Brain dump

a. Simple action, one goal: get it out of your head and onto some reference point (paper, screen, recording) so that you can free up mental space to do work (instead of just storing a list of work to do).

b. Paper method: get a piece of paper, notebook, index cards, whatever. Spend 10 minutes writing down every single thing you can think of that you need to, want to, have to, feel like you should do.

c. Digital method: note-taking app or voice-recording app. Spend 10 minutes typing or speaking every single thing you can think of that you need to, want to, have to, feel like you should do.

d. Bonus points: stick with it for another 10-15 minutes after that initial 10-minute period. There is so much stuff lurking in your brain. Force yourself to find it, name it, and get it down onto a reference point. Clean house!

e. After you get it down to your reference point, you can sort through it by any criteria you choose. Categories: work, life, personal, family, projects, etc. Priority: highest, mid, low, not at all. Method of attack: delegate, delete, schedule, do (now), breakdown.

f. A good thing to do once a week or at least once a month. Or heck, why not once a day? That works, too.

g. Done regularly, a brain dump becomes a running or master task list.