# Park distractions for later

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://adhd100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://adhd100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://adhd100.jock.pl/park-distracting-thoughts/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-29
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-29, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 86 of 100 in the list: https://adhd100.jock.pl/#park-distracting-thoughts

Hold on to a useful thought without letting it pull you off the task you chose.

**The number:** Keep a notebook for ideas to revisit later ([Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, 2026](https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/while-you-wait/adhd/education/))

## The evidence

- How sure: Certainty of evidence: Not rated. Measured in people with ADHD.
- Evidence grade: C. Grade C: small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- Basis: ADHD clinical guidance and programme content; the isolated strategy has no separately rated efficacy estimate.
- Benefit: 41/100. The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.

## 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

1. Keep a small note next to the task.
2. When an idea that isn't urgent shows up, write a few words.
3. Go back to the task until the stopping point you planned.
4. Read the note then, and decide what actually needs doing.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 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.

### What it looks like

- Note 'check train tickets' while writing, then return to your paragraph.
- Capture a new project idea without opening another browser tab.

### Common mistakes

- Writing a detailed plan can become the distraction. Capture a short cue and stop.
- Don't park urgent safety needs. This is only for thoughts that can wait.

### A structured start

**Practise returning**

1. Put a capture note beside one task.
2. Record side thoughts briefly during a work block.
3. Review them at the stopping point and schedule only what matters.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [Education (ADHD: while you wait)](https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/while-you-wait/adhd/education/), Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
- [Autism and ADHD](https://www.bytespcn.nhs.uk/autism-and-adhd/), BYTES Primary Care Network, NHS

## Sources

- [Education (ADHD: while you wait)](https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/while-you-wait/adhd/education/), Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, 2026 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [Description and Demonstration of CBT for ADHD in Adults](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3874265/), Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 2010 (Tier 2 study)

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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.

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