Get it out of your head [PMP #307]

A crucial productivity mantra that has continued to stick over the years is: “Get it out of your head”. This is an idea I first came across in David Allen’s book Getting Things Done. He nailed it when he said, “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” That quote really hit home for me, and it’s shaped how I use tools and technology to reduce my mental workload.

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Your brain is the bottleneck

We tend to clog up our brains with everything we need to remember – things to do, ideas, processes or just things to think about. When your brain is overloaded, you tend to feel ‘busy’ and disorganised and in a worst-case scenario, this can lead to overwhelm and burnout.

Think of your brain as the RAM (random-access memory) in a computer. It’s great for short-term memory and quick thinking, but it’s not built to store everything indefinitely. That’s what your “hard drive” (AKA your external systems) is for. If you’re using your mental energy to constantly remember every little detail, you’re missing out on the brainpower needed for thinking, creating, and problem-solving.

Freeing up your mental space feels amazing

The more you offload from your brain, the more mental space you free up. This is a habit that needs to be developed. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or have too much going on, my first step is to get everything out of my head. It’s almost instant relief. Once it’s out, you can see things more clearly, make a plan, and suddenly everything feels more manageable. It’s so freeing because you stop relying on your brain to remember every little task or appointment. Instead, you let a trusted system (like an app or calendar) do the remembering for you.

What should you get out of your head?

So, what exactly do I offload? Honestly, anything that’s taking up space in your brain and doesn’t need to be there. Here are some examples:

1. Tasks: Regular readers of this blog know that my team and I keep all our tasks and projects inside Asana. If there’s something we need to do, it’s in Asana. As things to do come at me (e.g. an invoice to be paid next month), these get added to Asana as a task, assigned and given a due date so I remember to do it later. Every day I go to ‘My Tasks’ and can see a list of tasks I need to work on for that day. I never have to ask myself “What should I do today”.
2. Appointments & Routines: Most people are pretty good at using their calendars for their time-sensitive appointments. I also time-block my work and add routines to my calendar (e.g. workouts, walks, meditation, family events). Once it’s scheduled, you don’t have to think about it. I can see everything I have coming up for the week with location data and ‘time to leave’ reminders set up ready to go.
3. Ideas: When a random idea or just something I want to remember for later comes to me, I jot them down in Apple Notes (VIDEO: How I use Apple Notes). You can use whatever works for you; Notion, OneNote, Evernote, take your pick! I describe Apple Notes as my digital notebook and it’s one of the tools I use to operate a paperless business. Whether it’s a half-baked thought, a recipe, a useful article or the start of a blog post, capturing it means you won’t forget it, and you can revisit it when you’re ready to take action.
4. Processes & SOPs: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to a business owner who’s told me they’re trying to grow their business but right now, their processes are in their own head and they need to teach the process to someone else. The only way this is possible is to get the process out of your head. This year I’ve been taking steps to remove myself as the bottleneck in my business. To do this, I’ve been writing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for everything we do (VIDEO: we keep a lot of these in Asana). Once a process is written it down, you can easily teach the process to someone who’s never done it before. I also find that the process of writing the process helps you to simplify the process.
5. Journaling: Writing a journal is another way of getting thoughts and feelings out of your head. This year I’ve had a lot going on; We went through a rebrand, I’ve grown the team and on top of all that, we’ve been building a house. For me, journaling is a way I can offload my thoughts and get them out of my head. Not because I don’t want to think about them. But because when I write down what I’m thinking or feeling, it helps me to process and organise everything I’m thinking about.
   

Won’t this weaken your memory?

Some people might think that writing everything down or using apps makes your memory weaker. Maybe it does, but it doesn’t bother me. I’d rather use my mental energy to think of new ideas or tackle a problem, not to try and remember all the little stuff that’s so easily trackable with modern tech.

Plus, by getting things out of your head, you actually improve your focus because you’re not constantly distracted by trying to keep track of everything. It’s a win-win: better focus, more mental clarity, and less stress.

I still stretch my memory when I can. When I meet someone new, I associate something visual with the person's name to remember it. I’m terrible with names and this little memory trick helps me to stretch this muscle.

Wrapping up

If you want to be more productive, stop using your brain as a storage space. Offload your tasks, ideas, routines, and processes into an external system you trust. You’ll free up mental bandwidth for the important stuff—thinking, creating, and getting things done.

So next time you feel overwhelmed or stressed, try getting everything out of your head. I guarantee you’ll feel more organised, calmer, and ready to tackle what’s next. Your brain is meant to have ideas, not holding onto them!