Losing the train of thought

[Chemronin]

I was wondering if you could share any good tips to deal with the always annoying problem of losing the train of thought or not being able to keep ideas in the mind long enough to think of a well elaborated argument.

[Jozlynn]

I feel your pain with this topic. I lose my train of thought ALL the time, and it frustrates me to no end. I'm a virtual assistant, so everything I do is some form of organization that I've learned through working - so this wouldn't necessarily help everyone. I use a task management system (Trello, Teamwork, Asana, etc.) and have the app on my phone so I can use it wherever I'm at. I immediately add key words of my thoughts to my task management system - things that will help me remember without having to write everything out. One, that gets the thought out of my head, and two, it sparks my memory when I go back and try to elaborate on whatever it was. You can even just use a notes-type app, but getting key thoughts "on paper" really helps me unload some of the ideas and thoughts bouncing around in my head as well as allows me to come back to it and then elaborate on it. I used to keep a notebook with me, but you can't exactly do much with that when you're on the go and too busy to stop and write something. With an app, I can use voice to text and just get the basics "written down". Just something that works for me. I hope you find something that works for you!

[MrQuest in reply to Jozlynn]

Thanks for the idea of using Trello. I used it at work and loved it. Never thought about using it for wandering mind management. I've been using Notes, but now that I have over 100 notes it's not really that helpful 😀

[Chemronin in reply to Jozlynn]

Writing keywords is a great tip, and for sure it can help spark your memory. Thanks!

[humble-rasberry]

I was just chatting with my therapist about this, more specifically when it came to conversations and not fully being able to communicate/remember things in the moment. I don’t know if this will necessarily relate to you but she said that anxiety can affect memory, so for example when I feel anxious in a new conversation then my brain is working hard to just stay calm that it doesn’t have enough power to work with memory. She said mindfulness can really help this and being able to stay present to listen to people and ease the anxiety for my memory to improve and be able to speak coherently. Not an easy thing at all and I know “mindfulness” seems like such an overused solution for us, but I personally had never considered my anxiety to add to the problem that I thought was soley adhd related. Best wishes my friend!

[Chemronin in reply to humble-rasberry]

That makes a lot of sense. It is precisely when I have to speak in public, or to a stranger that I find more difficult to keep focused. Thanks and best wishes back!

[Chickadee1 in reply to humble-rasberry]

Humble-Rasberry - Anxiety makes working memory worse for me too... I sometimes have real trouble with my mind blanking when I am in the middle of a thought when I am writing my notes at work - or there are time when I am writing one thing and another thing I want to write pops in my head but by the time I finish the sentence I was in the middle of I already forgot what the other thing was I wanted to write - the forgetting what I just thought of happens sometimes when journaling/writing to my counselor - and that tends to be less stressful - but maybe it is because I have a lot on my mind... the working memory and trouble thinking thing is definitely worse when I am stressed/anxious though...

One time at work my boss wanted to watch me do my documentation so she could give me pointers on how to be faster - and I felt like my brain was so slow - it was slow enough she could see it - see me struggling - I was glad she at least got to "see it" so she could understand a little better... she does not have ADHD and has a really hard time understanding why I am struggling so much at work...

Chemronin not sure my response helps that much - but I could relate so wanted to share/respond...

[humble-rasberry in reply to Chickadee1]

That's super awesome you were able to communicate and show your boss that, I find that in all the meetings I have I'm quickly jotting down notes (honestly mostly just scribbles bc i find when im mindlessly multitasking that it helps me process) but then ill mix in the stuff my boss actually wants me to do and then forget to look back and actually do it 😂 But we ended up making a task board on github (I'm a designer even though the site is used more for coding) thats really helped my boss and I put everything needed to be done and helps her see what I am actively working on too. Kanban style charts in general help me so much more visually when it comes to tasks organization!

[Chemronin in reply to Chickadee1]

Thanks for sharing! I wish there was a magic pill to boost working memory and reduce anxiety. Best wishes!

[MuddledMind in reply to Chemronin]

I hear you! I have found controlled breathing and grounding wonderful for this.

[Jozlynn]

It definitely helps to be able to check things off the list. One, to keep the list/board at a reasonable size, and two, so you get that feeling of accomplishment with each item you mark off. I've also tried a notes app but didn't like that all the notes just built up. I hope you find something that helps!