In 2013, a study was cited that a human being has approximately 60,000 thoughts per day. The astonishing number quickly made its way into blog articles and info diagrams. Policy Viz attempted to debunk that “60,000 thoughts” hype recently in a 2024 blog post, “Fact-Checking 60,000 Thoughts: The Mystery Behind a Misleading Statistic”.
Conversations by commentors quickly turned to, what exactly is counted as a “thought”? Fair enough. I’m not here to debate if it’s every fleeting acknowledgement of everything you sense around you or if it is more detailed,
My only 2 cents is that I think whatever the actual number is (I think 6,000 thoughts per day) has got to be peanuts when compared to the ADD/ADHD slanted mind.
Table of Contents
How to Catch These Buggers
In my world, thoughts fall out faster than I can catch them, like a leaking bucket. If I have primed my day with a “pre-thought” morning session, the entire day turns into a Think Fest. Seriously, pretty hard to put the breaks on it. Every scrap of paper desparately grabbed is a sure sign I have a leaky brain that day.
Bottom line, none of us want to lose a good thought. I thought it would be helpful to offer some ideas on being proactive.
The fact is, I know my brain’s limitations, and I am ultimately going to get the better of it!
–ReneesRabbitHole
Shower Thoughts
Shower thoughts are the ones that drop out of your brain as you take a shower. There is just something about the sensation of water, the droning sound hitting the walls and us, and the captive audience (us) allowed to be alone with our thoughts.
I think we all agree that what comes out of a shower session can be pretty random. I salute the smart person who came up with the idea of notepads expecially made for the shower. They’re waterproof!
I give all sorts of good tips on how to make the best our of shower thought sessions, but just stop fighting it and buy a shower-proof notepad!
Visit my article on supercharging your shower thoughts, and what I did to explode this special thought time.
Voice Recorder
It’s important to get the right voice recorder! Visit my full article for features and what to look at when buying a voice recorder. A few years ago, I bought my first pocket voice recorder when I reached some sort of goal. I can’t tell you how personally gratifying it is to use it when driving or walking.
If you’re the type to say, “Oh! I’ll remember it” – the chances are you will not. Hey, I know all about my brain and it’s shortcomings. So let’s stop kidding ourselves and just buy the darn thing!
Post-It Notes
I wished I could say that I own stock in this company, but I don’t. These sticky papers are worth their weight in gold. I proclaim to everyone everywhere, if the sticky note is not up, it doesn’t get done! When that lightening thought pops into my head (like a note to not forget something) it IMMEDIATELY goes onto the post-it note, and even more importantly, on my refrigerator.
My experience is that the thought has about 3 seconds or less to survive before I have lost it (you would think I had a brain injury or something). The fact is, I know my brain’s limitations, and I am ultimatly going to get the better of it!
I do admit, that post-it notes are more useful for short to-do notes for me to take action on. That’s at least how I rely on them.
I have another article coming about all the ways that I utilize post-it notes in my ADD/ADHD toolbox. You will be shocked and amazed, it promises to please.
I proclaim to everyone everywhere, if the sticky note is not up, it doesn’t get done!
–ReneesRabbitHole
The Hand-Brain Connection
My mother-in-law always said this when she had to handle food with hands. But let’s apply it to saving thoughts.
If you are not opposed to writing on your body, than embrace the time-honored tradition of writing a note on your hand with a ballpoint pen. In some situations, it may be the cocktail napkin where great ideas are born.
As mentioned before, this could be any scrap of paper you can muster. One gal even transcribed the note using her kids’ crayons. You go, girl!
Let’s not discount the powerful brain connection when physical handwriting is used. This Scientific American artical extols the virtues of handwriting for memory and learning.
Smart Devices/Online Platforms
If electronic devices are your jive, look for tools that can record thoughts easily. Whether it’s your smartphone or Alexa, options are plenty. From Remember The Milk app, ToDoIst app, to Google Keep, or your system note pad, it’s always ready and on standby to catch the all-important thought.
Don’t forget snapping a photo, which is also fabulous at helping to recall thoughts or to-do lists.
Don’t forget what is right within your fingertips – Google Keep. Many people don’t know of this little-kept feature of Google. If you are on a computer, move the mouse up to the upper-right 9-grid square (while logged intio a Google Product) and look for the Google Keep app.
I can save a brief note without interrupting my flow. Love it.
Get Mental
If you have nothing, I mean nothing to write on (maybe the thoughts are coming in a public restroom – no judgement) than you are going to have to resort to locking it in mentally.
Conjour the most exciting, vivid mental imagary you can, and you just might have a shot of restoring it. For those in the audience who are jumping in to point out… toilet paper, well, yeah, any ADD/ADHD person with super powers is going to find a way to capture those thoughts – one way or another!
If All Else Fails… Patience
You might not like this answer, but accepting you have lost the thought is all you can do. You can only hope that in time, the precious thought will circle back to revisit you.
Good advice is to relax, go for a walk, take a shower or bath, excercise. Our brains love to overthink and are stubborn. Be easy on yourself and let it go, momentarily.
And then, FOR PETE’S SAKE, be ready with that post-it note or voice recorder – don’t let it slip away again!
