How To Clear Your Mind With A Bullet Journal, Brain Dumping, And A Vision Board

Key Takeaway

1. Life can get messy and hard to deal with and a bullet journal can help you out greatly to put the pieces together.
2. Are you feeling overwhelmed with everything and need some kind of outlet, try using the brain dump technique in your bullet journal.
3. Do you feel like you have so much to plan and don’t know where to start, try creating a vision board.
4. At first, your brain dump page may look like a huge messy pile of ideas, but that is ok
5. These are a couple of techniques you can use in your bullet journal to help clear your mind and get your planning on course.

Have you ever felt overloaded with worries maintenance tasks, and to-dos, with no idea where to start? I know that exact feeling. It used to overwhelm me daily. But over time, I’ve discovered one of the most effective tools for bringing clarity back into my life; using a bullet journal. It might sound complicated at first glance, but trust me, if you take the time to learn how to use your bullet journal correctly, it can be an incredibly powerful tool for calming your mind and restoring focus. Here’s how!

Having your own bullet journal just for events like clearing your mind, can be an inspiring tool tailored exclusively to your needs. It will help you declutter your thoughts, (Or house, check out my article here about using the Konmari checklist method) and sort out any overwhelming feelings while providing clarity into what matters most in life. In this article, I’m going to provide some ideas and guidance on how to use your bullet journal as a refreshing escape from the chaos so that you can clear your messy mind with ease!

Brain Dumps Technique

What Is it

As a first step to managing my mental health, I started using the technique of brain dumping in my bullet journal. This is the act of writing down everything that is bothering you, crowding your brain, or stress-inducing. Anything that needs to be done, or worrying events that are upcoming all go on my brain dump list. It’s a safe space for me to get what is stuck in my head onto some paper. It helps create clarity in my head and allows me to focus on the task at hand.

Brain dumps can help with a general awareness of your well-being and it’s something anyone can do. Once all of these thoughts are on your page, I hope this technique will help create more mental space in your mind while freeing up energy and creativity so that you can focus on solving the issue at hand. So if you’re worried about feeling overwhelmed or need a fresh perspective, start with a brain dump exercise!

Personal Experience

Writing down all of my tasks, random thoughts, worries, and anxieties have been one of the most useful mental health habits I’ve ever adopted. Every few days or when I feel my anxiety bucket filling up, I sit down and do a brain dump. I jot down everything that is on my mind onto a piece of paper in as much detail as possible. Taking this time to focus on everything that needs to be done and seeing it written out usually helps me realize that the fears or mental health concerns dissipate surprisingly quickly.

Even with some of the most mundane tasks, this approach to brain dumping will ensure important details don’t get forgotten altogether. Doing this gives me clarity, helps my brain free up more resources, and lessens my anxiety considerably. Brain dumps have become an essential part of keeping myself motivated and on track. It stands out as one of the best methods to help me work through problems. I feel I need to get something out of my head and onto paper, I reach for my brain dump bujo! (You can check out my top 10 favorite bujos HERE)

How To Create A Brain Dump Spread

Crafting a brain dump spread for your journal can be a great way to get organized and clear your head. Start by having an open page or two depending on the amount of work you have to do, then label it with whatever works best for you. This can simply be “Brain Dump” on the top or middle of the page. If you’re feeling artistic, why not create a border of some kind around the pages as well? At the end of the day though, customizing your brain dump is optional. Even something as simple as labeling one task in your spread is more than enough to get started!

Begin by jotting down all the tasks or emotions that are making you feel overwhelmed at the moment, from organizing and scheduling work tasks to planning out your grocery list and dinner prep for the week. You can also take note of any important dates or events such as birthdays and anniversaries. Anything that you don’t want to forget about! Not only will it provide some clarity around what needs doing, but it also gives you a physical record that you can always refer back to when necessary.

From the brain dump prompts here you can easily make a goal or checklist spread to make things a little more orderly. Think of your brain dump page as having no filter. You are just transferring your mind to the paper. You don’t want the brain dump to become another overwhelming thing in your life so take your time. You can come back and add to this page anytime you’d like.

Different Pages In Your Spread For Different Categories

Once I’m done brain-dumping, the next step is to organize all my thoughts into digestible chunks. I start by creating another page for this task and breaking everything down into categories. My most common categories are “Important Things,” “Less Important Things,” and “To-Do Lists.” Creating different categories will help you prioritize what needs to get done first, as well as keep track of all the tasks or ideas in just one place. This organization system can be tailored specifically to what works best for you and it’s a good way to start tackling that overwhelming task list.

Putting all my thoughts into these boxes helps me see what needs immediate attention and what can wait. Then I can go through and accomplish tasks in the order of their importance, which takes a lot of mental clutter, worry, and stress off my plate. Brain-dumping and then organizing it makes it so much easier to get things done!

