I don’t know about you but I have had a big couple of weeks. When life turns up the ‘anti’ and you feel like you are on a speeding train with no sight of the station, how do you ensure that things don’t fall through the cracks? How do you make sure  that everything gets done, especially when the tired, exhausted, out-of-juice feeling sets in?

It’s certainly felt like this for me, this month. And in times like this I go back to the systems that help me be at my most productive. Things like my weekly brain dump, a page or two of my thoughts, ideas, to-dos, call backs, doctors appointments, grocery lists and all the things that I have to “remember”. Do you do a weekly brain dump? 

Some people think of their brains like a giant hard drive, a spare room closet that stores all the important stuff for when you need it. We all have one of those closets don’t we? Where stuff falls out the moment you open it, then you slam it back in there and push the door closed until the next time you need something. Please tell me this isn’t just me!

Instead of an overflowing closet, I like to think of the brain as being like a super highway. Highways don’t work their best when all of the cars (in this case, thoughts) are at a stand still.

They work best when traffic is flowing at the correct speed; people get to where they need to go and everyone is happy.

In order for your brain to work at its capacity, you cannot have stagnant thoughts blocking up the highways, like remembering that you have to book that dentist appointment, buy that birthday present for the kids party on the weekend or keeping on your mind the conversation you must have with your mother in law next time you see them. 

By doing a big brain dump and diarising when each of these tasks need to be done, you keep your highways free of blockages and constantly flowing. This increases creativity and innovation, gives you the ability to do more with the time you have and ultimately can ensure that you are more organised and productive. 

So if you are feeling overwhelm creeping in, or just want to get yourself sorted before the craziness of Christmas, I encourage you to make the weekly brain dump part of your Sunday reset. If you try it, let me know how it goes!