How to Unclutter Your Mind with a Brain Dump
Having an ADHD brain can feel like your thoughts and mental to do lists are tangled balls of yarn. Some of the thoughts/tasks are from the same ball of yarn, connected in some way, but tangled up in knots and it feels hard to pull them apart. Sometimes there’s other strings of yarn mixed in there, but it feels like it’s all jumbled up together and really hard to unravel.
One strategy that can be helpful when feeling this way is to do a “brain dump”. What’s a brain dump you ask? Think of it as a mental decluttering process where you take all the thoughts, tasks, and ideas swirling around in your head and transfer them onto paper or a digital device. It's a way to take all of those tangled strings of yarn and roll them back up neatly. In a previous article, we discussed the topic of verbal/externally processing for ADHDers. Brain dumping can serve a similar purpose, but is a strategy that doesn’t require another human to be present.
How to Do a Brain Dump:
Get Started:
Find a quiet, comfortable space where you won't be interrupted.
Set a timer for 5-10 minutes to give yourself enough time to unload everything on your mind.
Grab your tools:
Whether it's a notebook and pen, a printable/fillable template like the one provided for free below, or a note-taking app on your phone, choose whatever method works best for you.
The key is to have a place to capture your thoughts quickly and easily.
Start dumping:
Begin by writing down everything that comes to mind.
You can choose to write one big list, or create categories and add to the appropriate category as you go.
Review:
Once you've finished dumping, take a moment to review what you've written.
You may want to do some categorizing and organizing. (Options are to separate based on type of task or list in order of priority or importance.).
For ADHDers it can be helpful to group similar tasks together to reduce the barriers that arise from having to switch tasks. It can feel like our brain has to switch modes from one type of task to another. The transition from cleaning mode to phone call mode can take extra time.
Option A: Send all emails consecutively, then make all needed phone calls, then pay all of your bills
Option B: Send 1 email, make 1 call, pay 1 bill, send 1 email, make 1 call, etc.
Option B is likely to take far longer for a person with ADHD than Option A due to the extra time transitioning between tasks.
Planning:
Ask yourself the question, “When, realistically, will I do this?”
Some items will not have any urgency and could be added to a “someday” list.
Do you need to set a reminder for yourself to complete any of these items?
Does it need to be added into any other organizational or scheduling systems that you utilize?
Take action:
Now that you have a clear picture of everything on your plate, you can start tackling your tasks one by one.
If one of the tasks is actually multiple smaller tasks, you may want to break it down into listing each step.
Goblin Tools Magic To Do is a great resource to help with this!
Repeat as needed:
Brain dumping can be a strategy you use daily to untangle your mind. (It’s a great strategy if you have difficulty sleeping because of reviewing all the things you need to do in your mind.)
You can also use it as an in the moment coping strategy just when needed.
Not sure when would be a good time to do a brain dump? ADHDer Michelle says,
“It’s time to do a brain dump when I am feeling overwhelmed or when I notice that I’m replaying lists or ideas in my head. Another cue is if I’m ordering and re-ordering what I have to do the next day. Getting what I was rehearsing out of my head and onto paper is a relief. I know that what is important to me is documented and it frees up brain space to rest or to move onto more productive thought processes. Bonus points for taking a photo of the brain dump so I can come back to it later when I remember that I have important stuff written down but I’ve lost the paper.”
Another individual shared,
“Sometimes I feel a list (or a thought or a project) that keeps popping to the front of my thoughts. The easiest way for me to be able to focus on other thoughts without it encroaching, is to write it down.”
FREE DOWNLOAD
Ready to give brain dumping a try? Download our Free Printable Brain Dump Template with the button below. The template is a fillable PDF, so those who prefer to complete digitally can type their responses and save.
May you find a few moments of clarity!
