Too many thoughts? Here's your brain's empty button for productivity

You know that mental fog that comes from having too many thoughts bouncing around in your head?

I've discovered through both research and personal experience that the real power of journaling comes down to one simple thing: getting those thoughts out of your head and onto paper gives them shape and frees up mental space to tackle what's next.

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time working on several articles and videos regarding journaling and how it can affect productivity, so now’s a good time to share some simple aspects of journaling that can return some great results.

The Mental Weight We Carry

Have you ever felt like your mind is a browser with too many tabs open? That's exactly what led me to dig deeper into the science, and day to day benefits, of journaling.

What caught my attention wasn't the fancy journaling methods or elaborate systems. Don’t get me wrong, I get sucked into a cool looking Bullet Journal setup like anyone else…but I also know it isn’t needed to get the results I want.

The reality is, we're all walking around with countless thoughts, emotions, and project ideas swirling in our heads. These mental loops take up valuable brain space and energy.

They create a kind of cognitive overhead that affects everything else we're trying to do.

How often do you find yourself mentally rehearsing the same thoughts or revisiting the same worries?

This is why I became so interested in finding a practical solution. Not some “productivity hack”, but something that could actually help create more mental clarity and space.

This Week’s Favorite

The Simple Solution That Works

Let me share the fundamental reason why journaling is so powerful, and it's simple: once something is written down, your brain can finally let it go*.

This isn't just theory – it's backed by research and proven through practice. When you transform those thoughts into something tangible (whether on paper or digital), two important things happen:

• Your thoughts take on a concrete shape you can actually work with
• Your mind gets permission to stop actively holding onto them

Here's how to get started, even if you've never journaled before:

1. The Basic Brain Dump

• Just write whatever's on your mind

• No structure needed

• No rules about format or length

• Put down anything that's taking up mental space

Feeling stuck with the blank page? Don't worry – it's a common challenge. Here are two approaches that work:

Option 1: Freeform Writing

• Open your journal (or digital note)

• Write exactly what's on your mind

• Don't edit or judge what comes out

• Keep going until you feel that mental relief

Option 2: Using Prompts - If you need more structure, start with:

• What's taking up space in my mind right now?

• What do I need to get done this week?

• What's been bothering me lately?
  

The key is remembering that there's no "wrong" way to do this. The goal isn't perfect prose or profound insights – it's about getting those thoughts out of your head so you can think more clearly and move forward with other things.

Simple and pretty effective.

Extra Extra

• Headspace has an interesting piece about using brain dumps specifically for better sleep - perfect for those nights when thoughts won't quiet down.

One quick question 👋

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*Your brain will let it go IF it knows that you have a system in place to deal with it once it’s written down. Important caveat.