How to Do a Brain Dump

A brain dump is writing down everything on your mind, big or small, so your head doesn't have to hold it anymore. Take a notebook or your phone, list every task, worry and half-formed idea without sorting, then group what you wrote into batches, park anything you're waiting on, and put each item on your calendar or your task list.

I do one every week, and any time my head starts to feel overloaded. Here's exactly how.

Why it works

"Some days I wake up and my brain feels like a browser with 100 tabs open."

A brain dump closes the tabs. "There's something magic about getting it out of your head and onto a page. Suddenly, the mess is visible, and that means it's manageable." Or, as After the Crash puts it after David Allen: "Your brain is not for storage—it's for thinking."

Step 1: Get everything out

"Just write down everything—big, small, personal, business, half-formed ideas, worries, chores. The point isn't to make it pretty; it's to get it out of your mental RAM so your brain can breathe again."

It doesn't have to be a ritual. Mine is "usually just me, pacing around, muttering into my phone, or scribbling on a notepad, listing everything bouncing around my head."

Step 2: Group what you wrote

Once it's on paper, patterns show up. Some tasks are quick, some are huge projects, "and some are just… noise."

Then group the rest. I put:

• All the website tasks in one project.
• Admin stuff in another.
• Content creation gets its own batch.
• Errands in their own corner.

Step 3: Park what you're waiting on

“If a task is "waiting for" someone else (like a designer, or a software update), I put it in a "waiting" list. That way, I'm not staring at it and feeling guilty every day.”

Step 4: Give everything a home

Now each item goes to one of two places:

• Calendar: big blocks with a date or time, like appointments, deadlines, deep work and rest.
• Task list: everything smaller, like emails, admin, errands and the steps of a project.

My rule from the book: "If something has a date or time, it goes on the calendar. Everything else goes in Notion. If it's a two-minute task, I just do it." (The two-minute rule is David Allen's, from Getting Things Done.)

Then stop. "Plan enough to get moving. Then move."

If writing feels like too much

Use your voice. "When my mind is cluttered, I brain-dump everything—either in a notebook, or more often now, as a voice note on my phone. Sometimes I don't even listen back; I just get it out."

Or draw it. “When I'm stuck or overwhelmed, I'll sketch out a mind map. Sometimes it's as simple as "Life" in the center with branches for business, health, relationships, content, etc.” Pen and paper is fine. "The key is to stop trying to organize everything in your head."

How often

I do one every week, and whenever my head feels full. For the weekly check of tasks, calendar and goals, see my simple weekly review. If you're stuck in front of a long list and can't start anything, this page on procrastinating when overwhelmed picks up where the brain dump ends.

One thing to try today

Ten-minute dump. Set a timer for ten minutes and write down everything on your mind, without sorting. When the timer ends, circle the one thing that would make tomorrow easier, and put it on your calendar.

Free: Chapters 3 and 4 of After the Crash cover the brain dump, batching and the calendar-or-list split in more detail. The free edition: isakvidinghoff.com/free-book

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Sources

• After the Crash, Ch 3: "my brain feels like a browser with 100 tabs open."
• After the Crash, Ch 4: "Suddenly, the mess is visible, and that means it's manageable."
• After the Crash, Ch 4: "Your brain is not for storage—it's for thinking."
• After the Crash, Ch 3: "Just write down everything—big, small, personal, business, half-formed ideas, worries, chores."
• After the Crash, Ch 3: “If a task is "waiting for" someone else… I put it in a "waiting" list.”
• After the Crash, Ch 3: "If something has a date or time, it goes on the calendar."
• After the Crash, Ch 3: "Plan enough to get moving. Then move."
• After the Crash, Ch 9: "Sometimes I don't even listen back; I just get it out."
• After the Crash, Ch 4: "The key is to stop trying to organize everything in your head."