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How I (re)Discovered the Best Tool I Have for Coping with ADHD

Turns out it’s been with me my whole life.

I am an idea machine.

I laugh when I get the spam emails promising yet another course in “how to be more creative.” How is that a problem? I can come up with a dozen ideas for articles, games, stories, projects, you name it, all before my morning coffee is done.

Just one problem: I can’t remember them.

Not in my head, at least. Especially when they’re mixed in with things I need to do, books I want to read, appointments I want to keep, or other administrivia of my life.

“Just capture it in your phone notes app,” is the common wisdom. Which usually goes something like this:

1. Hey, I’ve got a great idea!
2. Pull out the phone.
3. See the notifications on the Home Screen.
4. Tap one, putatively to unlock the phone, but that takes me to the app that posted the notification.
5. Maybe that requires a reply or an acknowledgement; it also makes me wonder what else have I missed?
6. A ridiculously easy swipe down on the screen shows all the other notifications, each of which loops back to #5.
7. Any of the number of…