Do you ever feel like your mind or life is on serious overdrive? The worst feeling is having a cluttered life where there are things everywhere, but it is worse to have a scattered mind where there is no more mental space. Just like our closets and drawers, our minds need to be tidied up from time to time. The simplest way to help with this process is to purge any unimportant thoughts and then learn new practices to move forward. Keep in mind that no two practices work for the same person, everyone is different. Here are some tips to help with your cluttered mind and life!
For your life:
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Plan a purge– Cleaning your environment doesn’t just have to be in the spring. It is important to clean your space at least 2 to 3 times of the year. It will help keep you neat and tidy and your mind and life will feel better after.
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Ask yourself three key questions– When cleaning your life, ask yourself three simple questions. Have you used this item in the last 6 months? If the answer is yes, give the item away or throw it away. Could you rent or borrow this item from someone or somewhere? Is the item taking up space that could be used for something else? Be honest with these answers and your space will be cleaner as the purging goes on.
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Cut down on duplicates- Do you have multiple water bottles that are never getting used? If you have duplicates of any item that hasn’t be unused in the last 6 months, throw it out or give it away. It will save you space and keep you from the chaos of going through duplicates of the all the items.
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Put up hooks- Jackets and coats can easily pile up on seats and in bins. Put up hooks to hang them up and it helps you see what items you have. Some hooks on the back of your door or in your entryway will make the space look so much cleaner and will not have messy piles in your environment.
For your mind:
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Make a list of your mental inventory- Keep track of what you need to do, what you already have done, the things you should be doing. It will help you keep on track of what you have already accomplished and what still needs to be done. Your mind will be free and not feel like a storage area.
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Keep a journal- Write down how you feel from day to day and overall feelings of weeks or months. It will show yourself how you are doing and your mind will not be filled with a whole day’s worth of thoughts. A journal allows you to keep notes on your feelings and not get intertwined with your daily process.
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Stop multi-tasking– Multi-tasking leads to your brain getting too cluttered and it’s difficult to keep your ideas straight. Choose one important task to work on and move on to the next task when you have completed the one prior. It will help you visualize the tasks at hand and keep your mind clear of your thoughts.
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Let go of the past– Holding on to the past’s negativity will probably end up hurting you more than anything. The thoughts you have from what’s already happened will mostly involve opportunities you have missed in the past or mistakes you have made and your mind tends to focus on those. Your mind will be filled with information that can damage you rather than being a help to your day-to-day life.
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Declutter your space before you declutter your mind- Cleaning the environment around you will help you declutter your thoughts and your mind. Find a proper place for essentials and get rid of things you don’t need every day. A good idea is to clean up the spaces around you when you leave that space so you are not dreading it in the future. Having a cluttered space will lead your mind to being exhausted and on overdrive and that is never good.
Mental and physical excess will cause harm even if it doesn’t seem like it will in the moment. When you are deciding to clean the dishes now or later, or picking up a piece of trash now or later, do the task now so that it does not clutter your mind later. Being able to have a mess-free mind will leave you happier and gives you the chance to focus on what really matters. Go on living your best life by decluttering your mind and life!