense”.... I heard once from a psychologist that people with ADHD have a higher than average pain tolerance (hang in there with me...) and that when we are young pain is the first lesson to cause and effect. Since we have a higher pain tolerance it takes us longer to learn that cause and effect which we need as we get older to prevent ourselves from making the same mistakes time and time again. Which is how we can lose the SAME item COUNTLESS times and never seem to “learn” from it...

I'm an art student and a while ago I got some clear drawers and same as you, I got really exited and now I always put my supplied where they belong and don't spend 30 minutes looking for stuff before I can get to work and I don't get discouraged before even starting

AWESOME!! I have a few designated "drop points" for my keys, wallet & cell phone. This has kept me from losing them for years! ... everything else on the other hand, is either lost or LITERALLY in my other hand... Thank you as always!!! 🙏🙏🙏

Ugh! Where were you when I was growing up?! 😂 I had to learn all these things by trial and error and heartache. 😩 Thankfully, I found you in time to use your channel to teach my youngest, who is also a severe ADHDer. He just graduated high school and is putting a lot of your tips to practice to help him do life a little better. 😃 Thank you for all you do! You've been a blessing to us! 🙏🏽

It has happend that several times i thought i forgot my phone in my classroom so i ask the bus driver to wait then i run fot my life to get it but when i am there i remember putting it in my bag and pretend all the time like i found it and run over to the bus again 😅. Sometimes i really love myself

Your first premiere, and it's happening on my birthday, and I just got my ADHD diagnosis yesterday. Very fitting. :D

THIS IS AMAZING! One thing I'd also suggest is having open storage whenever you can. I used to never put my keys away bc they lived in a pot with a lid and the lid was inconvenient so I'd throw the keys wherever, and then I'd lose them. Now they live in an open container and they actually stay there!

I implemented what I call a "dump station" by my front door. When I walk in, I toss my keys, mask, and any other pocket items into a tray, put my spare change in a jar, take off my shoes and put them on the shelf underneath the tray, then hang my purse and coat on my laundry room door. All of the things I need get put back in the order I take them off (as I come in) or put them on (as I leave), and anything that's in my pockets (and might need to go there tomorrow) is all in one place. Out: Jacket, bag, shoes, keys, go. In: keys, shoes, bag, jacket. If I'm wearing shoes that need to go on before the jacket (my lace-up knee high boots, for example), those go next to the shelf, between it and the laundry room, so after I take of the jacket, I just have to turn around to put them away. The dump station keeps me from dumping everything on the kitchen table and chairs, losing my keys, or forgetting my pocket knife, lighter, or multitool. Everything's right there, where and when I need it.

Oh my God! Thank you! I love this ! It was exactly what I needed! When people decide to "Help me out" and "clean my room for me" I'm lost for at least a day! He doesn't get it! While he sees chaos, I know that my flashlight is somewhere between my bed and nightstand. After he "cleans" when I'm gone, I end up looking for things I at least have a general idea of where they usually are. But it takes hours to find them and if I just ask where he put it, he smirks and says he has no idea and the way to solve this problem is to put it "back where it belongs". He still thinks that my ADHD is a choice and I'm defiant. Now, all I need to do is completely go through everything I own and find a place for everything... That is what I've wanted to do but it does seem like a long process...I guess breaking it down and not thinking ahead to much might help! Thanks for reminding me I'm not a bad person, I really need that sometimes!

