Have you ever felt extreme overwhelm from the enormous amount of items, tasks, and to do’s that you are keeping in your head? If you struggle to keep up with family, work and all your to dos, it’s time to try my brain dump method! Here’s everything you need to know about how to use a brain dump to increase your weekly productivity.
A brain dump helps you eliminate all that overwhelm, reduce stress and be super productive each week. Here are the step-by-step instructions so you can try out my brain dumping technique and gain some much needed mental space.
What Is The Brain Dump Method?
A brain dump is essentially the process of getting rid of mental clutter by getting everything out of your mind and onto a piece of paper. Regular brain dumps can help you stop that brain tornado and prioritize everything in your mind dump so you can actually get it all done.
You write freely and let all of the random thoughts and tasks that are causing you stress out of your head and onto a piece of paper. When you’re done, you’ll have a fresh perspective and a better idea of what needs immediate attention so you can focus on one task at a time and finally get things done.
What Materials Do You Need For A Brain Dump?
A brain dump is a super simple way to lessen your cognitive load and boost focus. Best of all, you don’t need much time or many materials to use this powerful tool and start dumping all those tasks that are stressing you out onto paper.
Brain Dump Essential #1 – A Notebook
Although there aren’t many rules to doing a brain dump, I don’t recommend using a random note pad, post it notes, or loose leaf paper. Those lists often get lost.
Instead, use a special brain dump notebook or even a bullet journal. If you are inspired by design like I am, go find a cute notebook that makes you super happy every time you look at it!
Or there’s also that really frugal part of me that loves a good deal. So, I go to the dollar store and get really cute notepads there. Every time I look at it, it makes me happy because I only paid ninety nine cents for it!
No matter what you choose, you need a specific place just for writing things you need to get done.
Brain Dump Essential #2 – A Pencil Or Pen
First, you are also going to need a pencil or a pen. You may want some highlighters too but you don’t necessarily need them.
If you don’t want to use paper and pen, you could also use a digital note taking app, like the notes app on your phone. I’m going to leave that decision up to you.
It’s not a good option for me because I’m not consistent enough with it. I do much better when I have a tangible object like paper and a pen in my hand. I’m also trying to create a culture of technology last in my home. So, I prefer to have pen and paper. You can choose whether a separate notebook, bullet journal or a digital tool will work best for you.
How To Do A Brain Dump
There are four really straightforward steps to doing regular brain dumps. It’s genuinely a super simple way to gain mental clarity and support your well being. There is also a bonus tip at the end of these four steps that I think is going to make the brain dump method even more impactful. So, make sure you read all the way to the end!
Brain Dump Step 1: Grab Your Supplies
The first thing that you’re going to do is grab your supplies that we talked about above (a notebook, pen or pencil and highlighters if you chose to use them).
I’m currently putting my brain dumps into my daily planner, the Horacio Dream Planner. It already has my time blocking in it with space for notes below. It just makes sense to keep my weekly brain dumps there so that I am writing things I need to do in the same space where I plan out my week.
My paper planner from Horacio Printing has completely changed my game as a work from home mom. You can use code Chelsi20 to get yours and save at checkout!
You may also want to find a quiet corner of your house so that you can be alone with your thoughts. A little peace and quiet, or even complete silence if you can find it, will help your thoughts flow. That’s all you need for step one—gather your supplies, find your space and get ready to start writing!
Brain Dump Step 2: Start Writing
The next step in the brain dump process is to write down everything you need to get done. Let your thoughts flow freely. Don’t overthink it. Just write them down—line one, line to line three, etc.
These should be to-do items, not big goals or projects. We’re not goal planning here. Just get all of those thoughts out of your brain and onto paper.
Try to think of specific things that need to get done this week. For example, I have to do one million loads of laundry. Or, I have to reschedule my mastermind. Things like, I need to pay for and pick up my oils, clean out my car, take bikes in for servicing, etc.
Simple, right? That’s all there is to step number two of the brain dump. You write down everything that you can possibly think of that you need to get done.
Brain Dump Step 3: Look At Your Calendar
Step three is where all of the finite details that we typically overlook come into play. For step number three, get out your calendar.
If you’re using a paper calendar or if you’re using an electronic calendar like Google calendar, I want you to look at every single day. Click on Monday. Look at what’s going on that day. Click on Tuesday. What’s going on that day? Do the kids have a field trip? Do you have any professional commitments? Is there an event that requires something special to happen that you need to get done? Is there anything outside of the ordinary going on this week?
As you look at those things, your brain will be triggered with additional tasks you need to get done. Add those extra to dos to your brain dump. By doing this, instead of dreading the week ahead you’ll be able to go into your week prepared and focused.
Brain Dump Step 4: Review And Organize
Step number four is what I like to call the 1 2 3 system. It is the real ticket to success of this entire mind dumping process. So as of now, you should have a pretty robust brain dump that is just one line after another. They should not be in any type of chronological order at all. It’s just literally just all the mental clutter that was in your brain.
Although the writing process itself will help reduce stress, the 1, 2, 3 system turns your random notes into trackable tasks.
The 1, 2, 3 System For Organizing Your To Dos
The one, two, three system is essentially a higher hierarchy of needs.
Number one is something that absolutely cannot wait. If it does wait, there will be consequences. This is a task that has a deadline or an event that’s taking place that you can’t postpone.
