An idea for a new article arrives while you are completing a form. You open a blank document to catch it and soon have three tabs of research. The form remains unfinished.
Keep a simple place for ideas. Write enough to recognise the thought later, including what prompted it if that will help. Then return to the task you chose. A sentence or a rough sketch may be sufficient.
Review when you can choose
Look through the idea list at a separate time. Ask which ideas still interest you and what commitment each would require. Some will become tasks, some can stay as possibilities and others may no longer matter.
If an idea depends on a date or an opportunity that will close, record that explicitly. You can then decide whether to interrupt the current work for a real reason. Keep the capture method easy to reach, but avoid turning its organisation into another project. The list's purpose is to preserve a thought until you have time to decide what to do with it.
