Is it normal to forget things constantly?

Forgetting where you put your keys once? Totally normal. Forgetting them every single day, along with appointments, people's names, and what you were saying mid-sentence? That's a different story.

Memory and ADHD: what's really happening

ADHD doesn't mess with your memory in general. You can probably still remember every lyric to a song from 15 years ago. What it does affect is working memory, that mental scratchpad where you hold information while you're actively using it.

Think of it like having a really small whiteboard. You write something down, need to jot something else, and the first thing just... vanishes.

Sound familiar?

• Walking into a room and immediately forgetting why you're there
• Losing your train of thought mid-sentence
• Someone gives you instructions and they evaporate while you're still listening
• Not remembering if you already did something (Did I lock the door? Did I take my meds?)
• Conversations with multiple threads? Forget it. Literally.

The flavors of ADHD forgetfulness

Forgetting the future (prospective memory):

• Appointments and commitments
• Taking medication
• Returning calls
• Birthdays and important dates

Forgetting objects:

• Keys, wallet, phone, the classic trio
• Leaving things in random places
• Losing the same item over and over again

Forgetting information:

• Names of people you just met
• What you read five minutes ago
• Details from recent conversations

When does it become a problem?

Forgetfulness crosses into "this is an issue" territory when:

1. It's constant: Happens almost every day
2. There are real consequences: Lost a job, damaged a relationship, financial problems
3. It causes anxiety: You live in fear of forgetting something important
4. It requires extreme compensation: Multiple alarms, sticky notes everywhere, and you still drop the ball

Strategies that actually work

• One designated spot for keys, wallet, etc. Always the same place. No exceptions.
• Multiple alarms for anything important
• Voice memos the second you think of something
• Written lists because your memory simply isn't reliable
• Fixed routines that don't require you to remember anything

This has nothing to do with intelligence

Memory issues in ADHD have zero correlation with how smart you are. Plenty of brilliant people can't remember where they put their glasses 30 seconds ago.

It's how the brain operates. Not a character flaw.