Brain Dumping 101
Do you know what a brain dump is? If so, let me see a show of hands, how many of you brain dump regularly? I am SO proud of you.
And no, if you have no idea what I am talking about, I do not mean your brain taking a dump, I have kids, I'm all about the poopy talk LOL, but this is not that. However, in a weird way, you may be on the right track with that thought. Allow me to explain further please.
Our thinking brains act very similarly to the hard drive of a computer. They are made to store information, but not forever. So, it's then the responsibility is up tp us to either transfer that information into our long term memory, write it down, or let it be forgotten as it's consumed and covered by 18373683 more to dos and thoughts that pile up on top.
And that is where a brain dump comes in.
See, you could try and store absolutely everything in your life into your long term memory, but that's somewhat impossible for the majority of us, and honestly, most of it isn't necessary to store into our long term memory bank.
Return emails by Friday. Buy dog food. Get a present for co workers retirement. Update your website. Remember to schedule in the dentist next month. Update your kids winter wardrobes before the snow falls.
Every single day, we fill our brains with lists, schedules, to dos, appointments, birthdays, stuff for our kids, partners, work, life, ourselves, hobbies, pets, vehicles.. it can get very crowded and cluttered in there, important things go forgotten and undone, and we feel overwhelmed and frustrated.
If you think about it, how often do you back up your phone, computer, hard drives etc. so that you don't lose important data? Oh, shit, should that go onto your to do list to?
Exactly.
A brain dump feels soooooo good. For me, afterwards, my head feels empty. Free. Relaxed and organized because I am no longer filled to the brim with everything I don't need to be thinking about. It's refreshing. Releasing. Dare I say.... almost post orgasmic nothingness?
Ok, shush. Maybe I went too far with that last one, but I have been writing some steamy erotica lately.
It is very, extremely even, therapeutic to sit down for 5 to 15 minutes once a month (I aim for every week to twice a month) to sit down all alone in the quiet with paper and a pen, or your computer, and just WRITE. Let out anything and everything you can think of that's been floating around in there that you need to do, buy, say, sell, fix, complete, submit, etc.
I do prefer quiet, but some people like to put on music. Sometimes I take my list and wander from room to room of my house, letting ideas and to dos be brought back from my memory as I am reminded by things I see.
I also find using this list very helpful, for both my personal life and my business life.
If you brain dump, do you have any other suggestions or tips that would be helpful that I can edit and add to the list?
Once I'm done with my list, I read it over and re-evaluate what I've wrote down.
Anything that is super important, needs to be done asap, has a date to schedule, etc, I put into my day planner and then... done. I do those on the days and times they are wrote down for.
I create a big "to buy" list, I place it where I can add to it if need be, and I forget about it until shopping day, and my list is ready.
I also create a big "to fix" list, and a "business" list, and I also create a "to delegate" list, and give some of those to dos and chores to someone else.
Sometimes I even scrap some of the items right off the list, because once I've wrote them down, got them out of my head and I'm looking at them on paper, I realize they aren't important anymore.
Hell, some things get put on a "think about in 6 months on a snowy February day" list.
I am sure you can think of numerous lists you can make, and lots of things you need to get out of your head, so let's get to it.
Staying organized and on top of your responsibilities is so important, but that can become overwhelming and hard in todays busy world.
Decluttering your brain and prioritizing your life can help you stay on the right track.
Happy brain dumping my friends!
And thanks for reading.
All my love,
Author Carissa McIntyre,
Lady Mack xo
#braindump #mentalhealth #organization #lifetips #healthymind #organizing #clutter #feelingfree