Park distractions for later
Not ratedADHD evidence
Keep a useful thought without letting it pull you off your task.
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Run it in your head: a side thought turns up, you give it a short label, you go back to the task.
5 minutes
Start a short task with a place to capture side thoughts in a few words.
15 minutes
Try one focus block, then review the distraction note at the end.
30 minutes
Use the note through a work and break cycle and keep only the entries that still need action.
A plan
Practise returning
- Put a capture note beside one task.
- Record side thoughts briefly during a work block.
- Review them at the stopping point and schedule only what matters.
How sure the science is
Not rated, ADHD evidence
- No pooled trials to rate.
- This rests on single studies, expert consensus or clinical practice.
- Measured in people with ADHD.
ADHD clinical guidance and programme content; the isolated strategy has no separately rated efficacy estimate.
The number, drawn
Keep a notebook for ideas to revisit later
Why it matters
- A side thought can drag you into a different job before the current one is done.
- Writing it down and coming back to it later is taught as distractibility delay in adult ADHD CBT.
- In the cited evidence, the technique has not been tested apart from the wider treatment programme.
How to do it
- Keep a small note next to the task.
- When an idea that isn't urgent shows up, write a few words.
- Go back to the task until the stopping point you planned.
- Read the note then, and decide what actually needs doing.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- Note 'check train tickets' while writing, then return to your paragraph.
- Capture a new project idea without opening another browser tab.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeWriting a detailed plan can become the distraction. Capture a short cue and stop.
- Common mistakeDon't park urgent safety needs. This is only for thoughts that can wait.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- C Small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- The number
- Keep a notebook for ideas to revisit later (Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, 2026)
- Benefit
- 41/100 An editorial priority for the general list, weighted by certainty. It does not predict what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Some effort
Sources
- Tier 1 guidelineEducation (ADHD: while you wait)Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, 2026
- Tier 2 studyDescription and Demonstration of CBT for ADHD in AdultsCognitive and Behavioral Practice, 2010
- General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan.
- Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you.
- Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.