I woke up early on a Saturday, and there weren’t any cartoons or a bowl of Frosted Flakes waiting for me.
Instead, I sat down for old fashioned dump. A mind dump.
Anytime I’m feeling overwhelmed, I pull out a pen and paper and start dumping. All the things that we’re giving me headaches and worrying me got jotted down.
It took a long time to get it all out since I hadn’t done one in a few months. Then it happened. That beautiful sweet feeling of my mind exhaling. My mind didn’t have to carry it all.
It was now on paper.
I’ve recently taught this technique to my daughters when they both felt that same overwhelming feeling. Life, school, and work were getting the best of them.
It’s not new. I didn’t invent it.
I first read it 15 years ago in David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done. Every time I show it to someone, they tell me the same thing.
“I feel so much more relaxed.”
That’s what I felt this morning. Then my girlfriend shouted from the bedroom, unhappy because I got up so early.
Crap! I still needed to analyze, prioritize, and strategize. Do they have cartoons on Sunday mornings?
