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Diana Rene: 0:06

You're listening to The Decluttered Mom podcast, a podcast built specifically for busy moms by a busy mom. I'm your host, Diana Rene, and in 2017, I had my second daughter and it felt like I was literally drowning in my home okay, not literally, but I felt like I couldn't breathe with all of the stuff surrounding me. Over the next 10 months, I got rid of approximately 70% of our household belongings and I have never looked back. I kind of feel like I hacked the mom system and I'm here to share all the tips, tricks and encouragement. Let's listen to today's show.

Diana Rene: 0:50

Hello and welcome to The Decluttered Mom podcast. I am Diana Rene, your host, and I am excited to talk today about the brain release, and I have talked about this a little bit in a prior episode. However, with back to school like season back in full swing, depending on where you are, I know some regions of the United States have been for weeks already. Some are still on summer break, so it depends where you are, but back to school is probably at least somewhat on your mind, and I have a course called Simplify the School Year and it is a guide essentially to all of the back to school systems that I implement in my home that I have taught to others that just really help the school year go more smoothly and with less stress. And so there is a lesson in that course that goes through the brain release in the eyes of the back to school season, and I just wanted to share this one lesson with you here on the podcast, because I think it's going to be something that, if you do it, if you just take the time to do the brain release, either right before your kids go back to school, or if your kids are already back and you're feeling overwhelmed, I think doing this brain release the way I teach it will really help you just to give your mind a little bit of a break. It'll give your brain a breath of fresh air. And so, without further ado, let's just jump into that lesson.

Diana Rene: 2:34

Let's talk about one of the most powerful tools in this entire course. It's called the brain release. Now, if you've been around me for any length of time, you've probably heard me talk about this before. It's simple, it's free and it changes everything, especially right now, in the few weeks leading up to school starting. I recommend doing one big brain release Because there is so much that moms have to keep track of during the season Paperwork, supplies, first day details, meal plans, clothes, activities, transportation forms, transitions, emotions and everything in between. Doing one deep brain release before school starts will drastically reduce your stress. Heading into that first week, you'll go from spinning in your head to actually knowing what needs to get done and when. It is a reset for your mind.

Diana Rene: 3:26

So what is a brain release? At its core, a brain release is my version of a brain dump, but with a clear next step. We're not just getting it all on paper, we are actually doing something with it. Here's what it actually does for your brain. Right now, your brain is holding on to a ton of open loops, tiny tasks, mental reminders, emotional to-dos, things like I need to RSVP to that birthday party, or I can't forget to email the teacher, or we're low on Ziploc bags. Even if you're not actively thinking about them every second, they're still running in the background. And the more of those loops you're trying to juggle, the more cognitive energy it takes just to function. That's why you may feel foggy, scattered, forgetful or constantly behind.

Diana Rene: 4:10

When we do a brain release, we give our mind permission to let go, because now that task lives somewhere outside our brain and we can stop trying to remember it. It's like mentally closing 47 browser tabs at once. You can finally breathe. You're no longer carrying around this invisible load of don't forget this reminders that frees up space for actual presence and peace, whether that's with your kids, your partner or just having a quiet cup of coffee without your brain shouting to-do lists at you. That's why I say the system isn't just a productivity tool. It's honestly a mental health tool. In my mind, it lowers overwhelm because you can see the chaos instead of just feeling it, and once it's visible, it becomes manageable. This is also why I built a full page for brain release into every weekly spread of the Minimalish Planner. You can download that free using the link in this lesson.

Diana Rene: 5:08

If you don't use the planner, I highly recommend grabbing a notebook that's dedicated just for your brain releases. It does not need to be fancy you can grab a 50 cent spiral notebook at Walmart but having all of your weekly brain releases in one spot means you can easily flip back and reference last week when needed. That is super helpful when you're trying to remember what was still unfinished or what got rescheduled. And yeah, you could do this digitally if you truly prefer that, if paper just isn't your thing, use a Google Doc and keep each week as its own entry, but I really recommend doing this on paper if you can. It seems to be more effective for most people and helps calm the mind faster.

Diana Rene: 5:49

So step one is to get it all out. Sit down with your paper and write down everything on your mind. Don't judge the thoughts, don't worry about how important they are. If it's in your brain, it goes on the mind. Don't judge the thoughts, don't worry about how important they are. If it's in your brain, it goes on the paper. This includes things you need to do, things that are bothering you errands you keep forgetting projects. You want to start questions. You need to ask loose ends that are making you anxious. And during back to school season, here are some examples to get you started Buy new lunchboxes, email the school about food allergies.

Diana Rene: 6:26

Sign up after school care, return soccer cleats that don't fit. Fill out all the school forms, schedule haircuts before picture day. Check supply lists for missing items. Set up doctor and dentist appointments. Find last year's water bottles. Figure out how drop driveline works. You can also go child by child. Think through each kid's school activities, friendships, health stuff and anything else related to their week or season of life. If you work outside the home or run a business, I recommend doing a separate brain release for work. Keep the personal and home on its own. It makes prioritizing much easier.

