How do I practice quick capture?

The most direct way to practice quick capture is through a focused exercise: Time your current capture workflow. Open a blank note on your phone or computer right now and start a stopwatch. Write a single sentence — any sentence. Stop the timer. If it took more than 5 seconds from intent to first keystroke, identify the friction: unlocking, finding the app, choosing a notebook, waiting for sync. Now try it with the fastest method available to you (voice memo, widget, keyboard shortcut). Record both times. The gap between them is the friction tax you're paying on every thought.

Common pitfall: Building an elaborate capture system with tags, templates, and folder structures — then wondering why you never use it. The failure is optimizing for organization at the point of capture instead of optimizing for speed. Organization is a downstream activity. Capture is an upstream emergency.

This practice connects to Phase 3 (Capture Systems) — building it as a repeatable habit compounds over time.