I'm sorry to both of us. God I'm so tired

And if that thought doesn't come out right now, it will be lost forever. Or I can try to hold onto it, but I will not hear anything you've said, due to the mental effort required to hold onto a single thought.
- It's funny how you "interrupted" the post by not reading the whole thing.
  
  The ADHD brain works in mysterious ways.

I use a notepad in many meeting at work to not be a complete pain in the ass.
If I write it down it's not lost, and if it's actually a good point I can bring it up at a good time or circle back to it.
- On the other hand, my notes:
  
  APC Excel Fri
  It all made perfect sense when I wrote them down. But two hours later I have no fucking clue what any of it is supposed to mean.
  
  Australian Penitentiary Choirs strive for excellence, and for that, they need frigates.
- Notepads are underrated. It's so much more intuitive than using an app.
  
  Many years ago I noticed that using a paper almanac was very helpful in certain situations, actually helping me make more use of the Google Calendar. Two years ago I started using a bunch of notebooks (basically one notebook per topic) because writing ideas down is very helpful to me. Just at the end of the year I got a sketchbook for drawings. At the beginning of the year I got a bunch of Post-Its and started my very own conspiracy wall (the conspiracy is that there's stuff I'm supposed to do at some point).
  
  Unless you have the common "my fingers are idiots" (AKA poor fine motor skills) symptom of ADHD like I do, making any handwriting a slow and arduous chore with "legible" the height of aesthetic success 🤷
- Oh, that's actually pretty clever.

I’m a different version of this- When I am interrupted with something that diverts the topic and I have to sit there waiting to get it back on track, and it never does.
- Both of these conditions exist for some of us.
  
  Oh acknowledged! And my anecdotal addition wasn’t intended to imply that it exists at the exclusion of the other for myself, or anyone else for that matter.
- For me it's waiting for them to put their phone down, and when they do, I've already forgotten about it.

Sometimes I am writing something, very focused, my family member wants something from me and I snap at them incredibly hard in the retrospection seconds later. Like some kind of volcano eruption and then frustration because my train of thought is totally lost now and the focus gone I don't know what I even wanted to write.
Because you know I had this overarching idea but it is too ephemeral to remember for long. It's more like a gist, feeling even. Super fragile and easily lost in the wind of thoughts.
Maybe it isn't even that important but I hate when it happens. It dissipates and there is no trace of it whatsoever as if it never even existed.

Not doing this is one of the masking behaviors that drains me the most and why I hate being involved in conversations of 4 or more people.
- Just letting you know that it's very appreciated.
  My wife interrupts a lot and after a while it can make me feel under valued.
  
  I'm not quite sure how to say this without coming off as a jerk, but I don't think it's admirable that you want others to choose their own discomfort over yours.
  Edit: Figured out a better way to say it: Please don't come into an ADHD community and praise people for how normal they can be because you don't like when they're not normal.

It only took three decades, getting diagnosed, and taking meds, but I finally figured out how to let most of those thoughts go unsaid!
- And how does one let most of those thoughts go unsaid?
  
  Consider how important they are and if they are actually relevant to the conversation. Or if I feel like I'm dominating the conversation, just let several things go even if they are obviously relevant. If they are that relevant, they will probably pop back into my mind from further conversation. Plus someone else may have had the same thought, and letting them say it first lets them participate with fewer interruptions.
  Let's take a friendly chat about a video game. First off, the conversation that will be had is not that important. It might feel that way, but unless it is the only time it comes up, there will be more opportunities in the future. Going in with this mindset helps a lot.
  If something pops into my head while the other person is speaking, and nobody is going to die or be maimed if I say nothing, then it isn't really that important. If I can't keep the thought around until they are finished, then it actually wasn't that important. Maybe it will come up again if it really is that relevant.
  Again, this took a loooong time to practice and it still takes effort. I kind of default to not volunteering anything in a group unless I can hold it until a break in the conversation. At my job that involves a lot of technical work this is actually a benefit because people pay more attention to someone who only speak about things they have thought through first. Exceot for brainstorming sessions, then I get to let all the wild ideas fly (while making sure everyone else gets a turn too),

Aha! Masking/coping strategy ACTIVATE!
Time to get out my phone/laptop and write that thought down so I can file it away into the kafkaesque disorganisation that is my notes system! (self hosting Trilium Notes btw)

My friends and I are (almost) all like this. Sometimes we "pin" ideas based on the key words that triggered them. That is, one of us will go, "Oh! You mentioned dogs. I need to put a pin in that idea, because I have a story about dogs when you're done." Then we go back to the main story. When it's over, now (at least) two people knew that there was a "pin" about "dogs." One of us might forget, both of us might forget, but we've found that by mentioning the key word, it's usually easier for us to find the "lost" thought again.
Your mileage may vary. Some people might prefer to make a note or some other tangible reminder. This is just what works for us, but maybe it can help others too.

Oh god yes!!!