Declutter the Mind:
7 Quick Ways

Mirjam Stoffels

This morning I woke up at 5:00 am, my stomach in a knot and pretty anxiety-ridden. Work deadlines that creep up, phone calls to make, bills to pay, food that has to make it into our fridge and laundry that somehow magically has to get done…

After some tossing and turning I went into my normal morning routine: I listen to something inspirational or motivational, meditate for 20 minutes, take a refreshing shower, eat a healthy breakfast and by 8:00 I was seriously feeling 90% better.

Our world of stresses and worries, errands to run and projects to finish so often results in a mind full of clutter and chaos. If anything needs decluttering once in a while, it’s our minds. But how?

 
It’s not as if thoughts are just laying around, waiting for you to pick through them, finding the ones that should be kept and those that are ripe for the trash can.

Still, it is not so difficult as it may seem. Here are seven quick tips you can use to quiet a mind that is stuck in disco-ball mode, so you can get on with your day!

 
#1
Meditate
It helpes me every morning!
Even a few minutes of silent meditation can be enough to clear your mind of excess clutter, help you feel more grounded, and improve your focus. For a simple meditation, set a timer for five minutes, close your eyes or focus them a few feet in front of you and shift your focus to your breathing. Whenever you notice yourself getting caught up in thoughts, don’t worry. Just gently bring your awareness back to your breathing.

 
#2
Change your scene
Changing your scene might sound too simple to be effective, but it really works. When you perform the same activities in the same place over and over again [for example, writing reports in our office], you can get stuck in a mental rut that is associated with that particular activity and that particular place. Moving and changing your scene helps you look at it with fresh eyes and a new focus, relieving the mental boredom leads your mind to wander to other things.

 
#3
Write it down
If you have a bunch of things on your mind, it helps to get them on paper and off your mind. This is one of the essential habits in David Allen’s ‘Getting Things Done’. Writing down your tasks and ideas keeps your head from being filled with everything you need to do and remember. So do a ‘core dump’: write down everything you can think of that requires you to do or remember something, and then organise these items into individual tasks and projects. The more information you store in your head, the more cluttered your thoughts will feel.Transferring these to-do items from your head onto paper or screen frees up valuable space in your mind.

 
#4
Talk about it
Talking to others about the topics that are cluttering your mind has two benefits: it can help you feel validated and heard, and it can also provide you with a different perspective. Often, just having someone listen to and understand what’s on your mind helps relieve some of the urgency and intensity of the thoughts. And it works the other way around too! Listening to someone else’s thoughts about what’s on your mind can leave you with new insights and resolution.

 
#5
Rethink your sleep
Sometimes you aren’t getting enough sleep, or your sleeping pattern isn’t ideal. Changing your sleeping patterns can do wonders. And if you don’t give it some thought, you won’t realize how much your sleep (or lack thereof) is affecting you.

 
#6
Go slower
Seems kinda weird, but walking, talking, working and driving slower can make a very big difference. It’s kind of like you’re saying, ‘I’m not willing to rush through life, no matter what artificial time demands others are putting on me. I want to take it at my pace.’ And as a result, your mind is less harried as well.

 
#7
Single-task
Multi-tasking, for the most part, is a good way to fill your mind with a lot of activity without a lot of productivity or happiness as a result. Your brain isn’t wired to multi-task. It simply isn’t smart enough! So single-task. Just focus on one task at a time. Clear away everything else, until you’re done with that task. Then focus on the next task. Repeat.

 

 
‘Sharing is caring!’
How about you?
How do you cope with a buzzing mind?
Maybe you have some valuable tips for us?
Please share your wisdom below in the comment box!
Thank you!

Mirjam Stoffels

Founder of seven2success, author of ‘Daily Little Secrets to Success’ and guest blogger at Project Eve and 365 dagen succesvol. In my mission to make seven2success the biggest platform of knowledge and inspiration for women, I want to inspire you with our content! Check us out on Facebook and Twitter! I’d love to connect!  And do you want to inspire other women? Write for us!

 
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