How To Declutter Your Mind.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could ditch the gazillion thoughts crowding your brain, giving you the impression you are a train wreck and have no control over your life? Learn how to declutter your mind to stop the nonsense noise in your head.
Do you feel like drowning with so much to juggle, wishing there was a magical button to pause the world for a moment so you could get a chance to catch up and breathe? Your brain is constantly racing, jumping from one task to another, running around like a headless chicken. Does this sound familiar?
Let me tell you something; you can totally change this situation even though it may not appears that way right now. Know you are the one in charge.
Be Mindful Of The Information You Are Consuming.
Frequently bombarded with an overload of information rather on television, social media, email or radio, your attention and focus end up being taken away from what is important. At the same time, your To-Dos keep increasing at a faster rate while nothing gets ticked off from that list.
No wonder you have a hard time getting things done. With all the mental clutter piled up in your head, your productivity suffers from all the non-essential stuff taking priority over the efforts that would actually produce results.
Start to value, will even dare to say respect, your time and be intentional in everything you do. Decide from now on how you want your life to be and take the appropriate actions to make it happen.
Pay special attention to what you are feeding your mind. We are influenced by the people we surround ourselves with, and by the information we consume. You are not a dumpster, so don’t treat yourself like one.
Set Priorities and Remove Distractions.
Set priorities, and don’t let the shiny things deviate you from your objective. Get what matters done first!
Limiting your exposure to anything that does not contribute to your growth is the best way to eliminate distractions. Focus on only one task at a time.
Multitasking is the killer of productivity and the procrastinators’ best friend. The brain doesn’t work like a ping pong ball. It is not efficient in quickly switching jobs, which, if done regularly, shortens your attention span.
Eventually, you end up dropping the ball and not finishing your project or producing work that is not high quality.
Related: How To Stop Procrastinating And Get Things Done!
Declutter Your Workspace.
A chaotic environment can also create mental clutter and make you feel overwhelmed. As you look around, you will keep tabs on all the mess and what needs to be done, becoming hard to concentrate on the task at hand.
While you don’t tidy up the room, the “To-Dos” will keep hunting you as a visual reminder. My home office used to be a mixture of a little bit of everything—papers, dog blankets, crate, toys, notebooks, books, towels. Yep, it was a gong show!
First, I cleared up my desk and removed all the items that didn’t belong there. Bought a couple of organizer compartments, and BAM, what a difference! Now, I feel more motivated and able to tackle my work with a fresh mind. It doesn’t even seem like the same place, and bonus, my productivity has increased!
Make your workspace pleasant to the eye, as there is where the magic happens. You want to be inspired and at your best. When I walk into my office, I feel good!
Most times, it is just a matter of putting things away and organizing. Add a plant or a flower, and you are done! A small change that will have a big impact on your mood.
Related: KonMari Method Checklist
Practice A Thought Download.
A great way to empty your mind is to get into the habit of doing a thought download. For 5 minutes, get all the chat going on in your head onto paper. Keep writing… the good, the bad and the ugly, all of it.
Reading what is going through your mind will make it easier for you to see the big picture. It will give you a different perspective, helping gaining clarity while getting in tune with yourself and becoming aware of your thinking to differentiate the thoughts that are serving you from the ones that are not.
Like a mental cleanse, practicing this exercise regularly can be life-changing, plus self-awareness is power as you can’t change what you don’t know.
Related:
The Exciting Self Discovery Journey That Will Better You In 7 Steps
100 Amazing Journal Prompts For Self-Discovery That Will Change You
Stop Littering Your Brain With Unnecessary Suffering.
Worrying is another way you may be throwing out of the window your precious time and making your brain work overtime for NO reason.
When you are concerned, anticipating problems that will probably never happen, you are just causing yourself emotional pain. You are not addressing the issue nor helping anyone involved in the situation you are worried about.
Don’t start having thoughts about a circumstance that hasn’t occurred yet. If you have to worry, do it at least when there is a reason for it. Assuming something terrible will happen before it does will only extend the suffering that may not have even been necessary, to begin with.
Plan Your Week Ahead.
Planning ahead will remove all those daily decisions from the equation and free your brain from dealing with the trivial. Decide the night before the clothes you are going to wear, have a menu planned for the week, get everything scheduled in your calendar and end the guessing game of “what should I do next?”.
It is human nature to avoid the hard stuff. Your brain wants to be on familiar grounds and will constantly fight to stay in the comfort zone. If you don’t have a plan, you will do what is easier that, in the end, doesn’t make much a difference in the grand scheme of things.
Deciding upfront how your week will look like gives you control over your time and the chance to intentionally plan what you want to get done, instead of working on what you feel like at the moment.
For Goodness’ Sake, Decide Already!
Putting off making decisions wins the top spot in the mind cluttering department. Letting all those doubts run in your head, taking over your thoughts is a sure way to keep your brain busy.
Opportunities are often missed when you are stuck sitting on the fence and can’t decide, staying in analysis paralysis mode. Decision-making is a core skill that can be learned and improved, crucial to your personal and professional life.
Don’t overthink it! Determine how much time you can take to come up with a decision. Educate yourself on the matter, list the pros and cons, think about the worst-case scenario and the chances of it happening.
Do the same exercise for the best possible outcome and then make a decision and stick to it. You are done and ready to move to the next big thing.
These tips on decluttering your mind should boost your mental health and make you feel like a brand new person. You will gain clarity and be able to perform at your highest level.