How To Go From “Brain Dump” To “Real Progress”
TL/DR:
Brain dumps clear mental clutter fast\
But they don’t necessarily lead to progress unless you:
Get clear on next steps
And when you’ll do them
Ask yourself the questions below to move from disconnected tasks to a real plan
The Whole Shebang:
Riddle me this:
I’m the mental spring-clean before focus begins;
Ideas spill out, chaos thins.
Not quite a list, not quite a plan,
Just everything crowding your attention span.
What am I?
Don’t worry, I’ll wait a minute while you think.
Got it?
It’s “a brain dump”!
(And yes, I am the type of nerd who uses ChatGPT to write a riddle about brain dumps. Sorry, not sorry.)
If you've been around here for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me talking about the power of brain dumps.
It’s a technique you can use to reduce stress and overwhelm in just a few minutes, no matter where you are, with the tools you have on hand (your phone, a doc, a scrap of paper).
Need a bit more of an explainer?
I got ya!
Here’s how to do a brain dump:
Grab a pen and paper, or better yet, your task app. (Don’t have a task app? My favorite is TickTick)
Start writing out everything that comes to your mind that you have to do, think you have to do, might have to do, need an answer to, etc.
No matter how small, or how large. No matter what department of your life these items belong to.
Your goal is to get it out of your head.
Wanna do one now?
I can wait.
Feels good, right?
Now, maybe you're thinking:
"I've been here before, and it does feel great to offload this mental load, but how do I get myself to actually do all the things?”
And I get it.
The brain dump is the first step, and there are a few tweaks that will take you from “brain dump” to “full speed ahead”:
When brain dumping imagine you hear my voice in your ear asking you the following:
What is the end goal here? (that's the name of the task or project)
Lots of times you’re brain dumping discrete steps instead of the end goal (and it’s steps) and this leads to overwhelming task lists that are difficult to prioritize.
What's the next step?
This might, in fact, be the first thing you thought of (see above).
Do you know any of the steps after that?
If so, write them down.
If you’d brain dumped them separately, get them into this one task.
When will you do the next step (realistically)?
Check your calendar and block the time you need if it's a chunky step.
Update the next action date.
And here's a short (<1m) video of me walking you through this process, in case it's helpful to hear out loud.
This is how we get from messy, overwhelming thoughts to “realistic action plan”.
Wanna turn your brain-dumping skills into a full fledged, never let anything fall thought the cracks, task system, built for your brain, your life, and your real world constaints (like the fact that you have to use a specific tool at work?)?
I gotcha! When you’re ready, here are 3 ways we can work together:
Enroll in the Time Well Spent course
Bite-sized, shame-free steps to take control of your time, and your life. Built for real people with big lives, big jobs, or both. Learn more, or enroll here.
Get 1:1 Coaching
High-touch coaching experience for people managers, leaders, executives and founders who need a trusted partner to streamline priorities, manage the overwhelm, and focus on what moves the needle most. Schedule a call to explore if this is the right fit for you.
Explore Team Workshops/Training
Customized workshops and trainings to help your team improve productivity without burnout and create a culture where people (actually) thrive. Schedule a call to explore if this is the right fit for you.
