If you're not familiar with the term, a Brain Dump is the process of taking everything out of your head and putting it down on paper in front of you - where you can actually work with it.
After months of dealing with idea overload, I finally had a breakthrough this past week. It was one of those lightbulb moments where solutions presented themselves and things just finally came together. What a relief!
What started out as a simple Brain Dump on paper, ended up as an all out office dump. As I was jotting down all of my thoughts I remembered that I had already outlined brilliant notes on many of those ideas, and so the hunt was on to find and organize them!
I'll share with you what my goals are with this particular Brain Dump. I usually follow a pretty standard format, but did something a bit different this time...
The things I started dumping on paper were quite a mix: personal thoughts, business ideas, task lists, outsourcing solutions, you name it. From what to do with my new fishtank to what to do with my newest domain name - and everything in between.
I decided to start with a 5-step process:
1. Declutter
Clear my space, and my mind. Finish up small pesky tasks that are currently distracting me from bigger projects. Organize my thoughts into a strategy. Rearrange my workspace to increase productivity.
2. Organize
Separate personal from business. Create task lists for each.
3. Prioritize
Note time sensitive tasks. List remaining tasks in order of priority.
4. Plan of Attack
Get time sensitive tasks done and out of the way. Determine what can be outsourced. Consider lead time for each project.
5. Schedule
Analyze my current routine. Look for ways to increase productivity. Create a schedule to complete tasks & projects.
- - - - -
Looking back over initial notes, I decided I was going to need 3 things to accomplish it all: Time. Energy. Discipline.
That's it - nothing more. Just time devoted to it, energy to get it done, and the self-discipline to see it through.
It feels GREAT to finally see tangible solutions right there in front of me. To have a workable plan, and a step-by-step process. Especially after several months of what I like to call idea constipation.
You've probably experienced this before yourself. I don't care how much of an idea machine you are, or how smart or motivated you are, but there are just times that things don't seem to come together - no matter how hard you try or work at it.
My breakthrough moment came as a result of 3 things: not giving up, brainstorming with peers, and timing. No matter how frustrated I got, I kept working on it every single day. I kept looking for solutions, kept thinking it out, kept plugging forward.
To my friends that sat through what probably sounded like a rant on the other end of the phone, or across a table - you know who you are - thank you! Talking things out and getting your feedback helped tremendously!
Timing played a big part as well. Not just on my end, but the timing of someone who will be playing a huge part in the next phase of my business: my 17 year old son. After an entire year of brainstorming possibilities, we finally landed on the same page.
I'll have to tell you more about that in a future post. My son is an incredibly skilled programmer, self-taught and programming since the age of 12. He writes in several languages, has a brilliant mind, and is an unforgiving perfectionist with the details. My daughter is a code queen herself, at only 12 years old, but works more on the visual end - html, css, etc.
I have no idea how that happened... 😛
Getting back to my current breakthrough, I am reminded once again that life is simply a series of phases. There are times to push, and times to coast. No matter how hard I've tried over the years, I have never been able to coast when the motivation is high, or push when it is low. The best I have been able to do is go with what I've got.
This is one of the things I love best about being an entrepreneur, and about my flexible schedule & lifestyle. Even at a full stop, my base income will float me for months. There's no stress or pressure to perform when I simply don't have it in me. Trust me on this one - keep working both hard and smart to get to this point. It is the best possible place to find yourself!
And on the flip side, when the motivation is high and inspiration is strong, I can work all night and all weekend and pretty much as long or as much as I please. I love those days better than any... There is nothing like pulling an all-nighter and seeing the results of it before daybreak.
There is something fabulous about having no restrictions, not by the clock or by people. There is nothing and no one that dictates when I do my best work, or how. I love that!
Timing aside, I have been able to kick-start a high energy phase in the past simply by doing one of these Brain Dumps. If you're in a slump at the moment you might try this yourself. It's incredibly helpful even if just to get through the mundane tasks that can seem overwhelming.
Even though I have been doing my own form of Brain Dump since the mid-90's, I have to give John Reese credit for the term. He released a report several years ago that details his method, which is very similar to my own. I'm not sure about the rest of the content in this report (I haven't read it in ages) but you'll find the Brain Dump instructions on pages 6-8: www.marketingsecrets.com/images/july30.pdf
Speaking of John Reese, he's finally opened his new site: Opportunity.com. I've heard quite a bit about it - all good things, of course - and there's a bit of buzz about the video he has there on the main page. Once I get done with my weekend project, I'm planning to check out the video myself. I'll post my thoughts on it here so we can have a proper discussion on it.
Until then, have a fabulous weekend - and be sure to set some time aside to start or update your own Brain Dump!
Best,
p.s. Make it a priority to check out Opportunity.com. I've known and followed John Reese for years, have both of this Traffic Secrets courses, and have a feeling that this is something we will not want to miss out on! 😉
About Lynn Terry
I enjoyed reading this, for me, timely post. Just two weeks ago I faced an 11 hour flight. All I took on board by way of hand luggage was a writing pad, a pen and a complimentary sleeping/eye mask from the hotel.
