Brain Dump Journal:

What, Why, & How

If you are interested in starting a brain dump journal, you are definitely in the right place!

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If you are looking for a sign to get out of bed, take a shower, walk outside, or a simple reminder that you are important: Here it is! This is your sign!

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Starting a Brain Dump Journal

 

Between CVS-receipt-long to-do lists, never ending emails, scheduled video calls, and deciding dinner, sometime’s it’s hard to remember to breathe. At least for me, it is.

Our mind can become so cluttered with both useful and useless information, our brains can’t necessarily decipher what we need and when. We’re just constantly stuck shuffling through our thoughts and knowledge.

Until we’ve become so overwhelmed with everything we have to do, we’re unable to even really do any of it. Which has most likely led you here, our blog. Welcome! I think you’ll really enjoy today’s information!

I introduce to you the brain dump journal. We’re going to hit reset on our brain!

You can download your FREE brain dump journal here!

What is Brain Dumping?

“Sounds weird, Jess.”

Right?! When I first started looking into ways to unwind, destress, and limit that overwhelming feeling, seeing ‘brain dump’ was almost humorous. Until I actually put it together!

Think about it: B R  A I N  ~  D U M P

Putting two and two together, it sounds like we’re dumping out our brain. And, if stress comes from the brain, this kinda makes sense. Right…?

Brain dumping is just the method of getting all of your thoughts, random facts, to-do lists, and internal voice out onto some paper. We want to be able to visibly see what we are thinking!

Did you know that feeling overwhelmed can be the last step before burning out? Now, we’ll talk about burnouts later, but I want you to get a grasp on your self growth, mental health and productivity before we reach that point! SO, if you feel like your ‘brain is caught in a tornado‘, today is just for you!

 

All You Need to Know About a Brain Dumping Journal

Why do I need a brain dump journal?

By taking 15-30 minutes completing a brain dump ‘session’, you’re able to physically see everything going on in your mind. You may realize there aren’t as many thoughts or to-do’s as you thought there were!

Now, I know you’re probably thinking about the obvious things to write: business meetings, when to pick up your kids, gym time, etc. But, a brain dump is going to benefit you the most when you get out EVERYTHING!

I’m talking about writing down your regular stressors, daily annoyances, casual thoughts, and sudden changes. You need to write down any-and every-thing that you think about during the time you set aside to do your brain dump.

As Catherine Beard says, a brain dump is a strategic way to get random ideas, tasks, worries, and dreams out of your head. It gives you a way to ‘declutter’ your mind to either get things done or letting go of what’s unimportant.

How Often Should I Brain Dump

This is all up to you!

Brain dumps can last any amount of time, at any point in time. I spend 15-45 minutes on my entire brain dump process. It really depends on how much I end up writing and what information I have to sort through!

I say, for your first brain dump, plan for at least one hour. (If that’s too much, you can definitely decrease it. But, if you have an hour to spare, go for it!)

Your time may be longer or shorter, but it’s so worth it regardless. As time goes on, you’ll most likely get quicker and quicker doing this, because you will have learned how to pull information from your head and put it down on paper!

Obviously, I 100% do recommend brain dumping when you notice that you are very stressed or overwhelmed. But, how often you practice it is completely your choice!

Personally, I am making it a point to brain dump once a week. I am going to write down absolutely everything on my mind at the end of the week. (I keep track of my schedule by using a customizable journal like this!)

By making this a habitual deed, I’ll be able to go through my journal and really buckle down on what needs to be prioritized the following week.

With that being said, you may choose to brain dump once a month. Or, you may even choose to only do this when you feel like should! (I discourage this, though. You don’t want a burnout to sneak up on you.)

If you haven’t tried this method, I recommend trying it when you finish this blog post! Then you can decide when/ how often you want to add it into your routine!