Journaling Prompts

Writing out your thoughts and feelings can be incredibly therapeutic, like when doing a brain dump, but sometimes you don’t know where to begin. Journaling prompts (Check out some of my favorite prompts for dealing with anxiety HERE) along with a brain dump spread are a great combination to get half-formed ideas and feelings out of your head. A couple of prompts can kick off a brain dump session. When our minds start to spin with the same thoughts over and over again, it can be beneficial to simply write them down and stop chasing them in your mind, no matter how insignificant they may seem.

Through this process of brain dumping, one can pinpoint what is really causing distress and then come up with some mental guidance as to how it might best be addressed. Some productivity prompts that are particularly useful in this instance are ‘What do I need to accomplish next week’, or ‘What can I get done to make my life easier’.

If you are feeling anxious or stressed out, try ‘What is the worst that could happen?’, ‘What coping methods do I have at my disposal?’ and ‘What has worked for me in the past?’ Taking time for yourself to look internally and then jotting down all those thoughts, can relieve a lot of built-up worry and pressure.

How To Use

To make the best use of this method, you need to identify the right prompt to address your particular issue. It is fine if it is a few things or a little broad because this is just to kick off your brain dump. After selecting one, create a page on which to answer the prompt. As you write, be sure to include every thought that comes up, and don’t judge yourself for what you write down.

After the brainstorming and brain dump session is complete, review the writing and reflect on what it means for your current situation. Lastly, it’s important that you accept whatever conclusions come from this exercise and realize it is okay to let go of any lingering feelings of nagging worry, uncertainty, or doubt.

If something is bothering you and you can’t let it go, this technique can also help. You can even rip this page out of the journal once your brain dump is complete if it helps you get over it. Rip it into shreds and throw it up in the air, to express the feeling of letting go. The action of getting all of your thoughts on a page that have been bothering you, then destroying the page can feel very freeing.

10 Prompts For Clearing Your Mind

1. What is bothering me today?
2. Why can’t I stop thinking about this one thing?
3. What is something I want to improve in my life?
4. What is holding me back?
5. What am I proud of myself for?
6. What does the ideal day look like for me and how do I get there?
7. How can I get motivated?
8. What do I need to let go of?
9. What is an obstacle in my life that I have overcome and how did I do that?
10. What makes me happy?

Vision Boards

You may find yourself in a situation where you need to get your abstract thoughts or ideas out of your mind and onto paper, but they involve more visual aspects than what words can provide alone. In this case, creating a vision board in your bullet journal is your solution. It is a fun and creative way to both capture abstract thoughts and take control of your space.

Different Uses

Moving Into A New House

For example, if you just moved into a new home, you may not be feeling the same connection or “homey-ness” as you felt in the past. With a vision board, you can visualize what home means to you and transform your current space with intentional decor and colors that reflect this meaning for yourself. Spend time researching inspiring visuals that encapsulate your idea of home. Drawing from these images, sketch out what it is that makes a home feel like home to you.

Write positive affirmations beneath specific images or collaged bits of magazine pages that motivate and encourage a sense of peace when thinking about your personal space. It feels natural and will be an ever-evolving journey as new pieces find their way into creating the visuals that speak to the feeling expected when walking through the front door.

Planning A Trip

Planning a trip can be daunting and at times, stressful. It often feels like there are so many details to remember. It’s always difficult to take the first step when it comes to planning. A great way to stay organized, and help the mind piece together a successful vacation is to create a vision board inspired by your bullet journaling.

Assembling visuals on a board allows you to clearly see what you need to make your trip happen while helping minimize stress. You can also use words or phrases that motivate and excite you! With a mind map and all of these elements laid out before you, it will be easier than ever for your next trip to unfold as you envisioned. (If you want to learn more about using your bujo while traveling check this article out)

Conclusion

A bullet journal is an incredibly useful tool for getting all your thoughts and feelings out on paper. Using a bullet journal brain dump, or vision board can help you to clear your mind of distracting worries and anxieties, allowing you to focus on more important matters. I have found that if I need to clear my mind due to too many things going on, or feeling stressed a brain dump spread is the way to go. If I have a specific idea or thought I need to organize more and it involves various items or dates, a vision board bullet journal helps me to facilitate all the things that I need to accomplish.

Working in creative ways within your bullet journaling, like creating vision boards or writing positive affirmations can be great for motivation and a sense of accomplishment. By using good habits in bullet journaling and taking the time to reflect on your life and analyze how you can improve, you will find yourself feeling more empowered and in control of your destiny. Bullet journaling is an essential tool for self-care, reflecting on general mental health, and by using a habit tracker can help with creating good habits and organization, so take the time to explore its many benefits and start writing one today!

Have you used a brain dump, written word spread, or a vision board in the past to get your thoughts onto paper? If so, what have you learned that you would like to share with the rest of the community? After reading this article, do any of these techniques sound like they would fit your needs, but have some questions? Please ask below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

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