“Umm…err I wanted to do this…then you see I wanted to do that…well…and what about this…but how about that….does that make any sense?”

Ever have those moments when you know what you want to say (or at least think you know what you want to say) but you just can’t get your thoughts across to others?

We’ve all been there! Here’s some tips to help you get your thoughts organized:

• Let the thoughts come out. It’s hard to organize thoughts when you don’t have any thoughts to organize! Either write out your thoughts using pen and paper, or talk out your thoughts using a handheld recorder, cell phone, or computer with microphone and speakers.

• Sort through your thoughts. Now that you’ve got thoughts to deal with, take a moment and review them. Resist the urge to make changes or edits just yet, just take a glance or listen to what you have produced.

• Piece together themes. Do you see any patterns or common themes in your thoughts? Start grouping items together and make associations where possible.

• Put it all together by making a thought sandwich. You want to open your thoughts to someone, tell them about it with different items, and then wrap it up. You could think of it as a thought sandwich. Think beginning, middle and end. Set a piece of bread on a plate to set the basis of your thoughts, add different fillings (your actual thoughts) and then place a slice of bread on top of the fillings to complete your thoughts.

Bonus Tip: Still stumped? Sleep on it. Take a break and look at your work the next day.