My Brain Book
I find that the older I get, the important it is for me to be organized. Shortly after my 40th birthday, I started to notice that my memory wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. I experienced moments that felt like someone hit the pause button on my brain – I call it ‘mental-pause’. So here’s what I did:
To clear the fog and release my mind from draining mental clutter, I created something I call my ‘brain book’. I bought a Hilroy 5 Subject Notebook (approx. 5” x 9”) from Staples and used self-adhesive tabs for the categories.
- My Brain Book
The categories I chose are:
To Buy, To Read, To Do, Someday, Ideas. But if you want to create your own version of my brain book, I suggest you use categories that are important to you and fit your life (see below for suggested categories). I discovered that writing things down in this trusted place prevented me from wasting time and energy remembering them, which seemed to free up space in my brain. The trick to using the brain book successfully is to have it with you at all times. Keep it in a place where you will be able to access it quickly and easily. And make an effort to use it consistently until it becomes a habit.
Watch video of me describing my brain book on CBC’s Steven and Chris show:
http://tinyurl.com/4kbknu (If you don’t want to watch the whole clip, fast forward to 4:20)
*Suggested Categories:
To Buy
To Do Now
To Do Later
To Do Someday/Maybe
To Delegate
Ideas
Goals
To Enter
Favourite Quotes
Books to Read
Movies to See
Directions
To Discuss
Personalizing this book increases the likelihood that you will use it effectively. From the suggested categories above, choose only the ones that fit your life. Feel free to add your own categories. Use your own words so it makes sense to you.
Let me know if this helps you conquer mental-pause as well as it helps me.
I think that’s a great idea about the notebook. For me, it’s the books, at 45 I have so many many books I want to read. When I go to the library I seem to forget the names of the authors!
Great idea – love your blog!
As you say Helen, Don’t think it – ink it!
First, I use a literature sorter to sort and pile all of those bits of information that I need to keep (magazine articles, images, scribbles of on bits of paper, to do lists…) using the same categories that are in my own “brain book”. Then once a week I input the organized piles into my small binder. This is the best system that I have ever found!
Thanks Helen!
Vivian Carter
I have tried this approach before and it works. The problem is remembering to use the book. I need to work on making that a habit.
Great, Helen. I use my blackberry “Notes” section for this. Then since it is portable, I can open it anywhere, anytime…like when i go shopping, or if I remember things when I am not home! The only thing: Remember that i have a list on my Blackberry and USE it!
Love your blog!
Thanks Helen for those tips. I’ve started keeping a notebook handy just to write down important things rather than put them on scraps of paper. I like the idea of tabs. You are truly an inspiration. I was watching reruns of your show yesterday and girl, I sure do miss seeing you on TV. You are by far the best organizer on TV. Take care
Oh, forgot to tell you I love the blog. This will be fun.
I love your blog Hellen and I love the idea of your brain book. I am one of those people who love to organize and have often been complemented by others on how organized and efficiently run my office is (thanks to your helpful hints). However, at home I find that my husband and three teenagers rarely return items where they belong and it doesn’t take long for things to get out of hand and overwhelming.
Hi Hellen,
I’ve started a Brain Book, but so far I’m finding it difficult to give up the scraps of paper I usually make my lists on. Old habits die hard sometimes!
I’ll try to attach my bits and pieces to my Brain Book pages — maybe that’ll help me get used to going to the book first.
Lots of fun to get new ideas!
Hi Lorraine,
You’re right, it does take time to integrate a new habit into your routine. You can try that, but it is adding extra work and taking more time. My suggestion is to remove the scraps of paper from your desk to eliminate the temptation to use them. Let me know how that goes.
i just put together my brain book and i can’t wait to start using it! thanks for such a great idea, hellen.
p.s. i miss your show, too.
hugs
I used to have a Day-Timer with multiple sections set up for many of the categories you’ve listed here, but as I’ve moved to a simpler time management system, I no longer have a central place to write down my thoughts. Your suggestion to use a coil-bound notebook may be all that I need!
