Tips to Declutter your Mind

The other day, I walked into my home-sweet-home and it literally looked like a bomb exploded. I’m sure you have experienced this feeling at some point of time in your life. You either clean like a maniac during the weekends (or every day?) or maybe you pay somebody to do the job.

Either way, you inevitably end up wondering “Didn’t I just tidy this room up yesterday and what happened here today?” If you haven’t had this line of thought, you probably don’t need to be reading this post.  A cluttered mind is a dangerous thing. Declutter your mind and say good-bye to the stress of mess for good.

So, you ask “What does physical cluttering have to do with my mind being overcrowded?” Actually, sometimes my mind feels as chaotic and cluttered as my living space. What is the most efficient way to control clutter, and make the best use of your time and energy, while you save your sanity?

Here are few tips to Declutter your Mind

1. Maintain a to-do List

You have probably heard about a to-do list. A list of all the things that you need to get done. Create a realistic to-do list for work and home.

• Firstly, just creating a list is not enough. It needs to be followed by implementation.
• Secondly, create a realistic one. If you have all the things that need to be set straight in one big list you will probably be exhausted just reading it.
• Thirdly, categorize.  Create a list for work and home. You can make more lists by dividing home duties into let’s say general maintenance and upkeep, kids, personal etc. It may seem daunting/tiring/boring but trust me, it works and give yourself three weeks as a trial period.

2. Prioritize your jobs/duties for the Day

So your to-do list is a list of all jobs that need to be done but not everything on the list is equally important. Right? Have the most important/imminent/urgent jobs right on top. And, the rest in descending order of priorities. Of course, it’s up to you to allot a certain amount of time for the completion of a job.

Maybe something takes priority now only because it’s going to take longer to finish. These details need to be worked out by you, as you are the one who has the best idea about all the details. The most urgent job takes precedence over everything else.

3. Delegate

Are you a multitasker? Or are you simply the one who ends up doing everything? There is a big difference between the two. Honestly, sometimes the line separating the two can become a tad bit blurry. If you really have so much to do and 16-18 waking hours of the day never seem enough, you got to ask yourself the inevitable question.

Am I doing somebody else’s job? If you happen to be doing your supervisor’s job now that’s a whole different issue. Maybe you want to broaden your skill set, gain experience or simply be in the good books of the boss. You probably can’t quite delegate in this situation. But you sure can ask your spouse to help at home. Divide chores and duties.

Yes, we all may want to have things done the way we would do them but sometimes it’s best to not stress about the specifics.

4. Say NO

Getting all the jobs done on the to-do list is an accomplishment in itself. But should a job be there in the first place? I can’t say much about the office scenario for obvious reasons. So, let’s leave that aside. But how many of us get coerced into a social obligation that we don’t really want to fulfill?

The unnecessary expense/time/travel. Of course, if you must go or want to go, please do. But if not, save yourself the exhaustion. Politely refuse the obligation and use the time to recharge and rejuvenate or complete the task on that not so dreadful to-do list.

This is just one such example. Once you start thinking about everything as “do I NEED to do this or do I WANT to do this” you will surely surprise yourself. Saying ‘NO’ the very first time is tough. But once you do so, it becomes less daunting.

5. Organize yourself and Declutter your Mind

Remember how I said that sometimes my mind mimics my physical space. It is so true. What is the best way to avoid this chaos? Organize yourself. You have a realistic to-do list according to your priorities but if you can’t find the tools in time you probably are going to waste a few minutes or hours.

Have you ever looked for the car keys all over the house and just can’t find them? You spend precious minutes of your morning in a frantic search and then before you know you are stuck in rush-hour traffic. So now my keys are in a red bowl next to the television set in my living room.

You may think you lost only 15 minutes in this process but ten tasks that each delay you by this amount of time may result in a feeling of overwhelming exhaustion. A place for everything and everything in its place will make life smoother and less stressful.

6. Attitude

All said and done, there is nothing that beats a positive attitude. Positivity helps in every aspect of our lives. And when it comes to implementation of any task, only if you think you can do it, can you actually do it. An added benefit of being positive is that it also helps in maintaining a serene composure.

If you don’t doubt your ability you probably have the confidence of figuring it out. Right? You may not find those lost car keys sooner but you probably won’t let your blood pressure spike up in that treasure hunt. Be positive. It can propel you to be efficient.

Also Read : Declutter your Mind by Writing, Declutter your Mind and Home

Conclusion

We all have jobs to do. Identifying, prioritizing, delegating, and choosing tasks will paint a true picture of the nature of the jobs at hand and their urgency. Once you have a true to-do list, arm yourself with organizational skills and a positive attitude, and you will be the master of impeccable execution of all those jobs.

Look forward to that list and declutter your mind. Keeping your house in order gives you a sense of peace and confidence and conserves your will power!!