Why You Can't Focus When You Have Too Much on Your Mind
- drashrichardson
- Jun 9
- 2 min read
Have you ever sat down to start something important and suddenly felt completely stuck? You know there are things that need to get done. You may even know exactly what those things are. Yet instead of taking action, your brain feels overwhelmed, scattered, or frozen. Many people assume this is a motivation problem.
As an occupational therapist, I often see something different.
More often than not, it's a mental clutter problem.
Your Brain Wasn't Designed to Hold Everything
Throughout the day, your brain is constantly collecting information:
Tasks you need to complete
Appointments you need to remember
Conversations you need to have
Decisions you need to make
Ideas you don't want to forget
Worries that keep resurfacing
When all of these competing demands stay in your head, they begin to consume valuable mental energy. The result?
You may experience:
Difficulty focusing
Procrastination
Feeling mentally exhausted
Trouble deciding where to start
Increased stress and overwhelm
Forgetfulness
Reduced productivity
Many people respond by trying harder. Instead, I often encourage people to start by getting everything out of their heads.
Why Brain Dumps Work
A brain dump is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of asking your brain to remember everything, you transfer those thoughts onto paper. This simple act can help reduce cognitive load and free up mental space for problem-solving, planning, and action.
However, traditional brain dumps often stop there. You end up with a long list of thoughts but no clear direction. That's why I created a more structured approach.
The OT Brain Dump Framework
The OT Brain Dump follows five simple steps:
Dump
Write down everything taking up space in your mind.
No organizing.
No filtering.
No prioritizing.
Just get it out.
Categorize
Identify what types of thoughts are showing up.
Examples may include:
Tasks
Worries
Ideas
Decisions
Reminders
Emotions
This helps your brain process information rather than continue holding it.
Regulate
Before moving forward, check in with yourself.
Ask:
What is my energy level?
What is my stress level?
What does my body need right now?
Sometimes the barrier isn't productivity. Sometimes the barrier is regulation.
Prioritize
Not everything deserves attention today.
Focus on:
Must Do
Should Do
Could Do
This creates clarity and reduces decision fatigue.
Act
Choose one small next step.
Then identify the one task that would make today feel successful.
Progress becomes much easier when the next step feels manageable.
Start Small
If you're feeling overwhelmed right now, try asking yourself:
"Do I need motivation, or do I need a smaller step?" Often the next right step is much smaller than we think. A five-minute action is usually more powerful than waiting for the perfect amount of motivation.
Want a Guided Brain Dump?
I created The OT Brain Dump, an occupational therapist-designed executive functioning tool that helps individuals move from overwhelm to action using the exact five-step framework described above.
The resource includes:
A printable Brain Dump worksheet
A How-To Guide
A Completed Example
An OT-informed executive functioning framework
Because sometimes the goal isn't to do everything.
The goal is simply to clear the mental clutter and identify your next right step.
You can find it here:
