declutter the brain

Decluttering the Mind

There’s not an adult on the planet that doesn’t have a mind filled with clutter.

And there’s something about that which is more troublesome than a cluttered home or workspace. A cluttered mind is restless, unfocused, and somewhat akin to a scrambled egg. The cluttered mind moves in multiple directions at once, and the result is little gets done.

Mental clutter can include keeping a mental “To-Do” list, worrying about the future, deliberating about the past, and so on. Does this sound like you?  Are you ready to clear space in your head?

Below are ideas to de-clutter your mind with iStratus, reduce feeling overwhelmed, and ultimately gain beneficial clarity to achieve more.

Your Physical Environment Matters

Clutter bombards the mind with disproportionate stimuli, which makes our brains work overtime. Clutter also signals that there’s plenty else that needs addressing, which is of course, in its own right mentally exhausting.

The bottom line: De-cluttering your physical space also de-clutters your mind in succession.

For The Record…

You don’t need to keep everything stored in your brain. Record and categorize things within the iStratus app —and utilize it as a storage device for all those bits and pieces of information you need to remember. This can include appointments, shopping lists, ideas for future projects, and so on.

Quit Multi-Tasking

We’ve mentioned this many times, but it’s worth repeating. Quit multitasking. It doesn’t work

If your house was a mess and you needed to reorganize it, how would you begin? Perhaps start by choosing one important area—for example, the kitchen pantry —and giving it a good cleaning.

The mental equivalent of tidying the kitchen pantry is to allocate a certain amount of time exclusively devoted to clearing your mind. Throughout this process, transfer your mental clutter to the side and completely focus your attention upon the task at hand.

Imagine your pantry top notch and organized, and ensure that it stays so, without other items being plonked all over it during the timeframe you’ve devoted to it. 

Mentally push the clutter outside of the pantry doors too. Make a note in iStratus of any items that might be needed to make this organization even more efficient, such as labels or storage canisters.

The Past Haunts

Speaking of “pushing something out the door” – mind clutter is also often related to the past. Most people keep a large cabinet of mental drawers stored in the back of their subconscious. 

Go through those mental files and discard memories of the past that are not serving you well in the present (it’s not easy, we know)… Set some “Quiet Time” on your schedule for yourself with iStratus.

Be Decisive

If your email inbox is filled with emails that require addressing, and no decisions are made on them, what will happen? Soon, your inbox will be overflowing with bills, requests from your employer or clients, and spam mail. The way to progress is to address what’s in your inbox or check things off your checklist. 

The solution for clarity of mind is to be decisive and follow through with tasks, to the best of your ability. Everyone has up and down days – that’s a given, life is a rollercoaster of crazy sometimes and really, the truth is, we are only human!

Routine Decisions Require an Auto Pilot Switch

Flick it to the “On” position.

Small, routine tasks can occupy a lot of brain space. This can include things like:

  • Deciding what to eat for breakfast each morning;
  • Deciding what you’re going to wear each day;
  • Deciding on what to have for lunch; and so forth.

You can reduce the amount of brain space because of routine tasks by putting them into auto-pilot mode and setting them on automatic. This is why meal planning works so well.

Prioritize

Nothing creates as much brain clutter as an endless To-Do list. Accept that some things need to be dropped and focus on the most important things. 

A checklist of your top priorities will make all the difference to freeing up the bulk of your brain space.

And Learn To Breathe.

Sounds simple, but breathing is key to placing the mind at ease and putting useless thoughts of overload away. It’s not easy to do, but just like organizing your workspace, it can be done. 

“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing the mind as a steady purpose – a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.”
~ Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: English novelist (1797 – 1851)

Think clearly, and focus on what matters most.

Live life and roll well with iStratus.