Brain dump template: print it or paste it anywhere
A one-page template for emptying your head and sorting what comes out. It has prompts for when you go blank, three boxes to sort everything into, and one line for the step you'll actually start with. Free, no email needed.
Brain dump
Date: ______________
1 · Dump it
10 minutes. One thing per line. No order, no judging.
Stuck? Run through these:
- • Work or school: deadlines, replies, things you promised
- • Home: chores, repairs, things running out
- • Money: bills, refunds, subscriptions, receipts
- • Health: appointments, prescriptions, sleep, movement
- • People: who to call, text back, thank, check on
- • Errands: returns, pickups, forms, renewals
- • Waiting on: things other people owe you
- • Ideas and someday: things you don't want to lose
- • Worries: anything that keeps coming back
2 · Sort it
Tasks
Things to do. Start with a verb.
Events
Has a date or time. Copy to calendar.
Notes
Ideas, reminders, worries.
3 · Start it
The one task I'll start:
Its first step (under 2 minutes):
brainsort.app/brain-dump-template
How to use this template
- Dump for 10 minutes. Write anything that takes up space in your head, one per line. Use the prompts when you run dry.
- Sort each line. Is it a task (do), an event (happens at a time) or a note (keep)? Copy it into the right box. Rewrite tasks so they start with a verb.
- Cross out what isn't yours. Things you can't control, or that someone else will handle, get a line through them. That counts as done.
- Move events to your calendar right away, before the page goes into a drawer.
- Pick one task and write its first step. Make it something you could do in under two minutes. Then do it.
Tips for getting more out of it
- Keep a few printed copies somewhere visible. If a template takes effort to find, you'll only use it on good days.
- Don't aim for complete. A half-full dump still gets things out of your head.
- Big task in the Tasks box? Use the task breakdown method or one of the ready-made breakdowns.
- New to this? Read what a brain dump is and why it helps, with a sorted example.
Why the sorting step matters
Plenty of brain dump templates stop at the dump: a big empty box. That's good for relief, but the page then sits there, and the tasks stay mixed up with ideas and dates. Sorting into three kinds of things is what turns the page into something you can act on: tasks go to your to-do list, events go to your calendar, notes get kept, and you can stop thinking about all three.