Ever feel like your brain is just plain full? Like you can’t quite remember or access the information you’re looking for? Wonder why some people have infinite creativity while others can’t even remember where they put their keys? It’s all about the brain! Here’s a list of the top 5 Trello hacks to help you optimize your brain and use it for more important, creative, and meaningful ideas
#1 Empty Your brain
Using our brains to store thoughts is the least interesting use of one of the most potent assets we own. Writing them on the back of a pig would be a better idea. A brain is meant to create, innovate, and resolve, not act as a shelf. Technically it knows how to do it, but not well. Holding thoughts/ideas/to-do-reminders in our head is positively the worst place to hold them.
To look for the answer “What am I doing next?” in our head is like looking for a specific book at the library without the title or the author. We would meander in the aisles for a while until we sat down in the corner of the library, pulled up our phone, and started watching cat videos.
Having a container to hold our thoughts/ideas/ to-dos and reminders gives us the space to think of something else. It allows us to be present in the moment. It gives way to new ideas and new solutions. It saves minutes on the hour as we approach all we do with focus and clarity. Use Trello to empty your brain and get all your thoughts out of your mind and onto the board, where you can see them, organize them, and determine where you should start.
#2 Create a place for things you are ‘waiting on’
Once we’ve done our part in a project, and the next step is in the hands of somebody else, where do we hold that thought? You guessed it – in our brain. And, if you are unable to do your work because you are waiting on something from someone else, it is an open loop that sucks our energy.
Take it out of there. Out of our brain, that is. Make a column in your Trello Board to document the things you have delegated or are on somebody else to handle. Books you loan. Info you’re waiting on someone else for. Tasks you’ve outsourced. Online order you are waiting for. All of it, if it needs input from someone else, it goes on that list.
Implementing this one column will create space in your brain, and you’ll be able to ping the owner of that next step without stress. And they will feel supported if you remind them before it becomes a crisis.
This frees up your brain, helps you stay organized, and allows you to focus on the task you can move forward with. It’s revolutionary and enables you to stop leaking your energy with tasks outside your control.
#3 Break actions in bite-size chunks
When we look at an item on our to-do list, and we feel that sinking feeling of dread, chances are the item is written in a way that doesn’t serve us. ‘Taxes’ on my list gives me the overwhelming feeling. However, ‘look for the receipt from lunch with the team’ does not.
To create spaciousness and give us the sense that we have what it takes to tackle anything, the task needs to be broken down so that when our brains look at it, it creates a “Yeah, I can do that.” Not “Arrrrghh, I can’t.” We bring our brains on board by writing our tasks in manageable chunks.
This gives our brains a sense of ease that we can handle the very next step. It also makes our days productive and fun because we realize we can accomplish a lot more. Even big tasks that seem impossible slowly and surely get done when they’re broken down into smaller tasks.
Trello is the perfect tool to spell out what you need to do so that when you look at it, you gain energy, not leak it, and feel inspired instead of discouraged or overwhelmed.
#4 Keep all your accounts and assets in one place
According to the Trello team, 36% of a worker’s day is spent looking for information, and 44% of the time, they can’t find the info they need. How many hours have we spent looking for this password, or the latest version of our bio [is that one the latest one?] of the #hex color of our logo.
Build a board on Trello that captures all the info you might need more than once and label it so the search button can easily find what you are looking for.
This saves you time and reduces stress because you will always find exactly what you need with ease. Instead of having our joy zapped by disorganization, give yourself a break and document all your essential things on Trello. Investing a little time in getting organized will save you tons of time in the long run, and it will make life more exciting because you’ll have more time to do the things that actually matter to you. Try it for yourself.
#5 Decide what the very next step is – [not the 11 after that]
The brain is one of the most magical systems there is. It can learn new languages, come up with an original idea, and solve complex problems, to name a few. It plays a role in every one of our functions, controlling many organs, thoughts, memory, speech, and movements. But like every complex machine, it needs to be managed, maintained, and regularly purged.
Given any situation, the brain needs to be directed to be used optimally. When an idea comes to us, what happens next can make or break its execution. To be used at its peak, you can train your brain to only think of the very next thing you can do about it. Do not bog your brain down thinking about Actions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 when you don’t know if Action 1 even has legs yet.
That said, project planning has its place. That is when you direct your brain to extrapolate and imagine where an idea could go. But after that, keep the next task close.
Do one step. See how it goes. Think of the next one, do that, and so on.
There is a good chance as you accomplish one, then two, then three, that the next one is not what it would have been if we had listed 1-2-3-4 right from the start. As you do the first step, you trust the process and figure out what needs to be done next. We don’t always see everything at the start, but as we get started, things change and adapt, and using this method ends up saving time.
There you go -5 Trello Hacks to help you get your brainpower back! Give one [or all 5] of these hacks a try and watch as you economize your brain. Use Trello as an extension of your brain and create freedom from holding half of your life in there. The more deliberate you are with your brain, the more agile you will be handling all the demands of life thrown at you.
To find out more info about ways to become more productive, optimize your tools, and shift your mindset, visit www.BeCurrentToday.com.