I have already preached the word of pen and paper, that is how traditional methods can be a big help, and a kind sole from Organize IT linked to it from a great article about getting things out of your head, on to paper. or in other words, The 4 Golden Rules Of The Mind Sweep. I would love to plagiarize this article, but that would not be too nice of me, so please run along and read it, I’ll grab something to eat while you do.

Welcome back! I have always had these four rules somewhere in my mind, unsaid, so I’m happy someone came along and said it for me. I have had HUGE problems getting things down because I do not feel comfortable if there is no order in what I do. The truth is, your mind doesn’t work like that, there is no real “order” in your thoughts. I bet that most peopel are held back because once they get to 20-30 ideas they just see chaos on the page, bigger than what they think is in their head.

Therefore I would like to add a sort of fifth rule. I think you have to learn how to do mind sweeps, and there is noone who can teach you how. My brain works completely differently than anyone else’s (I can see jokes forming about this one…), and so does yours. You might be comfortable jotting down a list because you can more easily see order in that. Other people might like to just write stuff down all over the place, perhaps joining them with lines. Some people might like to write each though on a separate flash card or post it and toss it in a pile. There are so many methods and ways it is impossible to know which one is right for you.

So don’t worry if you’re overwhelmed at first, it might take you a few “sessions” to get the hang of this. Try and start out with big-big A3, or B4 sheets and just start jotting down stuff, I think generally this works best for most, and works  somewhat for everyone. Happy thought taking!