Low-friction capture

One-line summary: Because the idea-loss window is short, capture must be immediate, judgment-free, and nearly frictionless — speed over filing, dump now and organize later.

The insight

The first half of externalize-and-resurface is getting the thought out of working memory before it evaporates (see idea-volatility-in-adhd). The design rule is "ruthlessly eliminate friction": a single Capture Zone / brain dump where you transfer thoughts out without stopping to organize, prioritize, or judge. Filing, tagging, and synthesis are explicitly deferred to a later review step — doing them at capture time reintroduces the friction that causes the idea to be lost. Voice capture matters precisely because it is the lowest-friction modality available in the moment.

Evidence

• From 2026-06-07-autoresearch-adhd-pi-workflow-strategies: the "do it now" method — "immediately capture information when it comes in rather than trying to remember it later" — directly addresses idea volatility (Learn to Thrive).
• From 2026-06-07-autoresearch-adhd-pi-workflow-strategies: "ruthlessly eliminate friction"; ADHD brains "prioritize speed over careful filing systems"; capture everything without filtering, then process in a weekly review.
• From 2026-06-07-autoresearch-adhd-pi-workflow-strategies: voice assistants/voice-to-text act as external memory supports enabling capture "before it vanishes from working memory" (AuDHD Psychiatry).

Design implications

• The sparks voice path (Apple Watch → inbox) is the canonical low-friction capture surface.
• Separate capture from organization: /spark preserves the raw thought verbatim and only synthesizes around it.

Contradictions / tensions

• "Capture everything" can produce an unreviewed pile; this concept is only safe when paired with externalize-and-resurface's return mechanism.

Open questions

• adhd-resurfacing-cadence

Related

• externalize-and-resurface
• idea-volatility-in-adhd