This is so accurate! Any thing has at least 2-3 "logical place" to go, and I always have the same feeling about unique passwords - it made sense at that point, but now? My table is always clustered, but with stuff I use: 0-2 mugs, lots of post-it blocks, notes, pens and pencils, notes. While written notes are better to be placed on a cork-board to be visible and findable. And the kind of obsession with containers of any sort - I love boxes, cases, notebooks, and it seems that having distinctly different ones help immensely. I lost my earphone part yesterday, and it was a surreal success that I knew where did I keep my spare ear parts! Or having a designated notebook / block of notepaper for things that are often needed in the same shape and form. "Make a place for everything" is really a great advice :)

Having multiple places something can go really helps me! For example: my wedding ring. I take it off for sleeping, showering, washing dishes, and rock climbing. So I have different, conveniently located places where I always put it when I’m doing each of those activities. And that way, if I can’t find it, I know to look in those four places. (Recently I did lose my wedding ring for a very stressful half an hour or so. It wasn’t in any of my usual places! That’s when I knew I had a real problem! When I found it, I learned another important lesson: if I’m under a lot of stress, my brain will default to old routines. So, pro tip: if you can’t find your wedding ring, try checking in the place where you USED to put your wedding ring BEFORE you got that cute trinket tray for your birthday!)

I always say out loud where I put something, same when i’m tidying. It helps me so much

We do this at my work, everything is labelled with pictures of how it's supposed to look like (instead of text labels and clear boxes). At the end of the day everyone checks one area to see if everything is where it is supposed to be. May be a good thing to go do it at home >__

Once again a situation that I thought, only I keep losing things so much. Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one, but also for suggesting solutions for the problem. R.

When cleaning up we should be involved. I went on a work trip and came back to find my roommate moved a bunch my stuff in the common area... I had to talk to him about this.

Thank you for being a steadfast presence here. I find your voice so completely soothing to my brain, which just doesn't seem to turn off

My “dedicated places” works pretty well. I made a wall mirror with a shelf and hooks. I store everything I need to leave the house, e.g. wallet, keys, phone.

Basically everything you say resonates perfectly with me and it's been like three months now since I started researching about ADHD. I'm now pretty sure to have it and I would like my friends and family to watch this kind of videos to finally understand what's going on inside my mind everyday and most importantly to finally explain to them my history of weird behaviors that have decorated my whole life. The problem is: what if they don't care/believe that I have it? Wouldn't it be a little bit too egocentric to assume that they're so interested about me that they'd watch several videos about it? Or What if I have it but I fail my ADHD test in the sense that I succeed and then don't have it? I think this because I'm 21 now and after all those years of struggling, I basically learned so many creative strategies to cope with so many problems(even passing tests), and yet I struggle with so many other things that not even friends and family know about. Btw I'm also Italian and here nobody knows about ADHD, at least I never heard anyone talking about it, so I don't know if I'd get the right test or if I would be dismissed by the doctor because he doesn't know what I'm talking about.

Sometimes I feel like my hands put things down in random places without my permission! When I was a teenager, I went through maybe 5 purple Ipod Nano's because I lost them so thoroughly. Some of them, never to be recovered; some of them, were like...in the pocket of a sweatshirt in a laundry pile I hadn't addressed in months, etc. And I temporarily lost the thing like, Every Day. Strategies like these are super important (and also having a clean house so it's not so cluttered that I can't see anything). This is a great video!

Sending to my 20 (21 in one month from today!!! 😁😁😁) year old daughter who is notorious for stuffing things anywhere they fit when she “cleans”. It’s been an ongoing struggle in our home since forever. And because, as I recently discovered, I also have ADHD it really throws me for a loop and makes me crazy! Over the years I have developed strategies to cope with the clutter, as it’s exhausting to deal with. But the “stuffing” derails those efforts and I end up having to do a MAJOR overhaul periodically to get things back on track. Which is what I’ve set aside the next 4 days to do. Neither of us are officially diagnosed but after watching these videos, it’s abundantly clear. So thankful for this channel and the easy, fun format for getting the information. ♥️

The best way to find lost things is to ask your mom where it is, and the thing will magically reappear at the place you looked at first I can speak from experience. My mom rolls her eyes every time

I just want to let you know that I just started watching your videos, and as a late-diagnosed mainly-inattentive ADHD adult, I'm nearly tearing up with how wonderful it is to know that *there are people who understand EXACTLY what I go through*. Thank you for your videos. ❤

One key to this for those who are married/partnered/living with others: Have a spot/receptacle where, if the other person you're living with, finds a stray something of yours that didn't get put away, or landed in their space, they can chuck it in there. That way they aren't "putting your stuff away" and you don't have to play the "If I were my wife, where would I put that thing of mine." game. I have a magazine rack in the living room, if my stuff escapes, then it goes in there. Before I go to bed, I look in it and put away anything that got dumped in there.

