Do you ever feel like your mind is on overload, you are stuck thinking in circles and have a hard time making a clear decision? You are not alone. Our mind races around at a million miles a minute and we have so many thoughts and ideas floating around in our head that it can be hard to think straight.
Mental clutter is something most of us have to deal with, because we are all on an information overload, our fast-paced modern society puts us under a tremendous amount of everyday stresses, we have too many choices, too much stuff and our brain is naturally inclined to have a negative bias.
When you get easily overwhelmed, ruminate in the past, worry about the future, keep a mental to-do list and try to move in too many different directions at the same time, your mind becomes restless and unfocused.
While most of us remember to declutter our physical space from time to time what truly needs decluttering is our mind, because when we free up some headspace, we are able to think more calmly and clearly and can stay focused on our next move. So how do we begin to declutter our mind? It’s actually not as difficult as you may think.
Here are our TOP 10 ways to declutter your mind so you can gain more clarity and get things done.
#1 Declutter Your Physical Space
If your environment is cluttered, your mind is cluttered as well because all of that clutter bombards your mind with constant stimuli, which forces your mind to work overtime to stay focused on the task at hand. Additionally, physical clutter is a sign for the mind that there is something else that needs to be done and this constant reminder to clear out your space is mentally exhausting. It is amazing how decluttering your physical environment starts to declutter your mind, so take this first step and get rid off everything you don’t need.
#2 Journal
Journaling is incredibly powerful because it allows you to release that constant inner chatter onto a piece of paper and let it go. Make it a daily practice to take a few minutes to write down everything that is on your mind, whether that’s things you are worried about, relationship issues, stresses at work, or plans for achieving an important goal. Release the emotions, feelings and thoughts that are occupying important mind space and let it all out. The simple act of writing it all down is one of the best ways to get those thoughts out of your head.
#3 Get Clear on Your Priorities
An endless to-do list is a surefire way to create an enormous amount of clutter in your mind. Get really clear on what is truly important to you, list all your goals, motivations, dreams and visions and then rank them in the order of importance. Figure out what matters most to you, make sure that the majority of your mind space is devoted to the things on your priority list and eliminate the mental clutter that has nothing to do with those priorities.
#4 Zone Out
To declutter your mind it is important to give your mind time to rest every single day. Shut off your mind for a few minutes, which means no smart phone, no TV, no reading, no conversations, no chores, no problem solving and no duties of the day. Get out into nature and simply sit and let your eyes roam wherever they want. See the clouds floating, watch the trees sway in the wind, observe the people going about their day, look at the birds flying high. Let your breath flow naturally and immerse yourself in this present moment and when the time comes to go back to work, you’ll notice that it is much easier to focus after your mini-retreat.
#5 Stop Multi-Tasking
Multi-tasking is glorified in our fast-paced world, but for the most part, multi-tasking means that you fill your mind with lots of activity without actually getting anything done. Your focus is all over the place because you have to juggle a multitude of things all at the same time and productivity and happiness levels go down the drain. Instead, focus on one single task at a time. Clear out everything else that you don’t need to complete this one task until you have completed it and then focus on the next. You will declutter your mind and check off your to-do list in no time.
#6 Limit Incoming Information
We live in a time of information overflow. Whether the information comes from reading the newspaper, magazines or blogs, watching TV, surfing the internet or checking your social media feed. Trying to process this information overflow only cutters your mind and you end up in a brain fog. Create some free space in your mind and limit the time you mindlessly browse the internet or social media, disconnect your TV and decide what sources of information are relevant to you. And let’s not forget, the mindless chatter at the water cooler is also simply clogging up important mind space, so if you want to stay focused, don’t engage in useless gossip.
#7 Set a Worry Timer
We’ve all been in situations where we can’t stop thinking about a problem or fretting about a challenge and no amount of effort can put a positive spin on the situation. Rather than letting your mind run wild and spiral completely out of control, set a timer for 3 to 5 minutes to vent about all your stresses. Let it all out, no filter, no judgment, simply take the time to speak what’s on your mind and once the time is up, stop worrying. The idea about setting aside only a short amount of time for letting out all your worries is to have just enough time to get the draining emotions out of your system, but not long enough to dwell on them and have them intensify.
#8 Exercise
A great way to declutter your mind is to move and sweat it out. As we all know, physical activity gets our endorphins going, it boosts our mood and energy, keeps us healthy and helps us to control our weight. We feel better, we sleep better and we focus better. Find whatever form of exercise works best for you and inspires you to raise your heart rate, whether that’s yoga, dancing, spinning, running, walking, martial arts, swimming or sweating it out at the gym, commit to a consistent level of activity. It will not only improve your health, but it will declutter your mind and helps you improve every aspect of your life.
#9 Learn to Say ‘No’
A lot of us tend to say ‘yes’ to every project, every social event, every opportunity that is presented to us, simply because we fear to let other people down. Whether that’s at work or in our personal life with family and friends, it is hard to say ‘no’ and so we keep piling on more and more onto our plate. While it may feel hard at first to say ‘no’, it will become easier with practice and the more we say ‘no’ to things that aren’t aligned with our priorities, the more we allow ourselves the time and energy to focus on what and who is truly important to us.
#10 Declutter Your Relationships
Take a step back and take a good, hard look at all the relationships in your life. Who is in your life, is it a give and take, are you a priority for the other person? If the answer is yes, cherish those relationships, keep them and nourish them. However, if you have people in your life who barely make time for you, cancel at the last minute, make you feel bad about yourself and only take but never give, it is time to end the relationship and move on from that particular person. There is no point in wasting your time, energy and mental space on someone who doesn’t value you or your relationship, so let it go and move on.
We are all busy and rush through life, but with all that busyness that fills our days, our mental space simultaneous begins to fill up and our internal thinking piles high. Our mental space becomes so overcrowded and cluttered that it’s often hard to focus on what really matters. Commit today and start to declutter your mind. You will quickly notice that a decluttered mind will allow you to live your best life.
YOUR STATE OF MIND IS INTIMATELY LINKED TO THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked
Nice article its very helpfull thanks for sharing