When Your Brain Feels Full: A Simple Practice to Regain Clarity and Lead Yourself Better
- Gabriela
- Nov 4
- 4 min read
Do you ever feel like your brain is running 42 tabs at once? Tasks, ideas, reminders, worries — all swirling around with no pause button.
That’s been me lately.
Since being pregnant with baby number three, I feel like my brain has gone into overdrive — feeling a constant need to get all my ducks in a row before the baby arrives.
There’s house stuff to sort, kids to keep in rhythm, business projects to move forward, and a growing list of little things that somehow all feel urgent.
I often catch myself jumping from one thought to the next: Did I reply to that email? Did I order that birthday present? What’s for dinner? Oh, and I still need to schedule that client session…
When my head gets that full and I feel my body tensing up, I’ve learned that the one thing that helps most is something incredibly simple — a brain dump. Here is how it works:
Step 1: The brain dump
It’s exactly what it sounds like: dumping everything that’s taking up space in your head onto paper (or into your notes app).
All of it — the to-dos, thoughts, worries, random reminders, emotions, ideas. No order, no editing, no judgment. Just write.
How to do it:
Grab a blank page or open a new note.
Start writing everything that’s on your mind — big or small, serious or silly.
Keep going until you feel your mind quiet down.
This isn’t about being organized. It’s about creating space.
Sometimes I even do it between two tasks — for example, before running to pick up the kids or jumping into my next meeting. Just a quick brain release so I can be more there for what’s next, instead of half-present and half in my head.
Why brain dumping works
When we hold too many thoughts at once, our brain tries to keep them active — like juggling multiple open tabs that never close. Doing the research for this post I learned, that this phenomenon is something psychologists call this the Zeigarnik effect: unfinished tasks stay in our mental “to-do list,” demanding attention and energy.
Writing them down signals to your brain that they’re safe somewhere else. You’re not losing them — you’re parking them. This frees up mental bandwidth for thinking clearly and being present.
When doing a brain dump you’ll likely notice:
Your thoughts stop looping.
You feel calmer and lighter.
It’s easier to focus on what’s right in front of you.
That small shift — from scattered to grounded — is a powerful act of self-leadership. You’ve paused long enough to take ownership of your inner state.
Step 2: Make sense of what you’ve dumped
You can totally leave it at the brain dumping. As mentioned above it is often just what your brain needs.
But if you got some extra time, or can carve out some later. The next step once you’ve emptied your mind, is sorting through what’s there.
This is where you move from awareness to intentional action — the heart of self-leadership.
Here’s how to continue:
Scan the page and group similar things.
Tasks or errands
Ideas or projects
Worries or emotions
Decide what to do with them.
Ask: What actually needs my attention today?
Highlight or mark what can wait or be delegated, deleted, or simply acknowledged. Not everything needs action — some things just needed space to be seen.
Turn the rest into next steps. Choose one small, doable action that will move something forward.
This process shifts you from overwhelm to clarity — from reacting to deciding and consciously choosing.
Step 3: Revisit regularly
The brain dump isn’t a one-off tool; it’s a way to reset. You can use it:
Before a big meeting or "switching hats".
At the end of the week to clear mental clutter.
Anytime you feel scattered or overstimulated.
It takes just a few minutes, but it helps you lead yourself with more awareness, calm, and focus — particularly on busy days.
How brain dumping relates to self-leadership
Self-leadership starts with awareness — noticing what’s happening in your inner world — and then consciously choosing how to respond instead of just being productive, and mindlessly doing all the things, all the time...
When you brain dump, you create space between the noise and your next move. When you sort and decide, you bring clarity and direction. Together, these steps strengthen your ability to lead yourself more effectively — not from pressure or panic, but from presence.
So next time your mind feels too full, pause. Grab a pen, dump it all out, sort it gently, and take one step forward.
That’s self-leadership in action — one clear, intentional choice at a time.
Want more practical tools for everyday self-leadership?
I share simple, real-life practices like this one in my newsletter — short reflections and exercises to help you lead yourself with more clarity, courage, and calm (especially when life feels full).
Join my newsletter here.
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