A brain dump app for everything in your head

A brain dump is the fast, unedited act of writing down every task, worry, stray idea and reminder currently going round your head, onto paper or a screen, to clear the mental clutter. The point is not a good list. It is to stop holding it all in working memory so you can think again.

It is the same practice with no filtering, no organising and no judgement, used when working memory feels overloaded. People describe an ADHD brain as a computer with forty tabs open: dumping the contents stops it burning energy just to avoid forgetting. Seeing the thoughts outside your head turns a vague, frightening cloud into an ordinary list, which also makes it easier to start when you cannot work out where to begin.

It looks like a messy unsorted list, not a tidy schedule. For example: buy milk and eggs; why is the plant going yellow; email Sarah back about Friday's deadline; worried about the dentist next week; book the car in for an oil change; idea for a weekend post about time management; call mum on Sunday; my lower back hurts after sitting here too long; pay the electricity bill; did I lock the back door this morning. That mixture is the point: chores, worries and ideas all in one stream.

Five to fifteen minutes is the usual range. That is long enough to empty working memory without overthinking it. Five minutes suits a quick daily reset or first thing in the morning. Ten to fifteen is the sweet spot for general task load and for getting unstuck. Twenty to thirty makes sense if you have not cleared your head in weeks or you are planning the whole week. Stop when the timer goes so you do not sit there spinning.

Another name for the same thing: everything in your head written out with no filtering and no sorting. Writing it by hand slows you down enough to get it all out. A trigger list helps if you go blank, so run through categories like home, work, health and errands to jog your memory. Afterwards, split it into what needs action now, what belongs on a later list, and what you can cross out because it never needed your time.

It has to let you start writing instantly, with no folder or tag required, hold a long note without slowing down, find any line by search afterwards, and turn the useful parts into tasks. Anything that asks you to organise before you write works against the whole idea.

Paper is faster to start and there is nothing to look up. An app wins afterwards, because you can find the dump by search months later, set a reminder on a single line, and keep every dump in one place instead of across four notebooks.

Yes, there is a free plan and it asks for no card details. You can write, organise and set reminders on it. Paid plans exist for people who outgrow the free limits.