Do you ever feel like your brain is like a cluttered desk, complete with scattered thoughts, to-do lists, and random reminders? If so, a brain dump might be a perfect way to clear your mind and kick-start your productivity. This simple yet powerful tool will help organise your thoughts, reduce stress, and make the most of your planner.
What is a Brain Dump?
A brain dump is a free-flowing exercise where you write down everything that’s on your mind. There’s no structure or organisation required—just get your thoughts out on paper (or a digital note). The goal is to declutter your mind and create clarity, making it easier to prioritise and take action.
Now some people aren’t a fan of the term Brain Dump so I asked Chat GPT to give me some alternatives and it came up with:
Now that you know why a brain dump is helpful, let’s talk about how you can make it a part of your planning habit.
Set Aside Time Choose a time where you can sit down without any distraction. Most individuals like to do a brain dump at the beginning of the week or end of the day to clear the thoughts from their mind.
Write Everything Down Grab your planner, or a blank piece of paper, and start writing. Don’t worry about making it neat or tidy—just let yourself flow – but make sure it is readable. Write down tasks, worries, reminders, ideas, and anything else that’s floating around in your head.
Categorise Your List Tasks & To-Dos: Actionable items that need to be accomplished. Appointments & Deadlines: Important dates to keep track of. Ideas & Notes: Creative ideas or projects. Reminders & Errands: Miscellaneous tasks that need to be completed. Other: Add your own categories. Don’t add too many though or you can get overwhelmed.
Prioritise & Plan Now that your mind has been cleared, transfer your important tasks into your planner. Use time-blocking, to-do lists, or a priority system to plan out your calendar. Make sure to tackle urgent and important tasks first.
Repeat Regularly A brain dump is not a one-time solution—it’s a habit. Develop a routine to do this exercise on a weekly basis or when your mind is full.
This year I’m splitting my year into quarters. I’ll do a Brain Dump and a Reset Week (I’ll be doing a post about this soon) at the start of each quarter. Since we’re coming up to quarter two, I’m sharing my process. I make sure I’ve got a some blank paper in my planner and I just write a list of anything that is in my brain. Once I’ve done that I go back and mark each point with a coloured dot that corresponds with my key. The areas I’m using for my key are:
mental health
physical health
household
personal development
social
partner
family
uni
work
Anything that has a due date or event date goes in my year at a glance or monthly if it is soon. Some of the remaining items will go in my Future Me Problems spread. I’ll check this spread too to see if there is anything upcoming that needs to be dealt with.
A brain dump in your planner is a game-changer for productivity and mental clarity. When you regularly get things out of your head and into their place, you will feel more on top of your goals and tasks. Give it a try and experience the relief that a de-cluttered mind brings!
Do you brain dump as part of your planning? I’d love for you to share with me in the comments!
As the world turns, the equinox arrives, marking the perfect moment when day and night are equal in length. While many people associate this time of year with spring in the Northern Hemisphere, the autumn equinox in Australia ushers in a different kind of magic. Here, it signifies the shift from the scorching summer heat to the more temperate and mellow days of autumn.
What Is the Autumn Equinox? The autumn equinox occurs when the Earth’s axis is neither tilted toward nor away from the Sun, causing the Sun to be directly above the Equator. This results in approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. In the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the start of autumn, and for many, it’s a time to reflect, relax, and enjoy the natural beauty that unfolds during this gentle transition.
Autumn in Australia: A Season of Colour and Change Unlike the usual images of autumn with golden leaves in places like the United States or Europe, Australia’s autumnal colours are unique. In the southern states, especially Tasmania, Victoria, and parts of New South Wales, the trees begin to show off their rich, warm hues—think fiery reds, oranges, and browns. It’s the perfect time to visit national parks or take scenic drives, such as the Great Ocean Road, where autumn leaves create a breathtaking landscape.
In contrast, many parts of northern Australia, including Queensland, have a subtropical climate where the seasonal changes are subtler. While it’s still warm, the temperatures become more bearable, and the humidity starts to drop. The air feels fresher, making it a fantastic time to explore the tropical rainforests or enjoy the beaches with fewer crowds.
Autumn Equinox Correspondents
Names: Autumn Equinox, Mabon
Deities: Demeter, Bacchus
Colours: Maroon, orange, purple, scarlet, deep green, gold, brown
Symbols: Pine cones, autumnal flowers, wheat stalks, acorns
Visit your local farmers market and buy in season fruits and vegetables
Perform a gratitude ritual
Cooking with in-season foods
Do a home protection spell
Go outside and enjoy the autumn sunshine
Go apple picking then make an apple dessert – apple pie, apple crumble, baked apples
Meditate to reconnect with Mother Earth
Make a broom
Journaling
Light black or white candles
Dry leaves
Declutter your space
Have a harvest meal with family and friends.
Donate or volunteer at your local animal shelter
Have a go at making cider
Drying herbs
What we’re doing.
A quiet day for us. I worked on decluttering my craft space so I could do some prep for our monthly crafternoon and some monthly memory planner catch up. I set up a small alter and did a home protection ritual. We made carrot soup with fresh local carrots, stewed apples and made apple pies and made a small batch of tomato relish. Wrote a gratitude list for the first quarter of the year.
