Brain Dumps
Do you ever find yourself struggling to stay focused? What about during down-time; do you find a million thoughts speeding through your mind? If you answered yes to these questions, this may be just the post for you. I read an article shared on fastcompany.com that covers a productivity exercise that "turns disorganized thoughts into gold." Effective time management, finished tasks on your to-do list, increased productivity, ahh the gold you speak of! Yes, what every businessman and woman needs. The said exercise? A brain dump! "A brain dump is when you gather all your disorganized thoughts and, appropriately, dump them onto a blank canvas. This exercise allows you to clear your mind and pave the way for new, creative ideas. You let all your thoughts tumble onto paper, and see what you come up with after the process."
Here are three reasons why brain dumping is so helpful:
Here are three reasons why brain dumping is so helpful:
- BRAIN DUMPS STOKE CREATIVITY: Disorganized thoughts add such a heavy weight to your mind, there's little room leftover for creativity. Brain dumps free up much of this space that is taken up and make way for creativity to take place.
- BRAIN DUMPS HELP US MAKE SENSE OF COMPLICATED FEELINGS: Think of it as writing in a diary. A brain dump provides an outlet for you to make sense of distracting thoughts. Or, "If you don’t have time to untangle them at the current moment, you can do a brain dump instead, and throw the tangled mess into a separate receptacle for safekeeping."
- BRAIN DUMPS HELP US RECONNECT WITH OUR PASSIONS: "Burnout is linked with symptoms such as lowered productivity and feelings of losing your identity." And remember, brain dumps increase productivity! This brain dumping exercise allows you to remove any roadblocks that are preventing you from doing what you love.
The next time you find yourself having a hard time focusing and finishing the task at hand, consider a brain dump! Grab the nearest pen and paper and let it all out. You're sure to feel refreshed and ready to get back to work. What other tactics do you use to help tackle those distracting thoughts? Let's hear it in the comments!