How-to start a brain dump journal

There are two parts to brain dumping:

1. The actual brain dump
2. Analyzing the brain dump

What you’ll need:

• • Approximately 30 minutes of alone time
  • A notebook, journal, or just some paper (I prefer journals like these!) If you are wanting a step by step guide, download our FREE brain dump journal!
  • Something to write with (I doodle, so I like pens or markers. But, you can definitely use a pencil!)

(Seriously- that’s literally it. You may choose to type out your brain dump lists on your computer or laptop. While this can be effective, I personally recommend taking the extra time to actually write- pen to paper!)

Step 1. Get your materials and set your timer

A timer is optional. But, if you have limited amount of time to complete your brain dump, I definitely think you should set a timer to stay on track! (We don’t want to halt productivity, do we?)

You want to have enough time to write everything out, analyze what was written, and get a game plan for your next steps!

Step 2. Start writing 

And, we’re off! Start writing anything, everything, that pops into your mind. Nothing is too big or too small, just write it.

Important note: This is not the time to think about what you’re writing down. Don’t worry about the why’s behind your thoughts, just get them into your brain dump journal.

It is okay to write the same thing multiple times. You can misspell. Nothing need’s to be in full sentences or correct grammar.

Examples of what you can write:

• Meet with professor
• Feeling sad about xyz
• ____ annoyed me today
• Buy cat food
• Call so-and-so
• How do I …?

I know I keep saying this, but I can’t emphasize it enough for a brain dump: write everything that comes to mind.

Literally just fill up your pages.

Step 3. Relax

Okay, so you’ve gotten all of your headspace cleared out. Now, it’s time to breathe. Take 5-10 minutes to actually destress.

We’re coming right back to the list next, but it’s crucial for you to take a moment to come down from being in your head. (I know that sounds silly, but if you understand what I’m saying, I know you’re in the right place.)

You can just close your eyes for a little bit, listen to some music, or even go for a walk. But, step away from the paper you just poured your life out onto!

Step 4. Breaking down your brain dump

Alright. You’ve hopefully calmed down by this point and should feel a little bit better than you did prior to beginning this exercise. Go ahead and grab your journal because we’re going to start breaking it down.

Turn the page. Draw some lines (however ya see fit) breaking the page up into different categories.

For starters, you can do something like “tasks, emotions, emergencies, wants, completely unimportant” etc.

Once you begin regularly doing brain dumps, these categories may become more specific. You may begin sectioning things like “Client work, what ifs, schoolwork, family,” etc.

But, since this will come naturally over time (because you will start seeing patterns in your thoughts), it’s perfectly fine if you start with the broader topics!

As you go through your initial brain dump list, take each word, phrase, or sentence that you wrote and add it to whichever category you think it best fits in.

Pay attention to things that you may have repeatedly written. This may change up their importance level! You may want to star these things, move categories, or just write them multiple times again. Regardless, make note that this wasn’t a one-time passing thought.

For instance, if I wrote “pick up cat food,” I would probably list that under tasks. But, if I wrote it a few times, I would change it to emergencies since it seems like it needs to get done ASAP!

Keep in mind that we still aren’t actually looking at why it’s written or what we need to do about it. We’re just categorizing our thoughts.

Step 5. The actual analyzation

Ah, the fun part! Now, it’s time to start figuring out our thoughts! In my opinion, this is the most beneficial part of brain dumping!

There are so many ways you can analyze your brain dump categories. But, you want to focus on organizing in a way to outline what you need to start doing.

You want to separate the important tasks from the unimportant tasks.

This can be done by simply crossing out things that you don’t ‘have’ to do or focus on. (Random thoughts, annoyances, etc.)

You could then make a new list (last one, I promise) that is compromised of two sections: need to do and need to let go.

In the ‘need to’ section, you would put all the things that you know are priority and directly affect you. This may include things like grocery shopping, picking up cat food, meeting with client, focusing on an emotional issue, etc.

You would then list the topics that were unnecessary or irrelevant into the ‘need to let go’ section. Some examples of what could go here may be daily annoyances, social media, random thoughts, etc.

