So now I have pages of "Brain Drain" - what do I do next?

Kitty doing Brian Drain

I generally end up with about three or four packed pages when I complete a major brain drain.  Not sure what a brain drain is?  Check out these two posts:  here and here.

What are we going to do with all this information?  Simple.  We're going to put each item in a category.  The categories are up to you.  Most books and articles on goal setting have about six to eight categories which I find cumbersome.  I have five areas that my brain drain items fit into:  garden, house, business, financial, and personal.  Common sense and personalization is the byword on this step.  If you don't have a garden, you wouldn't need a garden category. No house?  Leave it off your list.  Is travel very important to you?  You may need a travel category.   Here's an idea of some categories you could consider:

• Physical
• Career/Work
• Education
• Spiritual
• Family
• Personal
• Home/House
• Relationships
• Creative

I strongly suggest you not have a gazillion categories.  I put spiritual, creative, family, and physical in my personal category.  It keeps things simple for me. Pick out some categories and head a seperate sheet of paper in your notebook with the name of each of your categories.  

Take some time now to go through each of the things you've written in your Brain Drain and write it in a category.  This shouldn't take you longer than 20 minutes even if, like me, you have three or four pages of items from your Brain Drain. 

Next look at each item in each category and decide how important it is to you.  Number them 1 -4 using the following scale:

• one is very important
• two is sort of important
• three is really nice but not all that important
• four is for the "someday", "maybes", or "were you having a cocktail when you did your Brain Drain?" - sometimes called the "what were you thinking" items.  If you have some of the "what were you thinking" items just cross them off.

Finished?  Good.  Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and come back tomorrow when the real work will begin.  Oooooops!  I didn't mean to say "work."  Trust me (said the spider to the fly) - it will be fun.  

Decision Making for the New Year

Did you start your Brain Drain like I suggested yesterday?  No?  That's ok.  You can start today or next month, or never start at all.  It's your decision. Now isn't that a liberating thought? 

One of the top things women (and men) would like to improve in their life is the feeling of being organized.  You can not organize your life without organizing your brain.  One of the reasons for the Brain Drain is to get it out of our heads and onto paper.  If you are working on your list don't forget to include absolutely everything.  Don't worry about having "build a new house" right next to "go to the gym three times a week."  We'll sort out all that pesky stuff  later. 

Today will be perfect for me to work on my list because it's snowing.  It feels like a good project to nibble away on while watching the snow fall (and maybe I'll get to use my brand new cute Snow Joe blower.)

 

New Year's Resolutions and Living the Savvy Life

Most people cringe when they hear the term "making New Year's resolutions."  And they are correct in reacting that way.  We all know how well that works out - and, yes, I'm being sarcastic.   During the final days of one year and often extending into the beginning of the new year, I spend time working on a yearly plan, or as I prefer to say, "making decisions."  As an adult with ADD, this is an important step in keeping somewhat on track.

Don't "Set Goals"

In addition to the word "planning", I'm also not fond of "goal setting."   It smacks of hard work  Who needs more work!  When I posted on my weekly homemade appointment book,  I mentioned writing the motto, "I Decide, I Choose, I Will" across the middle of the page.  So instead of "setting goals" or even "making a plan", how about just making some decisions?  Doesn't that make you feel much more like you're in control?

Over the next few days I will cover some of the ways I make decisions for the upcoming year.  Do all of these decisions turn out just the way I envisioned or, dare I say, planned?   Heck, no!  But how many would have gotten done at all without some advance decision making?  Not many!


Step One - Brain Drain

I'm not sure where I acquired the term Brain Drain - perhaps David Allen, of the very complicated and popular Getting Things Done system.  But I liked the term it and it has become very important to me.

A brain drain consists of merely getting everything you'd like to accomplish down on paper.  When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING.  Please don't turn this into a huge chore. Keep a notebook with you and whenever something pops into your head (which happens way more often than you suspect), write it down.  Think of this as a grocery list for your life.   Wish you could go to Italy?  Write it down.  Paint the living room?  Write it down.  Lose 10 pounds (doesn't everyone?)  Write it down. Wish you get more organized (another no-brainer - who doesn't?)  Write it down.  Don't worry about sorting this out for now.  We'll get to that next.  As David Allen says, "Just Do It."

Moving on to:

Living the Savvy Life

Yesterday, I received my advance copy of this snazzy book which is due to be released January 11th.  One of my favorite blogger buddies, Adrienne, over at Rich Life on a Budget, did a wonderful review of this book.  Melissa Tosetti, the author of "Savvy", found me by way of the Adrienne's blog and asked if I would also do a review.  Obviously, this lovely lady has a thing for Adrienne's (proving she's smart as well as lovely!)

I've already made my way through about half the book and will finish tomorrow morning.  I'm looking forward to doing the review.