Sunday nights are what I call my “planning nights”. This is the time that I sit down with my planner, a glass of wine, my vast array of colored pens and highlighters, and get my week all set up. A key part of this routine is what I call the “brain dump”.
What is a “brain dump”?
A “brain dump” is EXACTLY what it sounds like. You literally dump everything out of your brain and onto a piece of paper.
Okay, let’s talk logistics
Every Sunday night, I set aside 15 minutes to do my “brain dump”. I sit down with my calendar, a pen and piece of paper and set the timer on my phone. For 15 minutes I write every single little thing I can think of. Home chores. Financial account checks or transfers. Budgeting adjustments. Calls to doctor’s offices. Bills to be paid. Friends to call. Birthday gifts to buy or send. Fill the car up with gas. Any tasks related to activities for the week. Basically EVERYTHING.
Once my list is complete, I go through it with 6 different highlighters. One for each weekday and then another for the weekend. They categorize which day I want to do things.
Each day’s list, then get re-written to the daily page of my planner. This part isn’t necessary though. You can just go through your main list each day and cross things off as you complete them.
Why do I “brain dump” instead of just going day by day and schedule tasks?
Because frankly, I will forget things. After having three kids, my brain is complete mush. I am finding myself opening the fridge, or entering a room with zero idea of what I was doing with increasing regularity. This technique saves my sanity because it greatly makes up for my addled brain.