What is a Mind Sweep and Why Should I Do One?

If you've heard the term "mind sweep" or "brain dump" and been unsure what it means, you've come to the right place!

A mind sweep is where you take a few minutes, (maybe 2-5) and jot down everything that pops into your head. You don't organize it, don't take any action, and don't second guess it - just write. If you choose to do a guided mind sweep, then there is often someone giving verbal prompts and cues to spark ideas and help you remember thoughts that may have slipped into the cracks of your mind over time. This can be related to your work life, personal life, or everything combined.

I personally know that my memory isn't always the sharpest and so I try to stay on top of things by writing down reminders and ideas in the moment. As soon as something comes into my head that I don't want to forget, I try to send the text or add it to the list or set a reminder right then and there. But this isn't always a perfect system! Sometimes an idea strikes when I'm trying to fall asleep and I lead myself to believe that I'll remember it in the morning. Or sometimes I'm in the shower and try my hardest to repeat over and over that I need to add shampoo to my shopping list when I get out but still forget by the time I grab my towel. If this sounds familiar at all, you might be able to benefit from performing a mind sweep too!

I started doing guided mind sweeps a few years ago as a team activity at work and have continued the habit periodically since then. Whenever I feel like my mind is a cluttered mess and I'm overwhelmed or I feel like I'm letting things slip, I sit down and take a few minutes to sweep up all the scattered bits and get them on paper. I occasionally still do guided mind sweeps, but often am able to go through prompts in my head and complete one on my own. I also feel like this practice has helped me in day to day life even outside of those 2-5 minutes. For example, I believe this is what helped instill the habit of either doing or noting things as soon as they come into my head, leaving less for me to "sweep" when it comes time for a brain cleanup session!

After you're done with writing everything down and you feel like you've cleared it all out, that's when you can move onto the second part of the process - organizing your notes. You can separate the items into different lists, take action, schedule reminders for yourself, etc. Whatever method works best for you. If you're curious to learn more about this next step, let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for checking out my post! Be sure to let me know if you complete a mind sweep and how it goes for you. :)