Minimising Clutter of the Mind (ARCHIVE)
Originally posted September 20, 2017
‘Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life?’
Henry David Thoreau
My life is moving fast. I am not good at slowing down. How do I decrease the clutter of my mind?
This weekend has been the first time I’ve switched off for more than a couple of hours in a few months. I visited the South West. There I laid around in bed and did almost nothing. I had some naps. I read some books.
Minimising clutter of the mind off is something I struggle with a lot. The advice below is as much for you as it is for me.
Here are five tips to declutter the mind.
Do one thing at a time. It is so tempting to multitask when there is a lot to get done. Giving all your attention to a single activity helps you to engage with it and get it done quickly. Focus on one job, one person, or one form of entertainment at a time.
Forget about the ‘shoulds’. If, like me, you are a neurotic overachiever, you always have jobs that you ‘should’ be working on. I have made it a priority recently to no beat myself up about things I am not doing right now.
Take ‘me’ days. Have scheduled days where your well being and relaxation are the priority. This sort of day might mean that you neglect a thing you were supposed to do, but we all need quiet time to rejuvenate.
Hide your phone. No, you cannot check your Instagram account. Your mind is cluttered enough as it is without a never ending feed of what is happening with everyone else. Train yourself to avoid social media regularly, minimising external stimuli.
Go outside. If you are still struggling to switch off, leave your current context and enjoy the real world. Go look at a tree which has been around for fifty years, or a rock that’s been around for millennia. These are an excellent example of serenity.
❤️
