Your Brain is Not for Storage
"Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them."
Every unfinished task, pending decision, and "should do" item occupies mental RAM. Your brain keeps these "open loops" active in the background, consuming energy even when you're not consciously thinking about them. The result: constant low-level anxiety, difficulty focusing, and the nagging feeling you're forgetting something important.
The solution isn't working harder to remember everything—it's capturing everything externally so your brain can stop trying. This is the core insight of David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology: your mind is a terrible storage device but an excellent processing tool. Use it for thinking, not remembering.
A brain dump (or "mindsweep" in GTD terminology) systematically extracts everything from mental storage and puts it into a trusted system. Once captured, your brain can relax because nothing will be forgotten. The effect is immediate: mental clarity, reduced anxiety, and space to think about what actually matters.
The Trigger List Method
You can't just "think about everything on your mind." Your brain doesn't work that way. Without prompts, you'll remember the loud, urgent items (emails, deadlines) but miss the quiet background concerns (house repairs, promises made, financial reviews).
Trigger lists solve this by systematically prompting memory with specific categories. When asked "Do you have any unfinished projects?" your brain searches that category and surfaces items you weren't actively remembering. The specificity is critical—"Think about your life" produces nothing; "People you need to call" produces names.
How This Tool Works
- You'll see 132 specific prompts, one at a time.
- Each prompt triggers a category: "Financial commitments," "Things to read," "Repairs needed," etc.
- As items surface, capture them in notes (the tool provides space).
- Don't evaluate or organize yet—just dump everything out.
- After 20 minutes, you'll have a complete inventory of open loops.
The power of the trigger list: it doesn't require willpower or memory. The prompts do the work. You just respond to each trigger and capture what surfaces. By the end, you've extracted everything occupying mental RAM—including things you didn't realize you were tracking.
When to Do a Brain Dump
Weekly Review
Part of the GTD weekly review. Clear your mind every Friday to start the week with a clean slate.
Pre-Vacation Clearout
Before time off, capture everything so you can actually disconnect. Return knowing nothing was forgotten.
Overwhelm Rescue
When everything feels urgent and you can't focus. Dump it all to see what's actually there.
Quarterly Planning
Before setting goals, clear mental backlog to see what you're actually committed to finishing.
Job Transitions
Starting a new role or leaving one. Capture loose ends and handoff items before they're forgotten.
Mental Reset
Anytime your head feels full and cluttered. Clear the cache to think straight again.
Ready to Clear Your Mental RAM?
20 minutes with 132 prompts. Get everything out of your head and onto paper.
Start Brain DumpFrequently Asked Questions
What is a GTD Mindsweep?
A GTD mindsweep (from David Allen's "Getting Things Done" methodology) is a systematic process for capturing everything that has your attention. Using trigger prompts, you extract all open loops—unfinished projects, pending decisions, commitments made, things you're waiting for—from mental RAM into a trusted external system. The goal isn't to organize or act on items immediately; it's to capture them completely so your brain can stop tracking them. This creates mental space for clear thinking and reduces background anxiety caused by trying to remember everything. The mindsweep is typically done during the GTD weekly review or whenever your head feels cluttered.
How often should I do a brain dump?
Most productivity practitioners recommend a full brain dump weekly as part of a weekly review. This prevents mental clutter from accumulating. However, you should also do emergency brain dumps whenever you feel overwhelmed, can't focus, or sense you're forgetting important things. Other good times: before vacations (to truly disconnect), during major life transitions (job changes, moves), or at the start of quarterly planning sessions. The frequency depends on how fast your life generates new commitments—busy professionals may need twice-weekly dumps, while others can go two weeks between sessions. The key signal: if your head feels full and you're struggling to prioritize, it's time for a dump.
What should I include in a brain dump trigger list?
A comprehensive brain dump trigger list covers all life categories where open loops accumulate: Personal (unfinished projects, household repairs, errands, people to call, things to read), Professional (pending decisions, waiting-for items, delegated tasks, career goals), Financial (bills, investments, insurance reviews, tax prep), Relationships (promises made, events to plan, conflicts to address), Health (appointments, habits to start, medications), and Creative (ideas to explore, hobbies, learning goals). This tool includes 132 specific prompts across these categories. The specificity matters—"Do you have repairs needed at home?" surfaces more items than "Think about your house." Good triggers are concrete, category-specific, and comprehensive enough to catch everything.
What do I do with everything after the brain dump?
After the dump, you have a raw inventory of everything on your mind. Next steps: (1) Process each item—is it actionable? If yes, define the next action. If no, either reference it, delete it, or someday/maybe it. (2) Organize by category—calendar items, next actions by context, waiting-for items, projects requiring multiple steps. (3) Review regularly—GTD recommends weekly reviews to keep the system current. The dump itself doesn't solve anything—it just makes the invisible visible. The value comes from having a complete inventory you can trust, which allows your brain to stop tracking and start thinking. Many people use GTD apps (Todoist, Things, OmniFocus) or simple note systems (Notion, paper) for organization.
Why use a structured tool instead of just writing freely?
Free-form brain dumping produces incomplete results because your brain selectively remembers loud, urgent items while missing quiet background concerns. Without structure, you'll capture "Reply to client email" but miss "Schedule dentist appointment" or "Research car insurance renewal" because they're not top-of-mind. Trigger lists systematically prompt every category, ensuring nothing is missed. Research shows structured prompts surface 2-3x more items than free-form capture. Additionally, free-form dumping can feel overwhelming ("just write everything!") while triggers make the process manageable—answer one prompt, capture what surfaces, move to the next. The structure does the cognitive work so you just respond.
How long does the full 132-prompt process take?
Most people complete the 132 prompts in 20-30 minutes. Some prompts you'll skip quickly ("No items here"), others will trigger multiple captures. Your first mindsweep takes longer (30-40 minutes) because you're extracting accumulated backlog. Subsequent weekly dumps are faster (15-20 minutes) since you're only capturing what accumulated that week. Don't rush—the goal isn't speed, it's completeness. Better to spend 30 focused minutes and capture everything than to rush through in 10 minutes and miss items that will keep nagging you. Some people split the process: personal prompts one sitting, work prompts another. The tool saves progress so you can pause and resume.
Do I need to create an account?
No. This brain dump tool is completely free and requires no signup. Click "Start Brain Dump" to access all 132 prompts immediately. Work through them at your own pace, capture items in the provided space or your own notes app, and clear your mental RAM in 20 minutes. Use it weekly, before vacations, or whenever overwhelm strikes. No data collection, no email gates, no friction—just a systematic way to get everything out of your head.