Have you ever heard of a brain dump? It doesn’t sound all that great, but the benefits are worthwhile. Getting our all of the thoughts constantly bouncing around in your head is an awesome tool to organize your mind, create a plan, and to help you relax.

There’s so much to think about, especially with all of the heavy ish going on in the world the past few years, so there’s never been a better time to learn a new declutter routine. It’s a super simple process, and I promise that if you try it you’ll feel so. much. better. It’s like hiring Marie Kondo for your brain.

So how does this work?

First, I want you to keep in mind that there’s a method to a good ol’ brain dump. So try to follow the steps and it’ll work some wonders. Not only will you feel less fuzzy overall, you’ll also:

• Be able to effectively organize your thoughts
• Sort through the forever-growing to-do list in your head
• Prioritize what you need to focus on
• Feel better able to relax your mind and de-stress

Are you ready? Let’s do this.

1) Gather the materials

There’s a few things you’re going to need for this exercise, so make sure you’ve got them all ahead of time! Here’s your brain declutter shopping list:

• Easel paper
• Markers (preferably multiple colors)
• Painter’s tape

2) Choose your topics

Carefully think about the topics that you think about most. What does your mind revolve around? Is it work? Personal life/family? Self-care? Worries or fears? Try to limit yourself to 3-5 topics so you don’t get too overwhelmed. Here are mine:

• Business
• Personal
• Worries/Anxieties
• Miscellaneous

Once you’ve decided on your topics, tear off one piece of paper for each and label them at the top. I love a good color code, so if you can use a different color marker for each topic that would be cool. Then, tape each of them to the wall so you can clearly see each paper.

3) Start dumping

Okay so here’s the fun part – just write down anything that comes to mind under each respective topic. This is the actual “brain dump.” And it’s already organized from the start so you don’t have to worry about sorting through all of your thoughts later. Here are some examples from thoughts to write under each topic:

• Business – possible rebranding, website changes, new business ideas, etc.
• Personal – find time to workout, take your dog on a walk, make a (long overdue) dentist appointment, finally return those things you bought online
• Worries/Anxieties – this is literally anything that stresses you out or something that you worry about often. It could be a fear of flying, upcoming credit card bills, and the list goes on.
• Miscellaneous – anything that doesn’t fit into the other categories!

Here’s the key – try not to think about or analyze what you’re writing down – just write! That’s the only way that you’re going to clear your mind and just get it all out there.

4) Categorize your topics

Once you’ve gotten everything out, let’s organize it even further. Break down all of your thoughts in each topic into smaller, easily-digestible categories. Here are some ideas for how you can break things down:

• Action items – things that you can do (like now) and get them off your plate. These are easy to-do list things that you can complete without a ton of thought or extensive work.
• Ideas – things that you’ve come up with that you’d like to explore/develop further.
• Continued learning – things that you need to learn more about before they can become a project or action item.
• Projects – things on your to-do list that are going to require multiple steps to complete.

5) Cross out those worries

Review all of the things that you wrote on your worries and anxieties paper. If it’s something that you can “do” or easily address, it’s an action item! If it’s not something that you can control, it’s time to put in the work to let it go. Or at least decrease how much that worry crosses your mind. I know, I know – it’s easier said than done. But I promise, once you’ve freed yourself of the constant stress, it’ll feel soooo good.

6) Don’t forget to delete

Look, you might write down a TON of things during your declutter exercise. And sometimes, you can’t possibly get to everything. So work on prioritizing the most important things, and delete some that really don’t matter or don’t need attention at the moment.

Think about sparking joy here Marie Kondo style – if it’s not something that HAS to get done AND it’s not something you’re excited about, away it goes.

7) Create a plan

Now that you’ve narrowed down all of your thoughts and deleted the things you aren’t going to work on right now, it’s time to make a plan! Decide when you’re going to address those action items and how you’re going to work towards completing your projects. A clear way forward is going to help you continue to progress rather than losing focus after all of this work.

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Take some time for this exercise and let me know what you think! You’ll be amazed at how you feel afterwards. We don’t realize how bogged down we are sometimes, and by freeing up some mental space, you’ll feel happier, better able to focus, and a little bit lighter. If you have any questions, post ’em down in the comments!