Technique for Getting More Done & Crushing Your Worries

With life in the modern world being so hectic, it can be very difficult to still your mind long enough to make any decisions and get things done. One of the main problems most people have but are not aware of it, is they have all their worries, concerns, problems and ‘to dos’ swimming around there head, it’s no wonder there is room left for anything else.

The solution: You do what is called a “Brain Dump”, as marketer and entrepreneur John Reese calls it.

1) The first step is to get an A4 pad (or legal pad as known in the US), preferably one which has a front and back cover so there’s an element of privacy.

2) Open the book to the first page and put the title “To Do” at the top.

3) Sit down and think of all the things you need to do. Here are the types of things you might typically find.

a) Call a friend or relative you haven’t spoken to for some time
b) Getting something fixed (boiler, car etc.)
c) Arranging to have your Will drafted
d) Paying a bill
e) Paying off a credit card
f) Registering a domain name for a website
g) Starting a project you have been putting off
h) Studying for an exam
i) Writing an essay

…and so on. These are just suggestions but essentially it can be ANYTHING you need to get done, and quite possibly have been putting off.

Amazingly, the mere act of writing down allows your brain to free up space as you no longer need to worry about remembering to do that task. You will also find it rewarding when you get your book and cross off any tasks you have completed.

To put this technique on steroids, turn it into a game by seeing how many things you can get completed within a given period.

In addition to this, if you have more general worries and concerns you have floating around your head; you can write these in the back of your book, with a heading of “Concerns” at the top.

Again, by getting your worries down on paper, you are freeing up space from your mind which will allow you to think more clearly.

Important: Rather than worrying about the problems you have, see if you can come up with a possible solution to that problem, and list it next to it. Just by formulating some kind of plan for solving that problem will ease your worry somewhat.

Even if you do what is suggested in the first portion of this article, you will be much more productive and care free.

Tags: getting more done, time management technique