Stop Thoughts Derailing Your Day

When you run a business with ADHD, interrupting thoughts derail your focus constantly.

Most people either try to hold everything in their head (which splits their attention) or stop work to write things down (which kills their momentum).

Voice notes solve the capture problem in two seconds but only if you have a system to process them daily. Without that system, your phone becomes a graveyard of unactioned tasks.

"Verbal instructions can vanish the second I start doing the first step. That doesn’t mean you aren’t listening or capable. It means your brain prioritizes action over storage... focus and working memory aren’t the same thing. This is about how information is held, not motivation or effort... building external supports is often what actually makes work manageable."

~ Reddit user: InnerPeace_Maryam, January 2026:

Voice notes provide that external support. They allow you to capture information when your brain is in "action mode" so you can process it later when your brain is quieter.

Delete, Defer, Delegate

At the end of each workday, before you stop for the day, listen to every voice note you captured and make one of three decisions for each one.

1. Delete it when the thought no longer matters.

   Maybe you already dealt with it, maybe someone else handled it or maybe it was never that important.

2. Defer it when the task matters but doesn't need doing yet.

   Research before you can act, waiting on someone else's input or projects that start next month all go on a "Pending" list rather than your main task list. Review the Pending list weekly and, when something becomes ready, move it to your main task list.
   

3. Delegate it when the task is urgent and actionable, which means it becomes one of your three core tasks for tomorrow and gets a time slot in your calendar.
   You only get three tasks from this process. The rest were either deleted or deferred.

The 10-Minute Review

• Set aside 10 minutes at the end of each workday, before you stop for the day.

  • You need your voice note app, a Pending list (a simple Google Doc works) and tomorrow's calendar.

• Open your voice notes from today and play the first one.

  • Ask yourself whether to delete, defer or delegate it, then action that decision immediately by deleting the note, adding it to Pending or blocking time tomorrow.

  • Each note is decided on the spot.

  • Most notes are deleted. A few are deferred. Rarely more than three are delegated.

• Missing Days

  • If you miss a day, decide whether those notes are urgent or not. If not, delete them all.

Triggers

• The 10-Minute Review needs a trigger, something you already do at the end of each working day.

• Attach the review to that trigger, whether it's finishing your last meeting, closing your laptop or leaving the office.

• Set a phone alarm for the first two weeks to remind you. After two weeks the trigger becomes automatic.

Rhythm Over Memory

Delete, Defer, Delegate runs on rhythm rather than willpower.

The rhythm is:

• capture throughout the day,

• review before you stop for the day,

• act on what matters tomorrow.

When the rhythm is established you stop wondering whether you forgot something because your brain trusts the system to hold it.

Building Your System

This is exactly how I helped my clients, James and Joanna. They run JCM Renovations and James was struggling to keep up with site notes and quotes because he either forgot the details or lost track of all his written notes.

By implementing a system where James recorded voice notes on site, we ensured every detail was captured and transcribed into proper site notes. We then used body doubling to help him process those notes into tasks. Joanna noted that having these external supports in place was "invaluable" and the system was fully running within a week.

Your business has different problems and different bottlenecks. The system needs to be designed for how your brain works and what your business actually needs. If you're losing details, forgetting tasks or watching opportunities slip through because you can't keep up with the admin, that's a system problem rather than a you problem.

Are you ready to build a system that works with how your head does? Book a 15-minute call and let's chat: calendly.com/lanza-va/15m-free-call