Brain dump trigger list: free prompts for when your mind goes blank
Written from lived experience: gentle self-help, not medical advice.
A brain dump trigger list is a set of short prompts, grouped by life area, that you read through while you brain dump so you remember the things hiding in the back of your head. Read one prompt, write whatever it brings up, and move on: home, work or school, money and admin, people, body and health, plans, and worries. The idea comes from the 'incompletion trigger list' in David Allen's Getting Things Done, and it suits ADHD brains because it swaps 'think of everything' for 'answer one small question'.
Why a blank page goes blank
The moment you sit down to empty your head, it often empties itself: the forty things that were nagging you all day vanish. That is not you doing it wrong. Recall is hard work, and with ADHD the working memory that holds those open loops is often already stretched.
A trigger list does the remembering for you. Instead of searching your whole life in one go, you answer one tiny, specific question at a time, and each question shakes loose the things attached to it.
Use it alongside a normal brain dump: the trigger list is the prompt, the brain dump page is where it all lands.
The brain dump trigger list
Right now: What am I trying not to forget? What keeps popping into my head when I am doing something else? What have I started and not finished? What am I quietly avoiding?
Home: Washing, dishes, bins. Food running out or about to go off. Anything broken, lost or needing a repair. The pile, drawer or room I keep noticing. Parcels to send back. Things borrowed that need returning.
Work, school or study: Deadlines this week. Messages or emails I owe a reply. Homework, forms or reading. Something I said I would do in a meeting or a lesson. A decision I keep putting off. Something I am waiting on from someone else.
Money and admin: Bills, payments and renewals. Subscriptions I meant to cancel. Refunds to chase. Forms, letters and paperwork. Passports, licences and anything that expires. Appointments to book, move or cancel.
People: Birthdays and cards coming up. Someone I need to text back, thank or check on. Plans to make or confirm. School trips, clubs and pick-ups. A conversation I am dreading.
Body and health: Prescriptions to order or collect. Doctor, dentist or optician appointments. Sleep, food and water. Something about how I feel that I keep meaning to mention to someone.
Plans and fun: Holidays, days out and things to book. Hobbies and projects I want to get back to. Something I want to buy, learn or try.
Worries and feelings: What is weighing on me? What am I dreading? What would I like to stop thinking about tonight? Write worries down too: they take up room in your head just like tasks do.
How to use it without it becoming a chore
Set a short timer, five or ten minutes, and read the prompts fast. You do not have to answer every one. If a heading brings up nothing, skip it. If one brings up twenty things, write them all, messily, and keep going.
Do not sort while you dump. Sorting is the step that stalls an ADHD brain, so keep it for afterwards. When you are done, pick one thing to do next: the free Brain Dump tool will show you your list one item at a time, and the free Brain Dump to Do worksheet gives you the same on paper.
If the finished list looks frightening, that is normal. It was always that long, it was just invisible. The Overwhelm Triage worksheet helps you decide what can wait.
A brain dump before bed
Lots of people find the trigger list most useful at night, when the open loops get loud. A small 2018 study at Baylor University put 57 young adults in a sleep lab and found that those who spent five minutes writing a specific to-do list for the coming days fell asleep faster than those who wrote about tasks they had already finished.
It was one small study, so treat it as a gentle nudge rather than a promise. If your sleep is a real struggle, it is worth talking to your GP. And if worries at night ever turn to thoughts of harming yourself, you can call Samaritans free on 116 123 (UK) at any hour, or your local crisis line.
A trigger list for kids and teens
Children and teens can use a shorter version: school (homework, kit, letters home), people (friends, birthdays, falling out), home (jobs, things lost), and feelings (what is worrying me). Read it with them and let them say the answers out loud while you write, which takes the pressure off spelling and handwriting.
Keep it kind and quick. The goal is a lighter head, not a longer list of jobs. For the classroom and revision kind of brain dump, see our guide to brain dumps for students.
Tools to try
Don't just read it. Do something tiny with it.
Common questions
What is a brain dump trigger list?
A brain dump trigger list is a set of short prompts grouped by life area (home, work or school, money, people, health, plans and worries) that you read through while brain dumping, so you remember the tasks and worries you would otherwise forget.
Where does the trigger list come from?
It comes from the 'incompletion trigger list' in David Allen's productivity book Getting Things Done, which he uses for a 'mind sweep' of everything that has your attention. Mindmallow's version is a shorter, gentler take written for ADHD brains.
Is there a free printable brain dump trigger list?
Yes. You can use the list on this page for free, and use your browser's print option to print it or save it as a PDF. Pair it with the free Brain Dump to Do worksheet or the free Brain Dump tool to write your answers.
What should I write in a brain dump?
Anything taking up room in your head: tasks big and small, reminders, ideas, things you are waiting on, and worries or feelings too. If you go blank, read the prompts on a trigger list one at a time.
How do I brain dump before bed?
Give yourself five to ten minutes, read the trigger list, and write down what you need to do in the coming days and anything worrying you. Then close the notebook. A small 2018 Baylor University sleep study found people who wrote a specific to-do list before bed fell asleep faster than those who listed tasks they had finished.
How do I organise a brain dump afterwards?
Do not organise while you dump. Afterwards, pick one thing to do next, park what can wait, and break anything too big into a tiny first step. The free Brain Dump tool shows your list one item at a time so it does not overwhelm you.
Gentle tools for the ADHD brain
Interactive + printable worksheets for adults, teens & little kids.