• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • Holiday Shop
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ
  • Subscribe
  • Categories
    • Living
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Needlepoint
    • Travel
  • Shop
  • Holiday Shop

Adored By Alex

A Houston based Fashion + Lifestyle blog by Alex Carreno

  • Beauty
  • Living
  • Needlepoint
  • Style
  • Travel

Living

Declutter your mind: How to do a brain dump

How to do a brain dump

If you’re anything like me, chances are you have a bevy of items swimming around in your head at all times. Right now, I’m juggling a handful of projects, plus helping out with a few remodeling projects for ALE Renovations, my blog work and trying to make personal time for my health and well-being… I’ve got a lot going on in my life! That’s why I rely heavily on a weekly ritual I’ve had for a little over two years now, decluttering my mind with a regular brain dump.

At first glance, the name sounds a little morbid, right? Well, don’t let it fool you. A brain dump is good for the soul AND mind! I’ve come to rely on my brain dumps weekly, sometimes multi-weekly to properly function and navigate within our busy world.

Every so often when I post about my Monday morning brain dumps on social media, I receive questions on how to do a brain dump. Well, let me tell you it isn’t all that difficult. If you’re ready to empty all your thoughts and to-dos onto a piece of paper, then you’re already taking a step in the right direction! There really is no wrong way to do a brain dump, but these are the steps that have worked for me, and help me to feel productive throughout my week.

How to do a brain dump and declutter your mind

How to do a brain dump

Decluttering your brain will not only help you get more sh*t done, but it’ll also ease anxiety… I can attest to it! I try to follow these steps when I do my weekly brain dump. It’s important to remember this isn’t a to-do list, but instead just a list of everything that’s in your mind, things to-do, to remember, to act upon, and more.

Block out some quiet time

Personally, I find that my brain dump works best when I step away from my phone, computer or anything else that might serve as a distraction. Sometimes a brain dump will only take 15-20 minutes, other times it might be closer to an hour. Try to do your brain dump when you don’t have other time constraints. I find that allowing myself whatever time I need, helps my brain dump happen more naturally.

How to effectively do a brain dump
Grab a notepad and pen… and let’s write

Grab a notepad, a notebook, a piece of paper and get ready to brain dump! I like to use a lined notebook for my brain dumps. For the most effective brain dump, I simply just begin to start writing out whatever is on my mind. Need to go to the grocery store? Write that task down. Want to fit in an evening walk? Write it down.

Basically, I write down anything and everything that’s taking up space in my mind. More often than not, it includes a bevy of to dos or things I might want to make happen in the coming days. Tasks could be as big as goals I have swimming around in my mind right then or as menial as take out the trash.

tips for a brain dump
Organize your thoughts

Once I feel like I’ve gotten everything out on paper, I try to think about the ways in which each of the items might be grouped. In essence, this is a way to better organize my brain dump thoughts to decide on action for each now or later. I usually have three to four groupings: business-related, personal, my husband’s business and our investment property. Everything then gets sorted out into these groupings so I can better organize what needs to be done and when.

Once I have everything grouped, sometimes I re-write my list or other times I highlight with colors that correspond to my groupings, then I’ll go back and star or circle the most important items. Do I need to turn in a draft for a partnership later in the week? Circle it. I need to make a vet appointment for Sadie’s annual shots. Circle it. See where this is going?

My brain dump is meant to be an effective way to clear out my mind, de-stress by allowing myself to feel some sort of accomplishment for writing things down on a task list and ultimately a place that houses everything I need to take action on.

I like to keep my weekly brain dumps in one place (a notebook), so I can refer back to them each week. More often than not, I didn’t hit everything on my previous brain dump list, so being able to refer back to what might need more urgency in the following weeks is helpful.

I love a good brain dump and highly suggest trying it out for yourself! Yes, I get a paper filled with items that were swimming around in my brain, and stressing me out, but I also feel like it provides a sort of mental clarity that we often aren’t too accustomed to these days. And finding that clarity, to me, is the most important.

Declutter your mind: how to do a brain dump

In: Living

You’ll Also Love

Complete garage organization project | Adored by AlexOur Garage Organization Project, Before & After
tips for packing jewelry for travel3 Tips for Packing Jewelry when Traveling
organizing needlepoint threadsTips for Organizing your Needlepoint Thread Stash
Next Post >

Valentine’s Day Date Night at Home Tablescape

I'm Alex. Houston-based lifestyle and style blogger. Here on this little happy corner of the internet, it's my hope that you'll be left feeling inspired and equipped with confidence and style in every facet of your life!

join the list

Sign up to receive my newsletters and get access to exclusive blog posts straight to your inbox!

Categories

  • Living
  • Style
  • Beauty
  • Needlepoint
  • Travel
Shopbop.com

Fast Free Shipping Worldwide

  • JUST ARRIVED
  • SHOP MESSENGER
  • SHOP SOCKS

Fast Free Shipping Worldwide

JUST ARRIVED

  • Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini

    Get the Look

  • Beach Riot

    Eva Top by Beach Riot

  • GANNI

    GANNI Double Twill Jacket

< >

SHOP MESSENGER

  • Frye

    heart Frye Logan Messenger Bag

< >

SHOP SOCKS

  • Hysteria

    Get the Look

  • MOTHER

    Buy Now at Shopbop

  • Marc Jacobs

    The Grunge Socks by Marc Jacobs

< >

Shop Skirts, Fine Jewelry, Bralette Bras, Shorts and more. Get this widget.

popular categories

AdoredbyAlex-Beauty

Beauty

AdoredbyAlex-Convos

Convos

Prosciutto, Fig, Arugula flatbread recipe

Recipes

Shopbop.com

Fast Free Shipping Worldwide

  • JUST ARRIVED
  • SHOP MESSENGER
  • SHOP SOCKS

Fast Free Shipping Worldwide

JUST ARRIVED

  • Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini

    Get the Look

  • Beach Riot

    Eva Top by Beach Riot

  • GANNI

    GANNI Double Twill Jacket

< >

SHOP MESSENGER

  • Frye

    heart Frye Logan Messenger Bag

< >

SHOP SOCKS

  • Hysteria

    Get the Look

  • MOTHER

    Buy Now at Shopbop

  • Marc Jacobs

    The Grunge Socks by Marc Jacobs

< >

Shop Skirts, Fine Jewelry, Bralette Bras, Shorts and more. Get this widget.

Adored by Alex

  • FAQ
  • About
  • Get in Touch

join the list

Shop My Favorites

  • Shop My Finds
  • Amazon Faves
  • Shop My Outfits
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact

Copyright © 2022 Adored By Alex · Site by Mila Design Co.

Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}