It took me at least 10 years to figure this out in my gerage, I can't imagine how much time I've spent looking for that tool I had in my hand 5 seconds ago. Seeing how I do wood working, metal working, reloading ammo, gunsmithing, work on cars, and auto detailing/paint correction ECT, I would want alot of time going back and forth for a tool or product, now keeping the right tools in the right location (even though it cost more to have many sets of the same thing) I save so much time and headache knowing where something is, and when I loose that one I know where the extras are kept.

OMG I’m so excited! I was JUST hoping you’d be back and doing well and now we have a video!!

Must admit, I keep losing things, but luckily only within my apartment. My flatmate is my true hero when it comes to finding things, she's really good at checking a bunch of areas where stuff like phones, headphones, bus tickets, wallets etc typically end up and will consistently find them before me. By now, saying "Do you know where my ... ?" is a running gag between us.

Thank you! You've described so much that I have struggled with. When I'm back on my feet I'm going to support your channel

Your videos are super helpful and thank you so much for giving up your time to do these videos as well.

Me: Ah SWEET! New Video! Perfect timing I keep losing things recently. So stressed out. HowToADHD: Be patient. My ADHD: 😡👿👹👺

I started watching this thinking "I don't lose things *that* much", but then every example you went through made me realise I'd either already developed a coping strategy (eg. phone chargers in places of use) or I freak out about a lost thing more than I thought (like my keys not being in their assigned place, because I put them in the pocket of that coat I wore that one time). Thank you!!! Love your channel, and it has helped me through my 29 year old ADHD diagnosis no end!

Thank you for this! I'm about to start my last year at school and I hope I can star being more organized... This channel is of great help❤

Omg, this video will save my life! I always loose things, often very important ones, like my books for school, keys, sometimes even my phone. And it always takes me soooo long to find it again! I can't wait for the video.

​Relating to the "tidying" parts. My ex-wife (surprise) used to love filling things. Of course that meant they were gone from my universe. Ended up dumping files out to find stuff and of course not clearing up. Did NOT go well

I lost my headband yesterday and I sat down to eat and it fell from the sky or my head into my lap.

this is my favourite channel because it's so genuine and relatable

Love you Jessica! You warm my heart so much when I listen to you! I had my first ADHD screening yesterday, 6 months to my official 3 hour screening, then I can finally try some meds! Thank you Jessica for helping me feel like I fit in somewhere! X

I’m actually very excited for this video, I lose things constantly,, it’s gotten so bad lately I’m pretty sure everyone around me thinks I’m just a ditz or I’m faking.

This was a good one! Time to try this out, and look at label makers online 🤣

WOW! I needed this so bad! I always rearranging my room. I am Constantly putting things where they “should go” instead of where I use them the most. I never figured out why I was always losing things. Thank you

Your presentation is so smooth and effective! Great work- thanks for this.

I lost my medication for almost a month now and I just found it surprise surprise my mother put it in the medicine cabinet

I constantly lose things when I put them somewhere "I'll remember it is there." I'm late all the time because I tell myself I CAN clean and reorganize my craft room, take a shower, get ready for work, and then drive to work.

