Day 7: Brain Dump
Now that we have done a lot of physical organizing, it is time to take a break and breathe. Stress can be skyrocketing with the Christmas clock ticking down. Excitement and anxiety dance together as routines are changed with the arrival of Holiday visitors and the feeling of being overstretched.
Don’t worry, you do have a defense to help stave of the Grinch that may be peeking his head out due to fatigue and overwhelm. It is called the Brain Dump.
While Brain Dump may not be my favorite term, it is one of the most important things to me to get started and focused. This idea, discussed by Lisa Zawrotny in her Positively Living Podcast, is simple. Take 5 minutes, uninterrupted and timed to write down or record absolutely anything and everything that is on your mind or comes to mind. Anything.
Go ahead, I’ll wait……
The purpose of this exercise is to clear all the chaos in your mind that is floating around and get it onto paper for clarity to begin a plan of attack.
Think of your brain as a computer with a bunch of open tabs bringing down the computer’s processing speed. As you list your thoughts, it is like you are closing out open tabs, so you can then just focus on a few at a time with more energy.
According to best- selling productivity author David Allen, it is believed that our brain is made for creating ideas and not really for storing them which is why it is crucial to get unnecessary information out.
In his most recognized book, ‘Getting Things Done,’ Allen thoroughly explains how to empty your brain to be successful. It is now called the GTD Method.
According to Allen, there are 5 basic steps to effectively using the brain dump to clear your mind; therefore, becoming more productive when unproductive thoughts are no longer present. Allen calls this state ‘mind like water.’
I will be explaining the GTD Method with specificity in February. Below is a BRIEF outline of 5 actions you can adopt while dumping out all the chatter in your brain.
GTD Method:
1. Capture-
– Gather, write down, or record (in apps like Evernote) all thoughts and ideas you have.
2. Clarify- Is the thought reasonable or necessary?
You can now see what tasks you can say NO to. (This is a whole separate topic, but the short of it is think that every time you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else- like your own free time and sanity!)
– Is it actionable now?
a. No- Discard, Save for Later, or Archive It for Reference
3. Organize-
– Is it a Calendar item to schedule?
– Is it a Project (requires more than one action)?-
a. Yes- Break down the project into ‘bite sized’ steps to have clarity on where to start and alleviate overwhelm from not knowing how it will be accomplished.
– Is there a Deadline?
a. Now
b. Soon
c. No deadline, but would like to do= Next Action when the list is finished
– Does it require the assistance of someone else?
* Tip- if it can be done in LESS THAN 2 MINUTES, then do the task right away, rather than adding it to a To Do List! *
4. Reflect- Check your list throughout the day to see where you are at.
– What did you complete?
– What remains?
– Too much on your list?
– Clean & Update lists as you go
5. Engage- Essentially, Just Do Your List!
David Allen has 4 factors he uses to decide which actions you should take next. Those factors are: Context (work, family, or hobby), Time Available, Energy Available, and Priority. Again, I will explain the GTD Method with more specificity in February.
You can brain dump daily to quiet your thoughts and help you sleep, weekly to plan, or just whenever life seems chaotic. I personally am a night owl and work best at night; therefore, I do mine the night before to make my daily To Do list.
The method listed is just a guideline. There is no ‘Right’ way. There are, however, many free online templates to help categorize your thoughts by just Googling Free Brain Dump Templates! So now you know how to start, Go Do It.