UnRambling: A Method for Capturing Clarity in Motion
When Your Brain Works as Hard as Your Body: A Training Method for Capturing Fleeting Thoughts
As a triathlete, I spend 30-40 hours per month training. During these long hours of swimming, cycling, and running, I often feel like my brain is working as hard as my body.
I don’t listen to music when training – instead, I let my thoughts flow.
But there were so many times when I was out training and I came up with story ideas or solutions to problems that had my attention, and I thought, “OMG, I need to write that down – I’ll surely remember that when I get home.” But when I arrive home, I’m lucky if I even remember the topic, much less the nuanced words and phrasing that came to me on the trail.
This is why I developed UnRambling – a practice of recording my thoughts while in motion, then using AI to transcribe and refine these recordings into coherent narratives that maintain my authentic voice and insights.
The Echo Chamber of Thought
I find that it’s important to start the ride, run, drive, etc., with an idea or topic(s) you want to explore and then gently return your attention to that idea when you go off-topic. That way, as you get bored about talking about the same thing from the same perspective you normally talk about, your brain comes up with different ideas as it tries to become un-bored. Also, by talking about it, the process seems slower than just thinking about it, so your brain isn’t able to ping-pong between ideas.
I tried bringing pen and paper when I ran or rode, but then I had to stop, and I was sweaty. I’m back to the limitation of trying to write and find the right words. Voice recording eliminates these practical constraints while preserving the natural flow of thoughts.
The Process of UnRambling
I find that it’s important to start the ride, run, drive, etc., with an idea or topic(s) you want to explore and then gently return your attention to that idea when you go off-topic. That way, as you get bored about talking about the same thing from the same perspective you normally talk about it, your brain comes up with different ideas as it tries to become un-bored. Also, by talking about it, the process seems slower than just thinking about it so your brain isn’t able to ping-pong between ideas.
I tried bringing pen and paper with me when I ran or rode, but then I had to stop, and I was sweaty. I’m back to the limitation of trying to write and find the right words. Voice recording eliminates these practical constraints while preserving the natural flow of thoughts.
The Power of Sustained Focus
I heard once that in order to be a National Geographic photographer, you had to shoot 100 rolls per day. It wasn’t that they wanted that many photos, it was that by the 100th roll, you’ve gone beyond the ordinary and pushed yourself to see what others (or an earlier version of you) missed. I think the same thing happens when you reroute your brain to keep thinking on the same topic – it forces you to go beyond what you normally see, to not only look for new vantage points and perspectives but to transcend what your eyes were physically able to see mentally.
When a Nat Geo photographer sits and waits all day for the right shot, nature shows itself when there is peace and quiet. Amazing things come out of the woodwork when your brain doesn’t realize anyone is watching. It’s the same with thoughts and insights – they emerge most freely in those moments of patient observation and mental stillness.
The longer I stay on a topic or by the end of the UnRambling session, I not only see the subject more clearly, but I’m often able to tie into related ideas I hadn’t thought were connected before – just like a photographer might see two species interact in ways never imagined. Then, as I end a session and get closer to home, I always give myself time to reflect and sum up my thoughts. I say something like, “As I end this UnRambling session, I feel…” or “I see…” or “I realized…”
The Raw and the Refined
If you read the transcript or the final draft of my UnRambling, it makes me look like a professional orator atop a TedTalk stage. I’m always amazed at what actually comes out of my mouth on these exercises. But you don’t see all the spaces and gaps as the words unramble out of my head. Speaking doesn’t remove the pauses and “bottleneck” of getting words and thoughts out of your head, but it does eliminate the “editor’s hand,” and words flow faster.
Why UnRambling Works
The power of UnRambling comes from several key elements working together:
Physical movement creates the mental space needed for deep thinking
Voice recording eliminates the physical and editorial bottlenecks of writing
Sustained focus on a single topic pushes us beyond obvious thoughts to deeper insights
The act of verbalization forces clarity by requiring the concrete expression of abstract thoughts
The gentle return to topic, when the mind wanders, creates a productive form of mental interval training
UnRambling isn’t just about capturing thoughts – it’s a specific cognitive tool that actively improves the quality of thinking through movement, verbalization, gentle focus, productive boredom, and controlled pacing. By pushing past our initial, surface-level perspectives, we can discover new angles and connections that weren’t visible at first glance.
The process helps us transcend the limitations of internal thinking (which can become an echo chamber) and written reflection (which can get bogged down in editing). Instead, it creates a space for thoughts to flow naturally while maintaining meaningful structure.
As with those National Geographic photographers pushing beyond their initial hundred rolls of film, UnRambling helps us exhaust the obvious to reach deeper insights and unexpected connections. It’s about creating the conditions for clarity to emerge through motion, voice, and sustained attention.
So the next time you’re out training, walking, or driving, consider turning off the music and turning on your voice recorder.
You might be surprised by the clarity that emerges when you give your thoughts the space to unramble.