Declutter Your Mind

Declutter your mind.  It's the fastest way to combat that feeling of constant distraction.  That nagging feeling that you've forgotten something - or someone.

Remember pinball machines? Isn't that how your mind feels sometimes when there's too much going on at once? Hitting the walls, careening off obstacles, high energy, and where to focus? Spinning out of control.

But when you focus on that one pinball, your odds improve, don't they. And if you don't focus, what happens? The balls drop through the gate when you're not looking.

We lose. We get stressed. Stress and clutter are tightly linked. Declutter your desk and you'll gain focus and be more productive. Declutter that kitchen counter or closet and you'll breathe easier. Declutter your mind and - oh, the possibilities!

My top 7 ways to declutter your mind.

1. Pick something, ANYTHING and finish it. Don't waste time deciding if it's the "right" thing to finish. The point is to start making those pinballs go away, one by one, until you can start a new game with new strategies to support you.
2. Write down whatever is in your head. On whatever is available. Don't go looking for the perfect notepad. Grab whatever is nearby and simply write it all down to get it out of your head - for now. On a second round, think about and process each item on the list to figure out what's the most important one to start with. List, and then prioritize.
3. Walk away from your desk. Go do something. Get some energy out of your body. I go out to the deck and take a few deep breaths. I walk away from work and I see things differently.
4. Use your phone, tape recorder, Dragon Dictate software or anything that will record your voice. Record everything in your head. The specific tool does not matter. What does matter is that if you're highly verbal, talking out loud to declutter your brain will be effective.
5. Creative thinker? Try a mindmap, a "map" of what's going on in your "mind." A diagram of the ideas and their pieces. Use markers, colored pencils, pictures. The creative exercise will engage your brain as well as declutter your mind.
6. Go play with your dog. Call your child/grandchild/nephew. Turn on the right kind of music to calm your mind. Step into work or out of work, depending on where your head is at and change your perspective.
7. Going forward, start noticing what causes that cluttered mind feeling for you: people, environment, project type, noise, lack of a useful calendar/to do tracker. Diagnose the specific issue, then solve it more easily.

So what's cluttering your mind these days?