Quick change thinking methods?

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Like so many of us, I find that I give all of my attention to whatever I'm doing or thinking at the time, and find it difficult to switch to a different subject.

Not that I literally can't put down one task and pick up another, but rather the fact that my mind will still be focused on the first task.

That's not a 'sin'. But neither is it useful or conducive to productivity.

NTs seem to (usually) be quite adept at switching from one thing to another with relative ease.

Has anyone here been able to come up with any methods to switch quickly and easily between competing demands on their attention? And if so, how/what did you do?

That's interesting - I find I have almost the opposite issue: when something interrupts me or when I move from one task to another, I tend to suddenly lose track of the first task. I've chalked it up to weak short-term memory, as if the new task requires my full focus and all of my short-term memory, pushing everything else out of my awareness. In my work, which was complex technical stuff, I would have to 'come up to speed' each time I sat down to a particular task, and then after I refamiliarized myself with it and intently focused on it I could do productive work. So interruptions could throw me way off and cost a lot of time. Oftentimes doing work around the house, I'll be in the middle of something in one room, then walk to another room for a sip of coffee or whatever, and by the time I'm in the new room I've nearly forgotten what I was originally doing and it can take a lot of effort (or returning to the first room) to remember what I was doing. I think of it as me being scatterbrained and needing to focus tightly on what I'm doing - easily distracted. In my case it might be related to dissociation. There's a lot of variation between autistics. The only meaningful suggestion for improving ability to switch quickly between subjects would be to practice doing it. There were times when I had to work on two things (like taking timing data on a test system in the lab and documenting and analyzing it, which were two very different activities), and at first it was hard to switch back-and-forth, but over time I adapted to the switching.

I wasn't thorough enough in my first description. Seems to be a fusion of yours and mine. I also have short term memory issues and get distracted, forgetting about the former thing.

But then there's little control over the process, so the new thing becomes the everything.

If I accidentally switch, I forget the previous, but the new thing isn't always the direction I need to go.

If I try to deliberately change the subject, for my own good, eg study... damn difficult.

I'll try practice, as you say. I also find note taking helps. And now that I'm consciously aware of it, if my wife brings something to my attention for later action, I automatically tell her to remind me when I have time because I'll forget in 3 seconds.