“My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations” – John Green
While I am not a runner, sometimes I feel like my mind is running marathons. My mind feels like it has a million tabs open and I can’t close them. This is the creative side of my brain (INFJ anyone?) and I appreciate how it helps me brainstorm and make to-do lists, but sometimes it’s straight up obnoxious. Similar to me? Here are some of my favorite ways to organize my thoughts!
Make a list of the things you don’t typically make a list for. I have a note in my phone for pretty much everything. Texts I need to respond to, people I need to call, letters I want to write. etc. I write things down as soon as I have the thought. Everything that doesn’t typically need a list, I make a list for. Some call it obsessive, I call it…okay, I call it obsessive too. Don’t knock it till ya try it!
Go for a drive. I love being alone in my car, in fact, I may write a list of just reasons I love it…we’ll save that for another post. Whether you need to turn up the music loud or keep it silent, going for a drive just seem to clear my mind!
Turn off your phone. Just take a deep breath and let all the notifications slip away! It will all be there once you get back! Sometimes social media can clutter our thoughts. Just take a little break and see what it does for you!
Make a mind map. Mind maps are my best friend. I got this idea from the book Creative Confidence (read it ya’ll), and this has done wonders for me! When I need to brainstorm, collect my thoughts, and just get it all on paper this is my go to! Start with one basic idea in the middle and grow! Try to extend it into as many thoughts/ideas as you can. Here is an example from Creative Confidence with ideas for a dinner party.
Morning pages. These are a lifesaver for me! The idea is that you write 3 full pages of whatever you are thinking about first thing in the morning. Do this before you check your phone before you get out of bed, very first thing! Writing this much essentially cleans out the cobwebs of your brain! I plan to do a whole post on this topic so stay tuned!
Now you tell me!
How do you organize your thoughts?
I usually write down the ideas and come back to them later. This is what I do most of the time to write down my thought. I write an outline of all the ideas and organize them into a few categories.