When we talk about clutter, we mainly talk about physical clutter. But just as we have too many objects in our physical space, making it messy and cluttered, similar can be the case with our mind, and decluttering the mind can largely enhance your productivity. Just replace objects with thoughts, and this brings us to the definition of a cluttered mind.
A cluttered mind is a mind that is distracted and occupied by too many thoughts. It is a state of being where the person has difficulty concentrating on one thing at a time.
A cluttered mind leads to wastage of mental energy, which leads to confusion and an indecisive attitude. The result – it affects our moods, interactions with people around us, our work and ultimately our health. Decluttering your mind can be beneficial for your mental health and well-being, as well as for your physical space.
Let’s Look At Few Causes Of Mental Clutter
We live in a world where there is information overload, and this is one of the main reasons for the clutter. Too much outside information leads to too many thoughts in our mind and many a time we cannot process such a stream of thoughts.
– Too much information: There is an overload of information coming at us from all directions. We interact with so many people during the day, be it in the office or during socialising. Then we have media platforms like televisions, online streaming, YouTube, web, etc. And with technology and new ways of connecting with people, we also have a plethora of social media platforms.
– Too many thoughts in our head: There are things of the past which we hold on to, and this is a major reason we cannot clear our minds. The same thoughts keep going on in our mind day in and day out.
– Not enough time to process everything: We don’t have the time to think about and understand what is happening around us.
Some Benefits Of A Cleaner Mind
Like we clear our physical space to uplift our mood, similarly mental detox helps to recharge ourselves, regain focus and become decisive. Mental de-cluttering helps to eliminate unnecessary thoughts and fears. We gain the power to overcome our worries and negative thoughts.
A cleaner mind is not only a healthier mind, but it helps to feel more relaxed and even get better sleep. It helps in reducing stress levels, improving mood and making us feel more in control. As we make room for new thoughts and emotions, we bring in more joy, peace, and happiness into our lives.
Getting Started With Decluttering The Mind
The first step to decluttering the mind is to identify the clutter. We have thoughts and ideas that we don’t know what to do with. We have thoughts we are always thinking about and can’t seem to let go.
Brain dump is a term used to describe the process of dumping all of your thoughts and ideas onto paper. In this process, we write our thoughts in a journal. Doing so helps us to identify and pursue our aspirations and reduce the burden of unnecessary responsibilities. It’s usually a quick, stream-of-consciousness style that can help you get everything out on paper.
Steps to do it right –
- Schedule time for decluttering for a few days. It’s said that we can re-wire the mind in 21 days. So sit down and perform the exercise for 21 days at nearly the same time.
- Start by writing them down on paper, or if you prefer, on your computer. You may also find that the more you write about it, the more clear your head becomes.
- Get rid of things you don’t need. Once you have written everything down, for say 21 days, upon analysis, you will find that a lot of thoughts aren’t as important as you thought they were. Identify the essentials and eliminate what is not required. Since we interact with people and social media on a day-to-day basis, there will be daily distractions too, as you write. Strike them out. As you become more cognizant, you will be better able to change your response to situations and incidents and thus pave the way for new and uplifting thoughts. Focus on the long-term goals and aspirations. To identify them, look for things which you write repeatedly. They are your innate desires.
- Become conscious and respond accordingly. Once you have identified your desires and goals, rank and order your goals. Identify the resources required and skills to be learned to achieve your goals.
- Creating an action plan. Continue writing in the journal even after the 21 days duration. Let new thoughts pour in and create an action plan for yourself. Plan the activities you wish to do and by when to accomplish your goal.
Happy Journaling and DeCluttering The Mind!!!