Then, I just started writing, stream of consciousness style, about every topic that popped into my awareness, interrupted only the occasional nap or the offer of a drink from the cabin crew.
I can tell you, I found it to be very therapeutic. Mentally, it is the equivalent to unblocking a drain.
Reading your post reminds me that I shouldn't have stopped the process when the plane landed, I should make the time to do so more often.
I feel a product idea blooming..:)
Thanks for the informative and entertaining post.
I absolutely love to travel, and that is one of the main reasons - I find flight time to be some of my best thinking time, whether I'm reading or writing (usually both!). Once they begin offering internet access on flights - which will be soon - we won't get anything done! Ha 😀
Great post Lynn! Following the Elite webinar on Thursday, Bob and I went to the beach Friday morning and had a brain dumping session. It was way overdue and I vow not to let it go that long again.
I also cleaned out my main hard drive 40GB full down to 22GB. Move personal photos to an unused laptop ~ now my electronic photo album. Put pdf's that I may or may not read onto http://www.keepandshare.com and discarded old, unused and outdated files.
I finally installed the new printer that had been sitting by my desk since last October. (Only because my trusty Lexmark Z45 stopped feeding paper!).
It's been quite a clean out and I feel back on track & revitalized!
It's amazing what it does for you, isn't it? I am feeling incredibly motivated and inspired, as if I've cleared out room to actually THINK. Glad to hear you had the same experience!
Happy Mom's Day Lynn to a great Mom.
This is a great post full of great tips. (as usual)
So nice to hear that you are enjoying the day.
Glad to hear you enjoyed and are feeling the relief of a good "brain dump" and that you were able to ease your "idea constipation"
LOL (couldn't resist)
Thank you Gord 😀
... and LOL - that IS funny!
Hi Lynn. Once again, a timely post...:) And #1 of your 5 step process is HUGE!! I've been doing that as of late and it's really helping me to clarify a few things that I might have only addressed months or possibly even years from now. Thanks again and take care. All the best.
Lyle
It makes a huge difference to me - somehow a clear space equals a clear mind. I struggle with #5 myself. I love freedom and flexibility, tend to fly by the seat of my pants, but I find I'm more productive with a routine or schedule. I compromise and have a routine for the first 2-3 hours of the day. The rest of the day is MINE for creative freedom 😀
Hi Lynn, I'm new to your blog. But saw some great content here. Thanks for the valuable info. For me, step #2 is the biggie - organization. After "fighting battle" with the workload for the entire week, the work space can be a mess! But some little things lying around may still be useful. So the key is to get organized and use all those seemingly useless pieces of info lying around - scraps of paper with notes scribbled on it, etc, etc.
Darren chow
I know what you mean, Darren. I spent the weekend going through every notebook, scrap piece of paper, and idea that was jotted down sometime over the last 6 months. Here's where I started:
http://www.twitpic.com/4x4co -EEK!
That's where the million dollar ideas are though 😉 I sorted, and then used those notes as the starting point for my master task list. No doubt I need a new "system" ha - but we have to start somewhere, right?
Great Post! I think I am going through some burnout and I think it is because of this overload and cluster that surrounds me. I think it is time for a nice old fashion braindump. Baby is sleeping so I had better get a move on.
Happy belated Mother's Day
Many Blessings,
Dawnaurora
I'd been feeling the same way Dawnaurora. Spring is always a great time to do that "spring cleaning" though - and break the routine from the drab winter months. Good luck with your project this morning. Hope that baby has a long peaceful nap for you 😉
Lynn, it's cool to read that you go through some of the same hurdles that slow us mere mortals down! De-cluttering the office/desk and even the pc files (do I REALLY need 37 Firefox tabs open?) can have a huge effect on me when I'm trying to get stuff done.
Hope all is well.
Mike
Um - I'm just as human as anyone! 😀 And probably just as unorganized, if not more so -lol. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants more often than not 😉
sheesh more synchronicity for me Lynn. 😉
I posted a similar thing on my blog and it sure did feel good to offload all of that! 😀
I am starting to look at house work, hoovering, clearing up, decluttering and similar things as a of sort of "detaching" mentally with all the issues and whatnot, just thoughts in general as most are not our own (if we are honest) if you like in a way a form of meditating, letting it go.
I get the same therapeutic feelings when I decorate, a nice feeling of renewal. Worth anyone doing similar in my opinion. 😀
Now to deal with the rest of the midlife crisis...(at least I have an excuse if need be ;))
Rob
LOL Rob. It's definitely energizing. I think it has to do with the time of year for me. Spring Cleaning bug has bit!
Wow, you are so lucky to have such talented and intelligent children! I've got a two year old and I'm hoping that coding is in her future. I like the idea of the brain dump... I always start out projects like the one similar to your office, but I lose incentive about halfway through and it ends up being a mess! Let me know how this goes with you!
-Karen
I'm still working on it, Karen 😉 What started in my home office has now moved to other rooms - I'm on an all out organizing spree!
Those three things, time, energy, and discipline are really the key to your success! Discipline is really important. In the middle of a project you might find yourself focusing on something else or getting tired or frustrated. So being disciplined and sticking to the plan really gets the job done! Thanks! 🙂