Another way you can do this is by using the Eisenhower method. (You may recognize this method chart from out post on boosting your productivity.) But, if it’s new to you, that’s okay!

This is my personal favorite method, so I’m going to give a quick run through.

The Eisenhower method breaks your list up into four parts: do it, schedule it, delegate it, and delete it.

Go through each thought mentioned on your brain dump list (from step 4) and put it into its corresponding box. Then, you’ll know exactly what to start on immediately, set a date for, give to someone/ something else, or let go of!

I know this was a brief touch on what this method is and how it actually works.

But, if you want more information, you can read more on our post about the Eisenhower method or watch this video!

What you decide to put where is completely up to you.

How you decide to analyze your brain dump is also up to you!

What I deem unimportant, you may find very important! Just remember to analyze in a way to destress, not add stress. Don’t ‘justify’ where you categorize things. Just put them down and then start on it!

Step 6. Start with one of the most important tasks

Lastly. Start doing! It’s now time to put your final list (step 5) to use.

I recommend starting with just one of the most important things you need to complete. When you are stressed about your ‘to-do lists’, focusing on one thing to get done is way more reasonable than looking at 12 things that need to be done. Right?

So, start there and work through your list as you can! Since you now have all of your thoughts lined out, you should feel a sense of ease rather than overwhelm. Before you know it, you’ll have completed all the necessities and let go of what’s holding you back.

 

Extra Tips on Keeping a Brain Dump Journal

• If you’re struggling on what exactly to journal, think about some of these questions before diving in:

1. 1. What tasks need to be completed?
   2. Is anything due soon?
   3. What are your current stressors?
   4. Are you worried about anything?
   5. Is there anything holding you back?

 

• If writing isn’t your chosen method of brain dumping, try audio recording! Instead of writing everything down, say it out loud.

Do keep in mind that this may take a little longer because you will have to go back and listen to the recording. (Probably multiple times.)

 

• While relaxing with step 3, you can even jot down (or record) additional thoughts you may have.

Although this isn’t necessary, you may want to add more things to your list.

 

• Don’t try to brain dump perfectly! There is no right or wrong way to do this as long as you are releasing all of your thoughts and then deciding how you are going to handle them.

 

So, why have a brain dump journal?

Brain dumping allows you to release all of your thoughts. By getting everything on your mind out onto paper, you’ll put yourself back into a comfortable space.

Stress and being overwhelmed can easily halt your self growth. (Which is against everything Becoming the Best Self is trying to do!)

I know that this may seem time consuming and irrelevant to some, but if brain dumping can take away even a slight amount of your stress, isn’t it worth trying?

Aren’t you worth it? 

If you don’t have your own journal, check out these grid-design journals!

If you want a free option, download our brain dump journal! We have taken the time to create a step-by-step journal that you can use to proceed with your brain dump!

This 13 page FREE workbook walks you through the initial brain dump, all the way up to analyzing what you should be doing now!

Although this ebook is meant to guide you through your first brain dump, you can use this journal for every brain dump you ever do, if you choose to!

If you use this journal, please let us know what you think. We love getting feedback from you so that we can always improve the ways we provide information on this site!

 

Prioritize your mental health. You are worth it, always.

That’s all we have today! Throughout the week, we will be adding a podcast and youtube video on brain dumping! Stay tuned and make sure you follow me on Instagram and are included in our emails so that you never miss anything we put out!

We are sending you wonderful and warm AMAZING vibes!

If you have certain ways you de-stress, drop them in the comments. We can all use some extra tips.

As usual, if you know some friends or family that could benefit from this post, please share it with them! And, if you need someone to listen or talk to, I’m always here.

 

As always, if you need a sign to take care of yourself: this is it.

Pay attention to your mental health.

Try out brain dumping!

Focus on your growth.

Because as we all know:

you are the most vital character in your story!

Related articles:

PRODUCTIVITY

Prioritizing yourself

MENTAL HEALTH CHECK IN

Peace out, girl scouts!

… and always aim to be the best self you can be.