Matilda Boseley, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), used to struggle with leaving the house, often forgetting essentials like her wallet or medication. Instead of scolding herself, she created a daily survival pouch to reduce the mental load.
The pouch contains items such as a stain-remover pen, silent fidget toy, Band-Aids, iodine antiseptic, travel perfume, and lens-cleaning wipes. Boseley recommends starting with a larger pouch, carrying it for two weeks, then auditing which items were actually used to finalise the contents.
Her final kit weighs 240g and fits in a 23 × 17 cm pouch. She also has a separate work pouch with items like high-glucose jelly beans to manage appetite suppression from ADHD medication. The system has made her the go-to person for everyday needs, a rewarding change for someone formerly forgetful.
This is an edited extract from her book The ADHD Brain Buddy (Penguin; $34.99).
