How to Do a Brain Dump: A Simple Method to Clear Your Head

By KT Apps · Updated October 16, 2026

What a brain dump is

A brain dump is an unfiltered list of everything on your mind. Tasks, worries, ideas, errands, things to buy, things to ask someone: all of it goes on one page, in whatever order it comes out. You do not decide anything while writing. Deciding comes afterwards.

It is not a to-do list, although a to-do list often comes out of it. Separating capture from organising is the point: when you only have to write, you write faster and leave less out.

Step by step

1. Set aside 10 to 15 minutes somewhere you will not be interrupted.
2. Open a blank page or note. Give it a title line such as the date, so you can find it later.
3. Write one item per line, as fast as you can. Short phrases are fine: "call dentist", "gift for Sam", "worried about Friday deadline".
4. Do not judge, sort or start doing anything. If an item feels silly, write it anyway.
5. When you slow down, use the prompts below to shake loose anything you missed.
6. Stop when two or three minutes pass with nothing new. Then move on to sorting.

Prompts when you get stuck

Run through these areas of life and ask "is anything here on my mind?":

• Work or school: deadlines, replies owed, meetings to prepare for.
• Home: repairs, cleaning, bills, things running low.
• People: messages to answer, plans to make, birthdays, favours.
• Health: appointments to book, prescriptions to collect, habits you want to change.
• Money: payments due, subscriptions to check, things to return.
• Errands: shopping, post, collections.
• Ideas and someday plans: trips, projects, things you want to learn.
• Worries that are not tasks at all. Writing them down still helps.

Sorting the list afterwards

Read the list once and mark each line with what kind of thing it is. A simple set of labels works well:

• Do now: anything that takes two minutes or less. Just do it.
• Schedule: tasks with a date or that need a block of time. Put them in your calendar.
• Next actions: tasks to do soon. Rewrite them as a short to-do list, starting each with a verb.
• Someday: ideas you are not acting on yet. Keep them in a separate note.
• Let go: things you realise do not matter, or cannot control. Cross them off.

Vague items need one more step. "Car" is not something you can do; "phone the garage about the rattling noise" is. Turning worries into a concrete next step often removes most of the worry.

How often to do it

Many people find a weekly brain dump useful, for example on Sunday evening or Friday afternoon, with short ones whenever they feel overloaded. A two-minute version before bed can also help if thoughts about tomorrow keep you awake: write them down so you know they will be there in the morning.

Between full dumps, keep a single capture note open and add items as they occur. Then the next brain dump starts from that list rather than from memory.

Tips that make it work

• Use one place. Several notebooks and apps defeat the purpose.
• Keep the tool simple. The fewer buttons between you and a blank line, the more you will write.
• Do not put passwords, card numbers or other sensitive details in an ordinary note.
• Delete or archive old dumps once everything on them has been sorted, so you are not tempted to work from stale lists.

Doing a brain dump in flickboard

flickboard has very little interface, which suits fast capture:

1. Tap the round pen button to start a note.
2. Type the date or "Brain dump" on the first line; it becomes the note's title in the list.
3. Press Enter and write one item per line. The note is saved automatically when you go back.
4. For sorting, start new notes such as "Next actions" and "Someday" and copy items into them. The note you edited last always sits at the top of the list.
5. Use Share in a note's menu to send it as an image, for example to a partner who shares the errands.
6. When everything is sorted, swipe the old note left to delete it. Deletion cannot be undone.

flickboard is plain text only, with no search, folders or checkboxes, and on the web the notes stay in this browser. It is also on iPhone and Android. For another everyday list, see how to make a grocery list that saves time.

Frequently asked questions