Diana Rene: 7:02

Step two review and sort. Once you've emptied your brain, it's time to sort. I want you to start by using these three filters. Number one delegate. Find at least one thing someone else can do. Can your partner handle school supply pickup? Could your mom take the kids to get new shoes? Even one small handoff will help lighten the load. Number two delete. Find at least one thing that can go. Maybe you were going to bake cookies for the open house but realized store-bought will do just fine. Maybe you don't need to volunteer for that thing you signed up for last spring. That took up a lot of your mental energy. Let it go. Number three automate. Look for anything that can happen on its own going forward. Set up bill auto pay. Add recurring reminders in your phone. Automate your grocery list with your go-to stables. Free your brain from having to remember the same thing week after week.

Diana Rene: 7:59

Step three prioritize. Now it's time to give each task a category. Use numbers or highlighters, whatever feels intuitive. A number one means it is urgent and has a consequence if it's not done. Think turn in field trip form, file your taxes or pay that bill. Think turn-in field trip form, file your taxes or pay that bill. A two is important or semi-urgent but does not carry a direct consequence. For example, buying a new lunchbox when last year's could work in a pinch or scheduling a haircut. A three is something you'd like to do eventually, but it's not necessarily time-sensitive, like organizing the kids' craft supplies or updating your command center. This is where highlighters are your best friend. I love using different colors for each number because it helps my ADHD brain quickly see which tasks matter most. I can glance at the list and instantly know what's urgent, what's less important and what's already been scheduled. It creates visual clarity and that makes a huge difference.

Diana Rene: 9:01

Step four schedule. Now that your list is clear and prioritized, it's time to put it on the calendar. Start with your number ones. These are the must-dos for this week. Pick two or three per day max. Try to front load the week if your energy allows. Then, if you've got space, start adding your number twos. Only move to number threes if your week is wide open or something truly energizes you and you feel it feels fun to knock out.

Diana Rene: 9:30

But here's the part a lot of people miss. What do you do with the twos and threes that don't get assigned to a day this week? You do not throw them away, you just transfer them to your next brain release. When you sit down for your next weekly reset, you'll start with a fresh brain release list, but you'll carry over anything still hanging from last week. This way, nothing gets forgotten or lost. You're not rewriting the same list over and over. You're staying in control of what's important and what can wait. You can let go of the mental burden of holding it all, knowing it's all still captured. That is the beauty of doing this consistently. You can trust your system. If something doesn't get done, don't panic, just move it forward.

Diana Rene: 10:10

This system is designed to support your real life, not pressure you into rigid structure. How often should you do it Right now? Do one big brain release before school starts. Make it thorough, set aside 30 minutes, get everything out of your brain and onto the page After that, make this part of your weekly rhythm. I personally do it every Sunday, usually in the afternoon or evening and anytime I'm feeling really overwhelmed. Midweek I do another one. It takes 10 minutes and brings instant relief. I do another one. It takes 10 minutes and brings instant relief. Block out now 20 to 30 minutes this week to do your back to school brain release. You can use the free Minimalish Planner if you want to grab it. You can grab it using the link in this lesson. We also have printable brain release task sorters that you can try here in this lesson. Or grab a notebook and dedicate it as your go-to spot for weekly brain releases.

Diana Rene: 11:04

The goal is to have all your thoughts, week after week, in one place where they're easy to reference. Write it all out, sort it, prioritize it, schedule what you can then breathe. You are not behind. You're in motion. This is one of the most powerful systems I use as a mom and it's especially helpful in seasons like this. Try it once and you'll understand exactly why. Okay, I hope that was helpful for you and I hope you'll do it. I hope you will take the 30 minutes to sit down and really go through everything, because it is incredible on how much it will just help you sleep at night to not have things just constantly swirling around in your head of everything that needs to get done and everything that you feel like you might be forgetting. And if this is at all helpful for you, then I really think the Simplify the School Year full guide would be even more helpful for you.

Diana Rene: 12:05

This brain release lesson that you just heard is one of over 20 different systems that are short, sweet to the point, no fluff, but will give you concrete, actionable things that you can do. And it is not something that you have to sit down and complete. It's not something you have to go from start to finish to be able to implement anything or to feel like it's making a difference in your home. You can pick and choose. Like, if you're feeling really overwhelmed with packing lunches, then you can go into that system and can also, side note, get our full year. It's 36 weeks of lunch ideas for every single day in all of those 36 weeks, so you can go in there. Or if you're something you're having a hard time with clothing systems or before school or after school, or just there are, like I said, over 20 different systems that will help you that are specifically for back to school. So if this is helpful and you are needing some relief in any of the areas around the back to school season, then definitely check that out and we will put that in the show notes.

Diana Rene: 13:15

Thank you for listening today and I hope you will be back next week. Thanks for hanging out and listening to The Decluttered Mom podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world if you could write a review or share this episode with a friend or your Instagram stories. And if you're on Instagram, be sure to follow me at thedeclutteredmom and send me a DM to say hi. I'd love to hear what you thought about today's episode. I hope you'll come back next week and hang out with us again.