Friends, sometimes life just feels crazy! As I type this, we are in the midst of a summer full of back to back to back to back trips!
Somehow we didn’t realize when we made our summer plans that we scheduled so much time away for various conferences, family events, and vacations, but it has been a little nuts to say the least.
I am definitely not complaining at all. It has been so fun to spend time with my boys, visit with blog friends, and get good quality time with family– this summer has been a fun adventure, truly.
But quite honestly, with trying to juggle work and life, there have been a few nights where I’ve had trouble sleeping because all of the little details and “to dos” have been swirling around in my head, and I’m afraid I’m going to forget something important.
[Pssstttt… See all 50+ types of free printables we offer on the blog in our library of free (and pretty!) organizing printables!]
The Brain Dump Method of Productivity
I was tired of losing sleep, so I came up with a super simple solution: the brain dump. Before I went to bed at night, I took out one of my blank notes printables, divided it into categories, and wrote down everything I could think of that I needed to do in each category.
I loved having one place where I could see everything I needed to do, and it gave me peace of mind that I wasn’t going to forget anything. (And I was able to sleep better too!)
It would usually take me a few days to work through everything on my list, and when I had completed all of the tasks, I would do another brain dump and start the process over again.
It’s so simple, but it was truly has been one of the most helpful tools to get me through this period of craziness!
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If you want to give the brain dump method a try, I’m giving you the pretty printable that I used to make my lists– for free, of course! You can snag it below:
Click here to download the FREE printable blank notes page!
Grab more free printables to increase productivity here:
How to Set Goals… That You’ll Actually Accomplish!
Organize Your Week (with Free Printables!)
The Simple Technique that Helps Me Be Insanely Productive Every Single Day
Are you a list maker? Or do you prefer just to wing it? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy planning, friends!
Sarah @The Teacher's Wife says
July 26, 2016 at 8:33 amI’m a big fan of the brain dump method myself, but I love that you included your printable! Sometimes just getting down on paper frees up so much space in your bran!! 🙂 Have fun on all of your trips! 🙂
justagirlabby says
July 26, 2016 at 5:48 pmThanks so much, Sarah! I so agree! Just getting it all out helps so much! 🙂
~Abby =)
Denise says
July 26, 2016 at 11:24 amThis is my favorite way to make a list! Ha! Seriously just did this a couple of days ago when we got back from vacation. I was feeling very overwhelmed, and it was nice to get it all out of my head and on paper. Seems much more manageable now!
justagirlabby says
July 26, 2016 at 5:46 pmTotally agree, Denise! Just getting it all out there helps so much!
~Abby =)
Paula Williams says
July 26, 2016 at 12:01 pmI make list for everything and it helps me not to feel so overwhelmed I use to just write on paper but abby’s free printables have changed my life!
justagirlabby says
July 26, 2016 at 5:45 pmYou are too sweet, Paula! So glad they are helpful for you!
~Abby =)
Laine - Luna Lavande says
July 26, 2016 at 1:07 pmI definitely “brain dump” too, but I tend to do it in the Notes app on my iPhone because I’m rarely at home when the ideas and reminders pop up in my head. I think I need to have all my ideas and to-do’s next to each other in a list, so I’ll be printing this out and writing everything from my notes down. I’ll feel much more put-together with everything in one place, I think. This is really helpful, thank you! ♥
justagirlabby says
July 26, 2016 at 5:44 pmYay! So glad it was helpful for you! The notes app is a great idea too! 🙂
~Abby =)
Christene Holder says
July 27, 2016 at 8:37 amI’m just like you. I feel like when there’s a million things running through my head I can’t focus on the current task or just relaxing. Brain dump is crutial! I use an app on my phone to list off all the things running through my head and then sort them all later. It’s nice to just get everything onto “paper.”
