A few years ago, despite putting a lot of time and energy into my personal time management, my mind was always buzzing. I didn’t have an on and off switch, which left me feeling incredibly overwhelmed, even when I was sleeping (not good). Although I created to do lists, there was always something else I was thinking about.
One thing I’ve learned about myself over the years is that if I get it all on paper, I tend not to fret about my never ending to do list. It may sound silly, but once it’s documented I feel like my mind is clear and I’m better able to focus on the task at hand.
Each morning, before the day gets going, I like to create a “Brain Dump” list. Unlike a to do list, a Brain Dump is a list of literally everything on my mind. Some days it takes on qualities of a to do list and other days it’s full of reminders.
For 5-10 minutes I literally write down everything I’m thinking about in list form.
From there I’m able to create to do lists and/or digest what’s on my brain. It helps me to organize my thoughts and to let go of anything that might be consuming my brain. At the end of the day I like to look back on my Brain Dump and to cross off everything I did and/or remembered to do.
The next day I start a new Brain Dump and move on from yesterday’s list. Some things are the same since they’re still on my mind, but my hope and goal is to move on from things that are complete.
This method has worked really well for me over the years and is something I hope to continue.
