And Organize your Life
Organizing is a buzz word these days, usually revolving around all the ways we de-clutter physical spaces. Think about the reason you organize a space. It’s usually because it helps you to find things, not trip over things or gives you an overall sense of satisfaction.
Organizing the mind is similar to organizing spaces. When you de-clutter the mind, it is easier to focus and you may find yourself less restless. De-cluttering the mind helps you feel less pulled in different directions, reduces worry about the future, helps you ruminate less about the past, increases your productivity, and allows you to figure out how to prioritize things differently.
Here are some tips to help jump start your organized mindset:
1. Write it down. Clear out the brain of all the excess stuff: to do lists, projects, appointments, phone numbers, ideas, dinner menu, etc. Whenever you write things out, your brain can recollect them more frequently. Think about the last time you wrote out a list. Chances are you were able to remember most of the items without looking at the list. Get the excess stuff out of your mind to make space for more important things.
2. Journal. Plan a time each day to write out your thoughts and worries. Journaling will give you the opportunity to process some of these items and get rid of the inner talking.
3. Clean up your physical space. Cleaning up your space does not mean dive into a complete “spring cleaning.” Create a space where you do not have to look at the things you “have to do.” When our physical space is clear, our mind will follow suit.
4. Let it go. If you're like me, you just caught yourself singing the song. (If you don’t know what I am talking about check it out on YouTube.) Time to evaluate all the stuff you have put into your “mind file cabinet”: the stuff you keep reminding yourself of, the regrets of steps not taken, the mistakes you have made, people you have hurt or have hurt you, etc. If these memories are not serving you well, it's time to shut the drawer. This might mean deciding to give yourself permission to move on, it might mean talking with a friend or it might mean going to talk with a professional about how to move on. It is time to shut the drawer.
5. Time to relax. Give your brain time to shut off once and a while. It needs time to recoup too. Find things that give you a sense of soothing. Make sure you schedule time to relax or it will get overlooked.
6. Multi-tasking is not helpful. Start focusing on one thing at a time and follow it through to completion before picking up the next thing. Single focus will help you become more efficient and more effective.
7. Decide. Indecisiveness and passivity consume a lot of brain space and leave you feeling stressed. Do yourself a favor and make decisions about things so you can move on to something else. Remember, “indecision is a decision.”
8. Don’t clutter your brain with things that do not matter in the long run. Try to leave less space for mundane things like what you are going to have for lunch or what you are going to wear. Try making a decision about a mundane thing and using the same decision several times in a week and see how much extra space you have.
9. Shorten your daily to-do list. Limit your daily to-do list to only 2-3 things. Productivity is based on how you feel after accomplishing tasks or goals. When you are exhausted or overwhelmed, your goal was averted.
10. Limit what you allow to come into your mind. Censor your social media, conversations, magazines, emails, TV, news or whatever is consuming space in your mind. Decide what items have a positive impact on your life and what do not. Put time limits onwhat you allow to consume your mind and choose what deserves your attention.
Time to organize all the cavities of your mind and decide what stays and what goes! This will have a positive impact on your mental health and on your life!
Peace,
~Terra
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