My problem is I keep buying notebooks and writing in them haphazardly and then losing them, finding them again-half written in-and waste time looking through them (reminiscing sometimes can waste a lot of time!). I also, I confess, write on small scraps of paper that I lose under piles of other paper. I have never tried putting tabs with categories on my notebooks so maybe that will help-one can hope anyway :-).
Phone numbers on scraps of paper is also a big issue- I finally decided to buy a semi expanding file holder and throw any and all piece of paper with phone numbers in it to at least corral them.
I miss you on tv Hellen- what happened to your show?
[…] for interesting organizing resources? Be sure to read My Brain Book from Hellen Buttigieg and PaperBackSwap.com from Michelle […]
FINALLY, a lucid comment about Multi-Tasking! I’ve been saying the same thing for years and glad to see you also believe One Thing At A Time.
More mistakes are made through Multi-tasking than just completing each task calmly and simply and then going on to the next one.
Great blog, Hellen.
But like others, I really miss your show!
I love reading your blog and can’t believe you celebrated your 40th Birthday, you look fantastic!
I enjoyed reading about your “Brain Book”. I like how you have everything in one book. I tend to have so many different journals (career, parenting, fashion, goal-setting, home etc.) that it actually clutters my bookshelf with, well journals! (which from your show says that it is a waste of valuable property, space!). I”m going to try to either bring it down to one and make divisions and perhaps write notes on the computer! I too write in my “notes” section of my Blackberry as Selma does, LOVE that application.
One notebook I have that has saved me MONEY is my “buying” journal. On the front page I wrote “Quality over Quantity” and a sticker that says “You’re Special”. In it I write down everything I really want to buy, mostly by season. As a mom, I’m on a tight budget and I found by doing this, I don’t go out shopping frivolously. I think about what I really want to buy and I don’t buy anything anymore, just because it’s on sale (which actually ends up costing so much in the end as you mentioned in one of your shows). If I do see something that was in my journal on sale, SCORE (like a recent purchase of a pair of Lululemon pants, yippee!). And the best part is going through my journal and check marking stuff off, like goal accomplishment. If I didn’t check off something, I feel that it’s okay and perhaps at that time, it wasn’t meant to be. Having this journal makes me think ahead first and enjoy scoring/buying things I would LOVE or need (like essential toiletries etc.)
Hi Hellen,
this is such a great idea to have a Brain Book. It means I could get rid of all those pieces of paper that tend to disappear. 🙂
Hi Hellen,
As you move through life, the categories may change a bit, especially if you find “to do” becoming overgrown and needing a book of its own. To date, my “brain book” has simply been a day to day “to do” list, but I’m thinking this year of doing things a bit differently. Do you create one brain book per year? What is it that you write in the category called someday, that you do not write in ideas? What exactly are you referring to – goals, leisure activities, travel, hobbies, studies?
For the longest while, I’ve found that carrying a smaller coiled notebook that fits in my purse helpful. Even having that is far better than scraps of paper, which are easily lost. I’ve found that writing things down in one place can really take a load off your mind and make you more effective.
At times when I’m getting alot of calls, I also put a coiled notebook by the phone – both for writing notes while on the phone and messages. It keeps me from running around and looking for paper or writing on scrap paper. Dates are put in the margin to help locate information.
Right now, I’m trying to figure out what to do about the information I collect while online. Seems I’m generating a whole new pile of scrap paper and print outs…. so I’m trying to figure out how best to wrangle this new paper tiger.
Thanks for sharing this all this information. I still do miss your show and wonder about the creation of a related show, one where you integrate learning styles that you mention in your book.
Linda
Hi Linda,
I create a new brain book when the old one gets full. I transfer any items that have not been completed, although I make every effort to minimize those before I retire the book. Someday lists include things like: learn Spanish, take dance lessons, learn to draw, go to Europe….things I want to do someday but they are not a priority right now. It’s a way of keeping them alive until the timing is right. Ideas are more business related, like: write an ebook, start a blog, spring marketing campaign ideas, etc. You have some great ideas and I thank you for sharing!
By the way, have you considered starting a document on your computer to collect online information? Just a thought.