An executive function resource
Most of us are thought hoarders. We keep every worry, plan and reminder in our heads, like a junk drawer that never gets sorted. A short session on a phone, once a week, helps you empty the drawer and sort it. Seeing it all written down can show you your blind spots, the things on your mind you didn’t know were there.
In development. Not yet tested in a study.
Why
Our brains were not built to hold every detail. You already use a calendar so you don't have to remember every appointment, and Captive Thought does the same job for the thoughts you carry around. The neuroscientist Daniel Levitin makes this point in his book The Organized Mind.
How
The first step is divergent thinking, where you get everything out. The other four are convergent thinking, where you narrow it down to what matters most.
Divergent
You finish eight sentences that are already started, like "Since I got out, I am worried about." Everything on your mind ends up where you can see it.
Convergent
Each thought comes back as a card. You keep the ones that matter and throw the rest away, the way you would toss the junk out of a drawer.
Convergent
You give each thought you kept a name, like Work or Family, so the things that belong together end up together.
Convergent
You put the names in order, starting with what matters most to you right now.
Convergent
You finish by writing down, in your own words, what was on your mind, all together.
Who it is for