2’s are usually items that are in-between. Tasks that might make you feel like there’s a sense of urgency or maybe tasks you really want to get completed. But, if they’re not done right away, there won’t be any direct consequences to relationships or your finances.
3’s are basically a want. These are tasks that you would be thrilled to see completed. It would be a feather in your cap, I guess you could say. At the same time, here will be zero consequences if these items are not completed. I’ll give you some examples of what this looks like in just a minute.
So to recap, ones are something that cannot wait. Twos are urgent, but they don’t have any direct consequences if they’re not completed immediately. And threes are pretty much just a desire or a want, something that would make you happy if it was completed.
Categorize Your List
When you look at your list, you are going to see your ones jump out at you immediately. And I want you to put a 1 next to those items. It has to be done this week.
The ones jump out at me and then the threes jump out at me, my twos are always in the gray area and that’s why they’re twos. They’re kind of in the middle. They could go either way.
So, next I mark my threes. At the end, then I go back and I mark my twos. Sometimes I have to pause and think about which category a task should go in. It usually only takes a few minutes to categorize everything.
Use Your Highlighters
For those of you that like to use highlighters and are super visual, you can highlight all your ones in pink. Then, you can highlight all your twos in yellow and all of your threes in green. Really, you could use whatever colors you want, just assign each number a color. This will give you a little more mental clarity as you look at your list.
So, for my list that I created for myself this week, I put a one next to my one thousand loads of laundry. My number threes are put away diapers and take bikes in for service and to reschedule my mastermind. My twos are clean out my car, clean vanities and send an email.
The To Dos That Aren’t Actually To Dos
If there’s anything on your list that doesn’t fall into the 1, 2, 3 system, maybe it’s not a to do. Maybe it’s more like a lofty goal or project. Here’s the system I use to help me fit projects into each week and my method to reach goals faster. For now, put those items on a separate list, and dive into those systems later.
Maybe it isn’t something that’s even related to what you need to get done. You just wrote it down to get it out of your head. In that case, just mark it out. It doesn’t need to be on this list because this is a list that is going to help you make headway on the things that have to be done. Like those little things that we overlook. Anything that doesn’t fit into a one or two or three, just cross it out.
Those are the four steps to do a brain dump. A brain dump helps you organize your thoughts and prioritize so you can get it all done. So now, onto the fun part. How do you get it all done?
BONUS TIP – Maximize Productivity With Your Brain Dump!
Now you actually get to learn how you take this brain dump and use it to make you extra productive every single week. Whenever you have time to do something on your to do list, you are immediately going to focus on your ones. You want to prioritize those important tasks first. For now, you’re not going to look at your twos and you’re not going to look at your threes.
You’re only looking at your number ones because you’ve already designated that those are the most important things. And if they’re the most important to you, you should focus on them first.
It doesn’t matter if the one was at the bottom or at the top of your brain dump, it’s still a one.
I know that sometimes I will have things on my to do list, like replace the light bulbs in the kitchen because they’ve been burned out for two months. And somehow, between my husband and I, we manage to not get to that task because it seems so remedial for so long. This brain dump exercise has helped us tremendously to say, “Okay this is really important to us this week. It’s a one. We’re doing it.”
A Time Block for To-Dos
I utilize this exact same system in my business as I do in my personal life. This was the system I used when I was in college and it’s super helpful.
I have a time block built in to my week that specifically is labeled “to do.” Sometimes it’s two hours, sometimes it’s one hour one day and one hour another day because I can’t find a solid two hours to give to my to-do list. Ever since I started doing that, that has made such a huge difference. We are blowing through to dos like never before.
This focused approach helps me know exactly what I am going to do when I sit down at my desk for my work block too. This brain dump method can be applied to any task or project that needs to be accomplished within a short amount of time.
The System For When You Have Too Much To Do
If you are limited on time and have a large amount of things that you are trying to accomplish, its time to brain dump your way to clarity!
“When you get all those tasks outside of your brain, categorize them and plan when they will get done, you stop feeling so overwhelmed.
At the beginning of each week, I set aside time and write out every single thing that needs to get done. I write a list for my personal life and one for my business. Then, I do the one, two, three system with it. After that, whenever I sit down in my work hours, or in my to-do block, I know that I’m focusing on my ones first, then my twos and then my threes. The real key with that, though, is you have to be implementing time blocking in your life to be able to have the time to get them done.
Brain Dumps Work For Everyone
The best news is, anyone can use brain dumps to improve focus. Having this list available to look at throughout the week is going to dramatically increase your productivity.
If you really want to take your productivity to a whole new level, join my coaching program, Systemize to Scale. You will get 12 months of support from me and my team to help you organize your home and your business so that you can get out of the chaos and into organized. Apply today to get started!!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I learn more about time blocking?
Check out my completely FREE resource that shows you my time blocking method. Understanding and using my 5-block system for creating and scheduling your week has so many benefits! You’ll be able to schedule everything in that you need to get done during the week, including scheduling the exact block of times for when you’re going to fit in your to-dos.
How often should I do a brain dump?
I recommend doing it once a week. However, if you use my home and business management system that I teach inside Systemize Your Life and Systemize to Scale, you’ll learn how to automate many of the tasks that are cluttering your to-do list and your brain. Once you’ve got those systems embedded into your daily routine, you will only need to do a brain dump when you feel overwhelmed or behind.
