“Why Do I Keep Losing My Things?” 7 Tips to Help You Keep Organized If You Frequently Misplace Your Possessions

Misplacing things can be a huge source of frustration for both young people and adults. It's not that you're careless or not trying hard enough. In fact, you probably experience more inconvenience from losing your possessions than anyone else.

In this blog post, we’ll explore some reasons why some people might lose things more often than others. We’ll also share seven strategies you can use to keep track of your things so you won't lose them quite as often.

Why do I keep losing my things?

There are a couple of Executive Function skills and concepts we use to keep track of where things are in our environment. We all need Executive Function skills to manage our daily lives and plan, initiate, and achieve tasks and goals. Fortunately, these are skills that you can learn and improve upon with practice. 

To remember where we put our belongings, we use a combination of organization and working memory. Organization is a complex ability made up of simpler skills like focus, pattern recognition and prioritization. Generally, we use organization to make sense of where things should go. Working memory is the short-term memory skill we use to complete tasks we’ve started and remember where we actually put our things. Sometimes, when our working memory fails us, we rely on organization and a process of elimination to retrace our steps.

Some people experience these difficulties as a lack of object permanence, which can be summed up as "out of sight, out of mind." When an item is no longer in your field of vision, your brain stops accounting for it. It becomes very difficult to access your memory of where you last saw it or where you put it.

For people who have ADHD, there are some key differences in the brain that contribute to traits like forgetfulness, inattentiveness and disorganization. People with ADHD have less norepinephrine, which can affect memory and make a person less alert and attentive. Impaired activity in the frontal cortex, the limbic system and mechanisms that connect different areas of the brain also affect attention span.

7 ways to stay organized and keep track of your things

Most people simply aren’t able to will themselves into developing a better working memory. If this doesn’t come easily for you, you’re in good company. With a little strategic thinking and practice, you can create habits that support you so you don’t have to rely so much on your short-term memory.

The following strategies break down complex Executive Function skills into simple systems and rules you can use to improve your working memory and object permanence. Try these to keep track of your things so you don't lose them quite so often:

• Create morning and evening routines — This is especially helpful for making sure you have your things before you leave home in the morning and when you come back in the evening. Do things like put your shoes on and grab your keys in the same order, making note of each item you touch. If you're a parent of a child who’s constantly losing things, go through their backpack with them to check for things like notes from their teacher, permission slips and homework assignments. You can also create a "leaving practice" to visually scan your work area and check for important items before you go home.
• Use checklists — A checklist can give your brain an extra visual cue to grab certain things, making it a bit easier to keep track of them. Use a whiteboard or a plastic page protector to make a list you can check off every day with dry-erase markers.
• Only handle it once (OHIO) — This can help you cut down on misplaced mail and piles of clutter. When you open your mail or go through your child's backpack, separate things that need immediate action from records you need to save. Create a filing system and use it religiously. When something is no longer of use, throw it away immediately.
• Designate a drop zone — You may have heard of "doom piles." These are places where you tend to put things when they don't have a clear home or you're not quite finished with them. A drop zone is like a more intentional doom pile. It's a place where you can put certain things when you get home — like a bin or a cubby. This way, you always know where to look. When your drop zone is too cluttered, organize things into more permanent homes.
• Create activity zones — Hobbies and activities come with a lot of stuff. If you like to craft or play a sport or an instrument, keep all your equipment together in a place that makes sense. If you can set up a work area that's neat and organized, you won't have to worry about setting things up and putting them away every time.
• Start with five minutes — Life gets busy. It's OK to get distracted and set things down. If the thought of organizing it all is overwhelming to you or your child, try starting with just five minutes a day. Set a timer and see how much you can do before it runs out.
• Schedule time to organize — If clutter tends to sneak up on you, stay ahead of it by setting regular reminders to do some cleaning and organizing. Set aside time at least a few times a week for a five-minute clean sweep.

Improve your organization skills with the help of an Executive Function coach

For many people, the act of putting things away just doesn't feel immediately rewarding. If you're anticipating a lot of mental effort, it might even seem dreadful. But there are ways to make it easier on yourself. Checking off your to-do list or rewarding yourself can make it much more satisfying. Don't pressure yourself or your child to do all of this by memory. Stick to a few simple systems and use visual cues and reminders.

Could you use some support with Executive Function skills like organization and working memory? At Beyond BookSmart, our coaching services provide personalized support as you learn these skills and adapt practical strategies to fit your life. Get a sense of what we can work on together by downloading the Executive Function Guide and Toolkit from our adult division, WorkSmart. 

We know that difficulty with memory can come with some emotional challenges, like anxiety and low frustration tolerance. Our patient and compassionate coaches can help you see what you’re capable of and find the resilience to keep moving forward.

Ready to meet your Executive Function coach and get to work? Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an inquiry call.