This blog post has been authored by Stand Out Online Member Liz Landeen, Liz Landeen
Having a lot of ideas is a good thing! But it doesn’t always feel like it…
Okay, so set your timer and get ready for one tip I have that will really move you from mental clutter to massive clarity – and do it in a way that doesn’t feel like a hustle or a grind. It’s to do what I call a mind sweep.
Most people have lots and lots of ideas- but they just don’t know where to put them! I call this entrepreneurial brain and I think it’s a beautiful, beautiful thing- it can just feel overwhelming. It makes us feel scattered but, at the end of the day, it’s something really wonderful. We just need to embrace it instead of trying to run away or contain it.
The mind is for having ideas- not holding them. Many times I think we like to keep all these thoughts just in our brain. What happens when we do that? We start to feel kind of bogged down and overwhelmed.
Our brains are like computers- When a computer has too many tabs open or has too much storage on it then it starts to get bogged down and runs slower and our brains are the same. Computers are amazing things! And so are our minds, if we take care of them.
So we don’t want to keep all these beautiful thoughts and ideas in our brain- you want to get them out! A great way to do this is through doing a Mind Sweep.
That term comes from David Allen- but there’s plenty of other terms for it. It could be a brain dump or a mind map or whatever you want to call it, but I love David Allen’s way of talking about it. (If you’re looking for book recommendations- it’s called Getting Things Done: Art of Stress-Free Productivity)
It’s his “getting things done” method that I studied and really love. I’m not saying it’s always easy but they’re small things we can do to really make a big impact on our productivity.
Mind Sweeps help us not just be busy- but actually get things done. A Mind Sweep is a key practice in moving from all that clutter to actual, actionable clarity. I promise you’re going to feel so much better 20-30 minutes after when you do a total brain dump. So, take those ideas and just write it all down. Write down your thoughts and get them out of your head- but make sure you do it in one place! Whether you’re typing it on your laptop or writing in a journal, it’s all in one location- not 5 different journals and sticky notes all over the place. That’s how a lot of us tend to work if we’re not careful, my past self included.
Start by thinking about a few things- this includes absolutely anything and everything that crosses your mind. And big warning- don’t try to decipher “What is this?” Just get it out! So, if there’s anything in there currently, anything that you want to do, anything you’re thinking about doing, or any creative ideas – write it all down as it comes to you.
Maybe there are some incubate ideas – or things that maybe aren’t actionable now but they’re still taking up your storage, still running through your head over and over again. Make sure you jot down anything your brain’s saying “please for the love of God, get this down for me, put it somewhere so I can stop thinking about this!” There’s no right or wrong with Mind Sweeps- it’s anything running through your head. Anything that pops up – write it down.
Let this be both your personal and professional stuff because many times these things overlap. It would be really nice if we could have this very clear, defined line between life and business – but that’s not typically the case so your mind sweep can be anything from Mom’s birthday gift or go shopping for a new bedspread to get back to that client or planning your Instagram content.
If you’d like some organization to your Mind Sweep- I made just the thing for that. With just a click, you can get my Mind Sweep worksheet as part of my “From Dreaming to Doing” digital program that puts all your thoughts in nice categories so you can turn that sweep into action! I’ll go more in detail about that next time- but feel free to check it out! Give your brain the break it deserves.
Liz has been able to successfully navigate the wild waters of leaving a 9 to 5 in pursuit of building a passionate business she can work from anywhere. A nature-lover and avid outdoorswoman, Liz is also a Business Strategy & Action Coach, Host of The Outdoor Entrepreneur podcast, and Co-Author of the Becoming and Unstoppable Woman book. Liz is passionate about helping entrepreneurs who feel scattered by all the thoughts, ideas, “shiny things” and mental clutter, to gain massive clarity, and to turn ideas and intentions into income, and live a life they love.