Is Your Brain Crowded? Part 2: Okay, you dumped your brain... now what?

Key Points

• Coach and artist Minette Riordan says not everything in a visual brain dump is meant to be acted on. The practice begins by emptying thoughts onto paper, but the second step is learning how to sort, filter, and clarify.
• She recommends identifying which ideas to let go, which to save for later, and which to highlight as ready to move forward. The process also includes breaking big projects into smaller steps.
• Experts in creativity and productivity note that this approach reduces overwhelm by shifting ideas from vague mental clutter into tangible categories. The accompanying worksheet helps make prioritization playful and manageable.

This is the second of two posts on Visual Brain Dumps. You can read Part 1 here: Is Your Brain Crowded? A Visual Brain Dump Might Be the Antidote. 

Not everything that made it onto your brain dump is meant to be acted on

In the first post I invited you to do a visual brain dump—to get all those swirling thoughts out of your head and onto the page. And many of you told me how freeing, fun, and messy it was.

But now you might be staring at your page (or giant whiteboard like mine below) thinking: What the heck do I do with all this??

Now we move into the next part of the process: sorting, filtering, and gently clarifying what matters most.

Here’s the thing: Not everything that made it onto your brain dump is meant to be acted on.

Some things to let go of are:

• Old ideas that no longer feel alive

• “Shoulds” that aren’t truly yours

• Future dreams that need to be parked until later

• Big projects that simply need to be broken down into doable steps

✨ Just because you wrote it down doesn’t mean it’s a commitment. It means you’ve given it space.

What to do next

1. Let Go – Cross off anything that feels like a drain or obligation. You know, it's the thing that's been on your list for years, it takes up brain space but you never make any progress because you really don't want to do it but think maybe you should...

2. Later – Circle things that are exciting, but not urgent. You can come back to these.

3. Yes, Now – Highlight the few items that feel clear, aligned, and ready to move forward.

4. Break It Down – Choose one “Yes, Now” item and ask:

   • What’s the next tiny step?

   • What would make this easier or more fun?

   • Who could support me in taking action?

Worksheet

To make this part easy (and actually kind of fun), I created a worksheet for you.

🖍️ [📝 Download the Visual Brain Dump Process Part 2]