Your summer does sound so crazy, but it’s all good stuff. Just lots of stuff :). Just remember it’s only a season and it’s not going to last forever. You will be back on track during the next “season” and into your new home (which I can’t want to see BTW)! Hope you have fun at the Haven conference next weekend. I would love love love to go but I’m still a newbie this year and it just wasn’t an option for me at this point (the cost plus taking time off of work etc.) I really want to try and go next year.
>> Christene @ Keys to Inspiration
Harmony says
July 27, 2016 at 9:55 amThis sounds like such a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing all of your organization tips and printables with us- even when you are going through such a busy summer. I think this brain dump printable will be so so so helpful as I am quite a forgetful person (lol!). I have been known to write reminders for myself to do things on the back of a napkin or the palm of my hand, but my problem with that is they always end up lost or washed away, and I think this will be a perfect solution for that.
I am also actually very excited for this coming school year thanks to your student binder printable, and have been inspired to clean out and organize my bedroom and closet after reading some of your posts. So a huge thank you once again for sharing with us!
Oh and sorry to bother you, but I was wondering what fonts you used in the student binder printable? I am absolutely in love with it and would love to use it to make some labels for my art supplies:)
~Harmony
justagirlabby says
July 28, 2016 at 12:17 pmSo glad it was helpful for you, Harmony! The print font for the Student Binder is Futura. SignPainter is the cursive one. Hope this helps. Have a great day!
~Abby =)
Harmony says
July 29, 2016 at 2:53 pmThank you so much Abby for the reply- that will definitely help a TON! Sorry for the bother, and have a great rest of the summer;)
~Harmony
Vicki Bray says
July 30, 2016 at 10:14 amThis will come in so handy. We are working on building a home too. Nothing like waking up at 3:00 in the morning wondering how that streamlined toilet is installed! LOL Thanks so much!
Liz says
August 4, 2016 at 6:46 amI literally have a list like that on my counter right now! I love the brain dump! I do it all. the. time. I have to in order to maintain my sanity. But mine usually just ends up on a blank piece of paper, so thanks for the pretty printable! I can’t wait to use it. ?
Liz
justagirlabby says
August 4, 2016 at 1:09 pmSo glad it will be helpful for you, Liz! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Katelynn Fortier says
August 8, 2016 at 9:43 pmI am getting ready to start college in a few weeks and I have been looking for a printable made for brain dumps. I love your printables it is always so pretty and colorful!
justagirlabby says
August 9, 2016 at 8:20 pmYay! So glad you like them, Katelynn! Have a great year at college!
~Abby =)
Josie says
August 3, 2017 at 4:30 pmHi Abby,
I absolutely know how powerful doing a “brain dump” is, I don’t always remember to do it. Thanks for the timely reminder.
justagirlabby says
August 4, 2017 at 9:50 amSo glad it was helpful, Josie! Happy Friday!
~Abby =)
Patricia Hidalgo says
August 4, 2017 at 11:02 amAbby, those pictures of your binders make me so happy – I guess I’m a true organization junkie! Question – how do you print so many pretty things without breaking the bank on ink? Do you have any suggestions for those of us who are just running a household rather than a blog biz? Thanks! =)
~ Patricia
justagirlabby says
August 24, 2017 at 7:59 pmHi, Patricia! At this point I know which pages I use most often, so I just print those for my own use rather than every single thing in the binder, so that helps. I talk about how I decide which printable to use in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBH7s6Sts38 . I hope this helps!
~Abby =)
Debbie says
August 5, 2017 at 9:56 amThis is a great plan and one that I use often. I like to start with this, and then prioritize items when I need to finish them. It helps to see the whole picture!
justagirlabby says
August 7, 2017 at 10:36 amIt really does!!
~Abby =)
Bev says
July 10, 2018 at 3:06 pmSometimes the list is “ugly” but at least you can put it on a lovely template! Thanks so much Abby!
justagirlabby says
July 11, 2018 at 8:26 amVery true! Love that way of looking at it! 🙂 Have a great day, Bev!
~Abby =)