This is such a great video! I’ve never even though about it this way but it really makes sense to put things where you use them. I will work on implementing this strategy wherever I can and let you know how it goes! You’re amazing and thank you for doing what you do! ❤️

I'm so glad I'm here on time for this 😊

I need this so bad! I end up leaving my camera, batteries, lenses everywhere all the time! Doesn't help when you need it for your job :P

Sometimes using a novel, unconventional place to stash things makes it "memorable" and a "stimulating" location, which gives you added incentive to constantly put them there! Example: I found this homemade birdhouse at a yard sale. Rather than rent it out to the neighborhood birds, it has become an absolutely perfect place to store my wallet & keys! The roof flips open, my wallet goes inside -- safe, secure and unforgettable! (No burglar on earth would ever suspect it held anything valuable). And the house & car keys fit nicely in the ledge where the birds would perch. Easy to drop off, pick up, and learn with one glance if the keys are where they are supposed to be! Now, I'm sure the vast majority of us do not have a birdhouse lying around their apartment ... but the concept of an "unconventional" storage place with some "personality" helped me immensely, and perhaps it can help you too!

I'm extremely grateful for this channel. for the first time I feel like someone gets me

I had to restart this video 4 times because I was getting distracted by other things while "watching" it. I really appreciate how you simplify ways to make our lives easier!

Thank you for this! The multiple chargers made me think of my multiple brushes! I have one in the car One in my purse One in my backpack One in the bathroom!

right now my closet (for literally everything I own cuz i'm a student) is one of the walls in my room; it has hanger racks and deep shelve spaces, everything fits (although it is messy) but as everything has a designated shelve I don't loos anything. I just might need to dig a little but it's always there

Jessica, as someone with ADHD and a kid who has ADHD thank you so very much. Your videos mean so much to me and have helped me deal with my distractions to the best of my ability. Also your videos have helped others in my family realize how difficult it is to deal with ADHD on a daily basis with or without medication. Thank you once again. A thought for an episode is how to deal with family who introduce distractions into your life.

I don't know how you manage to make, edit, and post these, but I so appreciate them. They're really helpful. Thank you again.

"How to stop losing things" Is it to chronically lose important things until your boyfriend accidentally develops a near Pavlovian response to keeping track of your things as well as his??? Did I get it right? 😀

I don’t know how to finish tasks, I find I’ll start one and then move on to another, and then I’ll just have a bunch of unfinished tasks. Does anybody have any tips to help with this issue? ❤️🙂

Thankyou so much, youre helping change my life and i really appreciate you and your brain!!

Can't wait vor this video. As I'm about to be diagnosed with ADHD at 32... Your channel is changing my life. ❤ Thank you for your wonderful work.

I found myself thinking "That's a great tip!" and then I watched the rest of the video and then I forgot the tip.

I lost my key fob three weeks in a row, I’d lose it, spend two days without it, then lose it again.... and IT HAS A HOOK... so I got a tile sticker for it! I love tile!

This makes sense why the last cafe I worked at made it hard for me to keep track of things at first. Things were out of arm's reach and sometimes people wouldn't put things back where they should go. Or I had multiple steps to do instead of fewer. This makes total sense! I feel so relieved and empowered to know why I had such a hard time and took me longer than everyone to figure out where things went. I feel better. Thanks for taking the time for making this, it's helping me make sense of my adhd

Thank you so much for your videos. They're incredible.

Closet vs. Hanger: My husband kept hanging his very heavy coat on the door of the closet because it was easier but the door kept going off the track. So we bought him a very sturdy hook and put it under the light-switch right besides the closet. Problem solved, and we're both happy with the solution. I didn't understand the trick with the washi tape; how do you outline something in a cube box for example? I'm not sure why but I keep finding random stuff in my fridge: cutlery, my coffee, an envelope, etc. Frankly I'm not sure what I was doing but probably had it in my hand while I was looking for something else. LOL, but not funny at the time... TFS Nicole

I forgot my phone in the supermarket this week. I lost a 300$ headset right after purchasing it last month. And I forgot to pay for something I put in my Jacket today, meaning I actually committed theft, I then wasted 20 minutes to go back to the store and buy it because I felt guilty.

