Spring is the perfect time to declutter. Your home. Your garden. Your closet. The second drawer in your kitchen. And your MIND!
A cluttered mind makes you unproductive, indecisive and stuck in your own way.
Getting rid of mental clutter is just as important as culling physical clutter, as it gives you the freedom to focus and make way for more important things.
I’ve compiled a simple 3-step process to help you spring clean your mind and free yourself of the thinking patterns that keep your from reaching your full potential.
// STEP 1: DECLUTTER YOUR MIND BY ‘BEING DECISIVE’
When you know what you want, it becomes easier to achieve it. Each day we’re faced with a plethora of problems that require us to make a decision. What should I wear? What food will my children eat? What should I write in that email I’ve been putting off responding to? When should I launch my new business idea? Should I invest in a new home? You have a lot on your mind and sometimes it can feel impossible to make a decision.
Professional organiser, Scott Roewer, believes that, ‘clutter is simply delayed decisions’. Every time you delay making a decision, your brain becomes overwhelmed by all of the clutter created by those looming decisions. One way you can declutter your mind is by being decisive. So stop thinking and start ‘doing’! Evaluate the pros and cons and don’t look back once you make your decision. Another approach you can try is the WRAP method, coined by the Heath brothers in Decisive: How To Make Better Choices in Life and Work.
// STEP 2: DECLUTTER YOUR MIND BY ‘PRIORITISING’
Having clear goals and priorities each day/week/month/year is the best way to become decisive and take charge of your life. Being intentional by prioritising is one of the 5 Superpowers of Productive People. Firstly, you need to figure out what things matter the most to you in life. These are your long-term goals and life ambitions. Next, prepare a list of your top priorities. These are the goals you want to achieve most urgently. Then create an action plan with smaller tasks and steps that will help you achieve your larger goals.
You can use an app such as the Life Sorted App to help you prioritise your goals and divide your time amongst them wisely. Your list of priorities will change over time as you complete tasks and your goals evolve. The good thing about using the Life Sorted App to track your goals and action steps is that you always have an up-to-date copy of your plan that you can access and update anywhere, anytime. It’s way more effective than trying to keep it all in your brain!
// STEP 3: DECLUTTER YOUR MIND BY ‘LETTING GO’
It’s so important to give yourself permission to let go of all the negative emotions and thoughts that make you feel weighed down. A great way to offload is by sharing your thoughts with others. Talking to a loved one about how you feel gives you another perspective, which can help you to think more clearly and make better decisions. Journaling is another way to help you to let go by organising and analysing your thoughts.
Become aware of your thoughts, monitor them regularly and be prepared to let go of the thoughts that do not serve you. Try to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. If you find that negative thoughts are dominating your day, an interesting way to combat this – according to Psychology Today – is to schedule a max of 15 minutes every day to worry and reflect. When you reach the scheduled worry time, sit down and think. If you catch yourself thinking about something outside that time period, remind yourself to save that thought for your designated reflection time. This helps you to confine your worries to one small chunk of time, rather than allowing them to take over your day, which impacts your productivity and causes overwhelm.
A decluttered mind
Having ‘too much on your mind’ can make you feel overwhelmed and stop you from taking action towards achieving what you want. By committing to this simple 3-step process to help you declutter your mind, you will start to eliminate unnecessary thoughts, fears and concerns, and free up the mental space you need to achieve your full potential. I can’t wait to hear how you go.
What’s your favourite way to declutter your mind?
