Who this is for
Anyone who stalls when everything looks like a priority. You do not need a bigger list, you need permission to ignore most of it for the next hour.
The moment this saves you
You have fifteen tabs open in your head and they are all flashing. You cannot pick, so you scroll your phone instead. You say the list out loud and ask for just the next move.
See it work
Messy spoken thought in. A clean, structured artifact out.
I have so much to do I don't even know where to start, there's the report, the report is the big one, um the expenses thing, I should book the flights before they go up, reply to like four emails, the laundry, prep for the standup tomorrow, oh and I told myself I'd go to the gym, and somewhere in here I'm supposed to be doing the report.
Focus card, June 5, 2026
NOW (just this one)
- The report. It is the big one and everything else can wait an hour.
NEXT (after that)
- Book the flights before prices rise
- Prep for tomorrow's standup
NOT NOW (parked, on purpose)
- Expenses
- Reply to the four emails
- Laundry
- Gym
One thing. Start the report.
The workflow
Record a voice note
Hit the hotkey and talk, no formatting, no typing.
Tag it with this context
Contextli shapes your words into the structured output above.
Find it later
Everything's searchable and organised by context.
Pull it into Claude or ChatGPT
Bring your contexts straight into your AI tools with the Contextli MCP.
Your raw recording and transcription stay on your device, so you can always go back to the original.
The prompt behind this context
I'm going to talk through everything that is pulling at my attention right now. It will be a long, panicked list with no order. Force it into exactly three bold buckets: **NOW (just this one)** with the single most important thing and one sentence on why it wins, **NEXT (after that)** with at most three items, and **NOT NOW (parked, on purpose)** with everything else so I can stop holding it. Pick the NOW item from what I actually said is biggest or most time-sensitive, never invent one. End with a single short italic line telling me the one thing to start. Do not add tasks I did not mention, do not motivate me or explain ADHD, and do not pad it. Output only the focus card, no preamble.
Make it your own. This is a starting point. Once it's in Contextli, tweak the instructions so the output comes out exactly how you like it.
Use this context
One click copies it and shows you exactly how to drop it into Contextli.
Next, open Contextli, go to the Contexts page, click Import, choose From JSON, paste, then Import Context. It is ready to use.
Make it your own. This is a starting point. Once it's in Contextli, tweak the instructions so the output comes out exactly how you like it.
Your raw recording and transcription stay on your device, so you can always go back to the original.
Related contexts
ADHD Brain Dump
Your head is too loud to think and it is all tangled. Say all of it out loud in whatever order it falls out. You get it back sorted into Tasks, Ideas, Worries, and Later, with anything time-sensitive pulled to the top, so your brain can finally put it down.
Frog of the Day
There is one thing you keep skating past, the call, the form, the conversation, and the avoidance is eating the whole day. Talk through the dread out loud. You get back the single frog to eat first and a two-minute first step so small you cannot argue with it.
Voice To-Do List
Your to-dos arrive while your hands are full, driving, cooking, walking to a meeting. Say 'Hey Siri, dictate with Contextli' and rattle them off. You get a clean, ordered checklist instead of fourteen sticky notes and a vague sense of dread.
Questions people ask
Questions people with ADHD ask about Now / Next / Not Now
How do I capture a to-do list by voice so it is actually organized?
Open Contextli, select the Now / Next / Not Now context, and speak your items in any order. The context groups related items, identifies priorities, and produces a task list you can paste into Slack, Notion, or email. You do not need to sort while speaking; say what comes to mind and let the context handle the structure.
What is the best way to capture tasks and ideas that come up during the day?
The habit that works is immediate capture with zero friction. The Now / Next / Not Now context lets you speak a to-do list in 10 to 20 seconds and produces a task list. You paste it into Slack, Notion, or email at the next natural pause. Because capturing is fast, you actually do it instead of telling yourself you will remember.
Can I build a to-do list by voice while doing other things?
Yes. With the Now / Next / Not Now context in Contextli, you can speak a to-do list while cooking, commuting, or doing anything else hands-free. The context formats your spoken list into a task list that is ready when you need it.
How do I avoid losing the things I mean to get to?
Capture them the second they surface. The Now / Next / Not Now context turns a quick spoken note into a task list in seconds, so nothing lives only in your head. You review and act on it later from Slack, Notion, or email, instead of trusting yourself to remember.
How do I add this context to Contextli?
Copy the context on this page, then open Contextli and go to the Contexts page. Click Import, choose From JSON, paste it into the Import from Clipboard window, and click Import Context. It is ready to use in under 30 seconds. If you do not have Contextli yet, you can download it for free first.
Is my voice recording private? Does Contextli send it anywhere?
Your voice recording and the transcription are stored on your device only. Contextli processes your audio locally and does not send your recordings or transcription text to any server. The structured output it produces is text you control, and you decide where it goes.
Can I change what the output looks like?
Yes. Every context in Contextli is a starting point you can edit. Open the context in the app, change the instructions to adjust the structure, tone, or fields, and save. The next time you use it, the output reflects your changes. You are not locked into the default format.
Do I need to install an app to use this context?
Yes. Contextli is a free app. Download it, then copy this context and paste it into the Import from Clipboard window on the Contexts page. The whole process takes about 30 seconds.