What is brain dump?

Why it matters for ADHD

ADHD working memory holds fewer items at once than neurotypical working memory, and the brain tries to compensate by looping. Looping feels like restlessness, anxiety, or that low-grade hum that prevents focus. Writing it out closes the loop.

Conventional to-do apps ask you to organize first, then start. That sequence requires executive function the loud-headed brain does not have available. A brain dump skips the organizing step and starts with the mess.

What a brain dump looks like

Five minutes of typing or writing without editing. Lines can be tasks, half-thoughts, names, fears, or single words. Example output: "reply to Sam, water plants, dentist??, monday meeting prep, dishes, mom called, send invoice, take a walk, why am I tired." That is a working brain dump — messy, honest, and ready to be sorted later.

How Reflectify handles this

Reflectify makes the brain dump the front door of the app. The Dump tab is the first tab. A 5-minute timer starts when you begin typing. When you tap Finish, AI sorts the dump into Now, Next, and Later tasks — so the organizing step happens on your behalf, not before you can start.