Protocol
Capture a request without opening its context
You often need to preserve the request, not perform it.
When it fits
- A new idea or request appears during focused work and does not need action now, but ignoring it feels risky.
When to avoid it
- If the request qualifies for the urgent path, capture alone is insufficient. Handle or escalate it according to the response rule.
Why it matters
Record the request in a trusted queue with enough context to decide it later, then return to the current task. Capture the source, required output, real deadline or trigger and the next decision—not the whole solution. Interruption research suggests that preserving task state can make resumption easier; combining a capture queue with an existing restart note keeps both sides of the switch visible without creating another active context.
Steps
- The request is recoverable later and the current task resumes without the new context becoming active.
An example
During analysis, capture 'check vendor reply; needed before Monday migration decision; next: compare supported version' instead of opening the vendor portal immediately.
Check your result
The request is recoverable later and the current task resumes without the new context becoming active.
Keep this limit in mind
- If the request qualifies for the urgent path, capture alone is insufficient. Handle or escalate it according to the response rule.
Connected ideas
Useful withPark the current goal before an unavoidable interruptionUseful with
Flatten nested interruptions when you can
Evidence and sources
A systematic review and meta-analysis of laboratory studies found interruption-management interventions improved primary-task accuracy and reduced resumption lag on average, with effects varying by intervention and task.
Laboratory findings do not identify one universal batching schedule for real professional work.