Ever feel overwhelmed by that never-ending to-do list swirling in your head? It's mental clutter, and it's EXHAUSTING! But fear not, clutter master Amanda Liford is here to reveal my surprising 5-step method to tackle it - and the first step might SHOCK you!
What is Mental Clutter?
We've mentioned mental clutter a lot on this podcast so the first thing we need to talk about is what mental clutter is! Mental Clutter is the clutter that's up here. All the random thoughts, the tasks, the calendar events, all of that stuff that's roaming around in our head, that causes us to go in like this weird loop. it takes up a lot of mental energy. For those of us who have or have had physically demanding jobs, your job is very, very physical, we know that you come home at the end of the day exhausted physically.
For those of us who have or have had office jobs or even some organizers, we can have a huge mental exhaustion, because of all the mental stuff going on. All that mental clutter is draining.
Steps to Tackling Mental Clutter
As a mom, wife, and business owner, I deal with it a lot of mental clutter, so I have some experience in this area. When it comes to the actual steps to tackling mental clutter, I wanted to share the steps that have really helped me through those times when my head is just super cluttered.
Step 1 - Take a Day of Relaxation
The first step is probably going to be the hardest step, taking a day of relaxation. Yes, I am telling you to schedule a day where you do absolutely nothing. No work, no business tasks, no chores. Plan something fun and enjoyable.
Step 2 - Work Nothing Day
This sounds a little weird, but the very next day after your day of relaxation, you're going to schedule a work nothing day. Again, you're not going to be doing actual work or chores or anything labor intensive. This is going to be your day to sit down and actually deal with your mental clutter.
Step 3 - Brain Dump
During your Work Nothing Day, you're going to do an intense Brain Dump. This means you're going to empty all of the mental clutter! Write down everything that is cluttering your brain, no matter if it's happening now, tomorrow, or two months from now, get it down on paper. You can make your brain dump digitally or physically. I tend to like a physical brain dump so I'm focused on just that.
The key to this brain dump is to unload your mental clutter until you think you're done. Get it all out. Then get up, walk away, take a break. Then come back and make sure your brain is really empty! Repeat this until you think you really do have everything out.
Bonus: It can also be helpful in this step to write down due dates for certain things. This will help in step 5.
Step 4 - Be KIND to Yourself
Being kind to yourself after you've completed your brain dump is something that is super important but sometimes super hard (I struggle with this). It's hard to look at the huge amount of stuff that just came out of your brain. It can be overwhelming and sometimes filled with guilt. That one task you've had on your list for 5 months and still haven't gotten done? That can make you feel pretty badly. In that moment, I want you to give yourself grace. Life happens. Be kind to yourself.
Step 5 - Create a Plan & Nibble Away
Now that you've unloaded the immense clutter that has been plaguing your brain, it's time to create a plan and get to work. Go through your brain dump and assign priority levels to each task and how long you think those tasks will take. You can also add due dates to the ones that don't already have them.
Once you have everything sorted by priority and due date, you're ready to start nibbling away at the tasks. Schedule what you can on your calendar and then keep a running list. Sometimes you'll find an extra 5 minutes here or there in your day-to-day. This is a great time to see what tasks are on your list that you can knock out in those 5 minutes! Ticking off one task at a time can really help build momentum!
Wrapping up!
In today's fast-paced world, mental clutter can easily take over our minds, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and unproductive. As we've explored in this podcast, mental clutter consists of all the random thoughts, tasks, and events that swirl around in our heads, creating a loop of stress and distraction. My tried and true steps for tackling mental clutter start with taking a dedicated day of relaxation, followed by a 'work nothing' day to address the clutter head-on. An intense brain dump helps clear the mind, while being kind to yourself allows you to handle the process with compassion. Finally, creating a strategic plan to prioritize and manage tasks ensures we can start nibbling away at the mental clutter bit by bit. By incorporating these steps into our routine, we can reclaim our mental space and move forward with clarity and focus. Remember, tackling mental clutter is not a one-time task but an ongoing proactive that leads to a more organized and peaceful mind.
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