Also for ppl who don't have money to spend, anything can be used as a container. I keep my glitter/craft glue in a shoe box near my window and all my pens in an old metallic tea box. You can use old stuff or recycle like that, and if you want to decorate it, it makes it all the more fun (I have an old box that I painted rainbow for example)

Hey your channel has helped me understand myself better and others to understand me and so I Thank you so much

My problem is,when my wife comes behind me and “straightens up”, what can I do? she says that she is only doing what she has been doing before we were married ( not wrong !🤪🙃)

These so solutions seem so simple and like common sense YET they are so helpful. Thank you!

I can't wait. I need this.. I NEED THIS.

This video is amazing as always, Jess! Very helpful.

This makes so much sense. Thank you!

Im not diagnosed but that’s literally only because my symptoms aren’t disruptive enough. The thing about closets taking too many steps and other people cleaning up after you making it worse are so accurate my parents think I’m not trying hard enough to stay organized I just want them to understand everything you’re saying because it’s said a million times better than I ever could

Keybasket/bowl helps alot! Also: habitually placing items in certain places. Love your channel! ^^

it's painful how accurate these videos are, thank you for these. i felt alone for so long

This one hits me super hard. I made the initial realization that I might have ADHD back in December, and while going through the diagnosis process I've been in emotional turmoil while essentially re-evaluating my whole life. Your videos have helped so much not only with helping find more coping strategies, but with learning to accept this and realize it's not all bad, and I'm not alone. I just got my diagnosis yesterday, at the age of 31. Thank you so much for all of this, you're incredible. 🤩

Thank you, Jessica. Your channel has helped me so much. 👍

I love watching how your videos have developed to be better and better at teaching ADHD brains key info. It’s really good for this future professor to see all your pedagogical tricks in action while I learn things for myself! :)

Ironically, I couldn't watch the premiere cos I put my phone down in the fridge and couldn't find it for ages (obviously ive found it now). Its safe to say I really needed this video. I only learned about my adhd when I was (surprise) diagnosed a few weeks ago, and your videos are a good resource to help me (and in particular my family) to understand it

all the short animations really help me keep focusing on your videos :) big brain

I've now realized why I've had an obsession with fun boxes since I was a kid. I can compartmentalize my stuff and find it all later! Especially helpful for craft supplies: boxes within boxes can be quite helpful.

Oh my goodness, I NEEDED THIS!!! I lost my sketchbook today and I was literally holding it. I have lost my fidget ring 3 times this week (still don't know where it is). I would write something long and sappy, but long isn't really our thing as ADHD people! So just... thank you for what you do. It's pretty awesome.

This is a 5 and a half minute video. I had to rewind soooooo many times because I had lost track of what was going on. This channel is a life saver. Thank you in advance for improving my life.

1. This is great! 2. I was diagnosed with ADHD about a month ago and your channel has helped me understand ADHD and myself better. Thanks Jessica!

One thing I have realized is this: I never maintain an organization system that's harder for me than putting up with the consequences of not having a system. Weirdly that has helped me a lot in terms of realizing how I should organize my life. Sure, a neat tidy organized drawer looks nice but will I keep it up? Is spending the time climbing my wall of awful around decluttering and organizing every single day to maintain it easier or harder than digging around in chaos for an extra 30s every time I need something? (harder. It's harder.) But what's a lot easier is a peg board with shape outlines of the kitchen tools in question! For two reasons: 1, I can easily see what's not where it belongs and 2 I know immediately and visually where it goes! (Which is my next kitchen improvement project)

Jessica, thank you so much for this video! My mom, daughter and I all have ADHD. Your videos help explain things so easily for both of them. Thank you! And PS Good point about hanging the jacket up. It was the same for the towels in our bathroom. Nobody ever hung up a towel on a rack, but somehow a hook is manageable for all of us!

I have started putting things in the same place every time for years now. Help me TONS. Thanks for the video to prove to me I am not crazy. :) Your awesome.