As we move through this transition, let’s take a moment to celebrate the changing of the seasons, not just in the world around us, but within ourselves. The equinox reminds us of the beauty of balance and the power of nature to renew, refresh, and inspire.
So, on March 20th/21st, why not step outside, take in the changing light, and appreciate the peaceful shift that autumn brings to Australia?
Finishing off my planner set up for 2025 with my Misc section. This is where I house things that don’t go in my monthlies, yearly collection or long term collection. Mind you some of these things could go into the Yearly journal or the Long Term collection, just not this year.
My Misc section so far includes:
Future Me problems (things I want to do sometime)
Cleaning routines
What can I do in 15 minutes (aka Quick wins)
When Did I last….
To Be Read List
2025 Bookshelf
Movies to watch
Movies watched
Shows to watch
Shows watched
Podcasts to check out
Podcast tracker
Present ideas (for when someone, namely the kids, mentions something they want)
I’m also including my March set up for your viewing pleasure. For March I decided to go with an Autumn theme as March marks the start of Autumn here in Australia. For 2025 I’m trying to use up my stash of Planners Anonymous kits from the past 6 and a bit years. The kits I’m using for March are:
Just updating a few things around the blog to freshen it up for the new year. Some older posts are getting updates, others are moving to my craft blog – Nightwolf Crafts, while others are no longer relevant and will be archived.
There will also be a refresh of the categories. A little spring clean if you will.
***********FOODOLOGY*************** What is your salad dressing of choice? French dressing or something we’ve made. What is your favourite sit-down restaurant? Me Wah What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? still chicken What are your pizza toppings of choice? BBQ chicken What do you like to put on your toast? butter & jam
***********TECHNOLOGY*************** How many televisions are in your house? 5 What colour cell phone do you have? space grey
***************BIOLOGY****************** Are you right-handed or left-handed? right What is the last heavy item you lifted? boxes. Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Sadly yes.
************BULLCRAPOLOGY************** If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Not really. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Not sure. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Hell no.
************DUMBOLOGY****************** How many pairs of flip flops do you own? 1 Last time you had a run-in with the cops? never over a bad thing Last person you talked to on the phone? a client Last person you hugged? my oldest daughter
**************FAVORITOLOGY**************** Season? Summer Holiday? any lol Day of the week? Saturday Month? January
***********CURRENTOLOGY***************** Missing someone? My mum Mood? tired but content What are you listening to? hubby gaming with his mates – they are playing Fallout Watching? Real Crime channel Worrying about? not much
***************RANDOMOLOGY***************** First place you went this morning? the kitchen What’s the last movie you saw? The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Do you smile often? Yes. Sleeping Alone? No. Hubby & at least 1 cat
***************OTHER-OLOGY***************** Do you always answer your phone? No If you could change your eye colour what would it be? still green. What flavour do you add to your drink at Sonic? Still no clue what Sonic is Do you own a digital camera? Yep a Nikon DSLR Have you ever had a pet fish? Yes. What’s on your wish list for your birthday? For my last birthday it was craft stuff & Planner stuff Can you do push ups? no Can you do a chin up? no Does the future make you more nervous or excited? both Do you have any saved texts on your cell? yes Ever been in a car wreck? no Do you have an accent? i don’t think so. What is the last song to make you cry? Supermarket flowers Plans tonight? Doing some art Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? yup.
A few years back I did a series that I called In the Den Kitchen, where I shared recipes we’d been cooking. I’m planning on bringing it back in 2025 but I need to make some major changes to it.
In the meantime I’ve taken down all posts tagged In the Den Kitchen down while I update them. They will be back and looking much more spiffy.
So mind the dust – the Kitchen is getting a renovation.
Continuing on from Parts 1 and 2, I’m working through the set up for my uni section.
Since I decided to look at going back to university study last year, then applying and be accepted this year, I’ve been squirreling away all the possible ideas I could add to my uni section. What will I need? What do I want to keep with me all the time? What don’t I need? Will I be keeping course notes in my planner? If not how will I be keeping notes and where?
What do I need and what do I need to keep in my planner?
Course overview, including important dates, and contact details
Unit details, dates and contacts
Study timetable
Assignment due dates
Assignment results – I’m not sure on this one as yet
What don’t I need?
I have watched so many videos on YouTube and they add budget trackers, self care trackers, monthly and weekly spreads. I already have these so no point doubling up.
Will I be keeping course notes in my planner? If not how will I be keeping notes and where?
Nope. I’m going to be making a digital notebook in Goodnotes for all my uni course notes. Trying to work out what I want before the year starts. When I make it, I will no doubt link it up and offer it for others to use.
If you’re looking at getting back into study or just interested in digital note taking and student planners, I’ve created a YouTube playlist which you can view here. If you’ve got a favourite video you think would be a great addition, drop me a link in the comments so I can check it out.
Onto the planning and set up,
and as a bonus, my February planning and set up
One more section to go and that’s my everyday planner set up for the year. Until next time.
