Omg yes this happened to me at a subway last year! The guy making my sandwich was like "you good?" and I realized I'd just been locked in on his face for like a full minute while he worked. Now I stare at the chips or the floor and it feels so awk but at least nobody's weirded out anymore lol.

The part about the client copying it "word for word" is the real issue here, not that they used your list as a starting point. I've had this happen with a scope sheet I wrote for a flip, and the guy just pasted my whole punch list into his own bid packet. What worked for me was splitting things up: send the client a clean summary of what the job needs, but keep the actual step by step process in your own notes. That way they get the result they want and you still own the how. You can also just say upfront, hey this is for planning only, please don't repost it as your own. Most people won't push back if you say it plainly. If they do copy it anyway, that tells you a lot about how they'll treat you on the actual job.