How to Brain Dump Effectively

What is a brain dump? A brain dump is when you transfer everything from your head onto a piece of paper. It can be anything: tasks, the news, questions you have, etc.

Why brain dump? The point of a brain dump, really, is to free up space. When thoughts build up it can become overwhelming, so free up space by writing it all down.

So, how do you brain dump effectively?

Grab a pen + paper. I prefer using a notebook, so I can use the same notebook for each brain dump and potentially track trends in my brain over time.

No holding back. Just UNLEASH YOUR BRAIN! Any + every thought that pops up, jot it down!

No preliminary organization. No rhyme or reason. Just brain dump - dumps aren't cute or organized!

Once you're done, what's next?  After a solid brain dump, my next step is to...walk away.

Next, it's time to organize. First, you create your four buckets. Make four buckets differentiating the importance and urgency of each bullet on your list.

Go in with a highlighter and color-coordinate some categories. Once things are bucketed off, go in with some colored highlighters and break down the lists even further. It might change with every brain dump, since what's weighing on your mind might be different every time!

Start the process of handling what you can, and letting go (for now) of what you cannot.

 Get realistic about the things that ARE handleable, and write down the next step accordingly. For example, if "clean the house" is on your list, write down what needs to be done.

Find more about each step of the brain dump process in the linked blog post!

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