You know the feeling when your brain starts to recall thoughts of anything and everything that you promised yourself you were going to do but never got around to it? You can feel your heart racing with every thought, as beads of sweat slide down your forehead, and all of a sudden you don’t feel so great.

Luckily when experiencing these symptoms, you can forgo the pepto and just perform a good ol’ fashioned brain dump! I know, the name isn’t appealing to me either, so I prefer to call it an out of mind experience.

The purpose of a periodic brain dump is to help yourself avoid overwhelm, whether the source of your consuming thoughts are your basic to-dos or full project planning. Your brain isn’t meant to hold all of that “stuff” and still remain in a composed state, which is why it’s so important to get it all out on paper.

When is the best time for a brain dump?

Performing a weekly brain dump not only helps you think clearly and manage your stress levels, but also allows you to become a pro at planning.

I have found it necessary at times to perform random brain dumps when I’m harboring a negative feeling that I can’t shake, this ritual lets me get to the source of the issue and I am able to overcome it quickly.

When your thoughts aren’t competing for your attention in your head, it makes it easier to prioritize what you need to do.

Grab a coffee and put pen to paper

Gather your thoughts and let them out. It doesn’t matter how you write, just allow the info to spew out (pardon the gross visual)! The point is that you want to get every single task that crosses your mind, out.

Now that you have your brain on paper, your head feels a lot lighter doesn’t it?

Prioritize your tasks

Organize your tasks into the following categories:

Priority: Important tasks you’ve committed to

Secondary: Tasks you’d like to do but, but aren’t urgent

Eventually: Things you want to do at one point or another

Now you can handle your list like a pro.

Sift through your three categories one by one and ask yourself “can I automate or delegate this task?”

Automate: Can I schedule it somehow that it takes care of itself? If it is a utility bill, then yes, if it’s sewing a costume for your daughter’s recital in two days, then no.

Delegate: Is the task something I can pass onto someone else?

Scheduling a grocery pick up order is a whole lot more convenient than making the trip yourself. Oh what will you do with the extra hour?!

After completing this process and having categorized each task, you will notice a shorter and more defined list that will be a breeze to complete. This clarity will make it easy on you to tackle what is important first and then move onto the next thing.

Take a load off

Whenever you feel out of your element and in need of relief, try this “out of mind” experience to become centered once again. No matter how important your list is, it’s worth noting that YOU are also a priority.

The brain dump will train you to become intentional with your time rather than just being busy, leaving you calm, collected and with more time for YOU!