Feeling overwhelmed lately?
Are your thoughts on a loop?
Is your brain telling you that you have dozens of tasks that need your attention?
Perhaps a tiny voice in your head is yelling that you’ve forgotten to do a bunch of important stuff?
Americans have become so focused on the concept of busyness that it has become a status symbol. We are often impressed when we hear of someone who has a “crazy schedule.” But trying to constantly be on top of things can become overwhelming.
You’ll notice this when you try to juggle a lot of responsibilities. Thoughts tend to crowd in your head and it eventually becomes difficult to focus or produce quality output.
If you are unable to focus or do anything productive because of all these thoughts, you might be due for a brain dump.
What’s a Brain Dump?
A brain dump is a simple productivity (and sanity-saving) tool where you write down all your overwhelming thoughts.
Unlike regular journaling, however, brain dumps have no specific structure. You can write your thoughts and feelings in list form, paragraphs, speech bubbles, sketches, or any other way you like.
The brain dump is a safe and permanent place where you can unload your thoughts. A brain dump session can help clear up space in your mind to make way for fresh, new thoughts and ideas.
Brain dumps can be done on a piece of paper, in a dedicated notebook, or on a printed worksheet. You can check out this post for a quick and easy guide on how you can start doing a brain dump.
If you prefer a brain dump worksheet to help untangle your thoughts, we’ve got seven awesome printable examples for you to try today.
Before we share these examples with you, let’s quickly go over a list of benefits we can reap from regular brain dumps.
The Benefits of Brain Dumps
Continue reading to check out our collection of brain dump worksheets.
1. Brain Dump Planner
One benefit of having a place to dump all your swirling thoughts is that it lowers stress. Our Brain Dump Planner is specifically designed to help curb the feeling of being overwhelmed.
The template features five sections where you can write down all your to-dos for the week, according to their priority. You can assign your tasks as urgent, something that can be done tomorrow, this week, or next week.
A notes section provides space for capturing ideas, logging reminders, and other noting important information.
2. Brain Dump Ranking
If you are looking for a minimalist worksheet, we’ve created a very simple one that you might want to try.
This worksheet has enough space for writing down a quick list of all the tasks you need to do for the day. The template also has a section that lets you specify a particular task’s priority level (H = High, M = Medium, and L = Low).
You can also track if a task is finished by putting a mark on the task’s respective check box in the “Done” column.
3. Brain Dump Template
This printable template provides spaces for everything that’s brewing in your mind. Using this template makes it easier to organize your thoughts.
For example, there are provisions for writing down your Top 3 Priorities, To-Dos (categorized as Urgent, Tomorrow, This Week, and Next Week), and some Notes.
There is also a space where you can create some doodles.
4. Brain Dump Planner Pages
This planner-style worksheet from The Artisan Life provides a colorful place for storing your thoughts for future reference.
A planning worksheet is also provided to help you create a solid action plan to take care of those thoughts that are related to events and appointments.
5. My Brain Dump List
Sometimes, the things that bother us and cause us to lose focus aren’t work- or school-related. Instead, they involve emotional baggage that we carry around in our heads and refuse to acknowledge.
To help us process this emotional baggage and begin to feel lighter, it is a good idea to learn forgiveness and how to let go of the past.
A worksheet such as this one from Our Mindful Life can also help process these heavy emotions.
This worksheet is a safe repository for things that bother us, such as:
6. Brain Dump Template in Pink
Love pink?
If you’re looking for a template that provides space for writing down your overflowing thoughts while also featuring your favorite color, try this printable from Nunzia Dreams.
It provides ample space for your weekly and monthly to-dos. More importantly, there is a large portion of the page set aside for free writing to let your thoughts flow onto the paper.
7. Paper, Pen, and Swirling Thoughts
This worksheet provides the writing space you need for all the thoughts that are weighing heavy on your mind today. You can fill it up however you want.
Print out several pages to use for your daily brain dump exercise.
8. Daily Brain Dump
Looking for something more subdued or minimalistic? Here’s a variation of the free-writing worksheet in black-and-white.
9. Brain Dump and Priorities
If you’re looking for a worksheet designed for busy parents, you might want to try this example from Lemons & Lattes.
It features spaces for categories that parents tend to think about the most: kids, home, and work.
Moreover, at the bottom of the page, you can list down your top three priorities.
The addition of a “me” category is a nice touch. It encourages and reminds users to also prioritize their own self-care.
10. 2-Column Pink-Themed Worksheet
This elegant worksheet has two columns to help organize your thoughts. The left-hand column serves as space for rapidly writing down the thoughts in your head, without requiring you to organize them into categories.
Meanwhile, the right-hand column has spaces for writing down priorities for each day of the week, with a Monday start.
11. Morning Brain Dump
Focus on what you need to do for the day by unloading those swirling thoughts on this worksheet first thing in the morning. The template has four main boxes labeled “Must,” “Should,” “Could,” and “Want To.”
You can write down your thoughts by order of importance (for example, things that you need to get done by the end of the day go in the “Must” area of the worksheet). This worksheet can also serve as reference for your weekly to-dos.
12. Ruled Brain Dump Template
This blank, ruled template provides the necessary space for you to capture everything that’s on your mind. You can then refer to what you wrote for important information or reminders about stuff to do.
13. My Organized Life Worksheet
If you’re a working mom and an entrepreneur, a template like this one might be ideal for keeping track of and organizing your thoughts in the main areas of your life. This printable worksheet has spaces designated for listing things you need to remember about:
Checkboxes are included so you can easily keep track of things you have already accomplished.
14. 8-Category Brain Dump Worksheet
With this worksheet, you can organize your thoughts so you can plan your day or week more easily, as well as create to-do lists for every category featured here.
A notable thing about this worksheet is that while most worksheets for brain dumps designate spaces for mundane stuff for the home and work, this one recognizes that your thoughts often also include plans for making your goals and dreams a reality.
This worksheet allocates eight boxes for the following categories:
15. 12-Category Blank Worksheet
This worksheet has room to create a brain dump for 12 different categories. It is a blank worksheet, so you can organize your thoughts according to your own preferences. There are checkboxes before each item within a category box, which is handy for keeping track of your to-dos.
Final Thoughts on Using a Brain Dump Worksheet
When life gets busy, regularly doing a brain dump is a great form of self-care.
It does not require any fancy equipment, but the benefits can be immense.
Ideally, we recommend doing a brain dump at least once a week. It will rejuvenate you and help you face the challenges of the coming days with a clear head and a lighter heart.
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