Brain Dump: What It Is, and Should You Do It?
A Brain Dump is essentially writing your thoughts on paper. It could look like a master task list in your planner, it could be a journal entry. It is basically taking any and all thoughts from your head and writing them down on paper. The concept is that you’re taking thoughts (intangible) and making them tangible by writing them down. It doesn’t matter what it is. It could be a to-do list, your worries and anxieties about your life or future, or maybe even a packing or cleaning list. When you create a brain dump, the point is to relieve your mind of its burden - you can write it down, forget about it for awhile and come back to it later when you’re in a frame of mind to deal with it.
About 22 years ago, I wrote a brain dump without knowing that people would be calling it a brain dump now. I was a young adult, and I had so many worries on my mind. I was working at a part time job and I was worried about how I was going to pay my bills and go to school. Looking back now, the worries I had then seem trivial. (Don’t they all?) At the time though, I was so anxious about it, and I didn’t know how to handle things. I was trying to talk to my then boyfriend about all the troubles on my mind. I was so emotional about it all that I couldn’t explain it properly, and every time I tried, I would start to cry. So, I decided to write him a letter. I wrote down all the things that were making me frustrated, and terrified and confused. He sat down with me and we went through that entire letter together.
I remember him saying that he was surprised by some of the things I wrote. There were things that I hadn't been able to express to him, that he didn't even know about. Even though it was just the two of us, he helped me with every single thing in that letter. I think one of the things I was worried about was going to the dentist. I had a tooth ache, and since I worked at a part time job, I didn't have any health coverage. He not only encouraged me to make the appointment, he drove me (I have a lot of anxiety surrounding the dentist), and he helped me pay for the bill after too. It took about a year, but all of the worries and anxieties I had at that time became irrelevant, because as time passes, this is the way of things. But, I will never forget that he helped me. It all came down to writing my thoughts on paper.
Today, I still do the same thing. I’m an adult today, and I’ve learned to handle my emotions and anxieties a bit better. When hard things come up, I might strew and stress over them for a little while, but I eventually deal with everything head on. For me, it’s the only way that I know to relieve stress and live with the already stressful world we live in. I have believed for awhile now that the universe will only give you what you can handle. Each of these stressors and anxieties that you have are meant to teach you some kind of lesson: maybe it’s patience, fortitude, strength. Either way, the best way to tackle them is to see them for what they are. Sometimes it’s a simple, small thing that can be dealt with right away, and sometimes it’s not. The trick is to write it down and get it out of your head.
In the same fashion, I do this with all of my tasks I have to do around my home, for my business and for my children. Whether it’s making a doctors appointment, dealing with a fee at school, or paying someone back. I write it down as a reminder to myself so I don’t forget. In that moment, I might be doing a hundred and one other things. I quickly jot the thought down, and get it out of my head so I can move on to more important things. Then when I have time, I come back to it and schedule it for a particular time, or I deal with it right then and there.
I also do this in my journal. I enjoy writing about each of my days and documenting what I did each day. I do a hybrid method of back-planning and memory keeping in my Hobonichi Cousin. On the weeklies, I write down the tasks I did each day and how long I did that task for. On the dailies, I write down the details of that day and the memories associated with them. Sometimes I include pictures, and mementoes. In my daily journaling, I document my thoughts and feelings. I write down my intentions for the day (kind of like a mini goal for the day that helps me complete my main goals I set for the month, quarter and year). I document what I’m looking forward to and what successes I’ve had that day. The more you do this, the more it becomes a habit; second nature. I said once in a blog about journaling that’s it’s far more productive to write down complaints in your journal than it is to complain to a friend or family member. It saves both parties heartache sometimes. (Have you ever listened to someone who has lots of problems or issues? Sometimes it’s hard to take in that negativity). So instead, I have learned to write it all down in a journal. That way, no one has to listen to me complain about anything, and I still feel good about it once I’ve written it down and thought it through on my own.
You can have multiple places for a brain dump. In your planner, you might have an inbox where you can quickly jot down notes, or you might actually have a brain dump page. Someone else might prefer a section entitled “Lists”, or even “To-Do’s. You can keep a journal or notebook for thoughts whenever they pop into your head, or you can use your phone on the go. Make a voice memo when you’re in your car or away from your planner or journal.
I hope today’s blog on brain dumps has helped you in some fashion. Let me know in the comments whether you brain dump. Do you find it helpful? Thank you so much for reading and we’ll see you next week!
💜 SAN
