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When we hear the word clutter, we automatically think of stuff. We think of extra things in our homes just sitting around, overflowing from shelves and drawers. And that type of clutter is very real in our lives.
Clutter is anything that interferes with living a balanced life and adds stress and drains your energy.
Things like mental clutter.
And emotional clutter.
Just as our physcial clutter can hinder our actions in our lives, so can mental and emotional clutter.
These two are somewhat intertwined. This post we’ll talk about the mental clutter and the next post will be on the emotional clutter.
What is mental clutter?
Mental clutter is the list that is constantly running in your head. It is the things that you feel like you need to get done, as well as all the other nagging little things that you THINK you should get to. We play those tapes constantly in our heads.
For the everyday stuff that you do need to keep up with, find whatever tool works best for you to corral all those “things”. Whether it is an actual notebook, a list on your phone, a task list like Todo, or Evernote, find someway to help you get those things out of your brain and onto paper so you can stop worrying that you are forgetting something.
A lot of times this mental clutter is caused by avoiding MAKING a decision, or being torn between two choices. Or it could be plain ol’ procrastination.
Indecision just delays the inevitable. By deciding to go ahead and make the decision, as difficult as it may be, you rid yourself of the weight of the indecision. Think of the last time you finally made a decision you had been putting off, how much better you felt.
Sometimes the weight of the procrastination is actually heavier than the consequences of the decision. Do yourself a favor, and make that decision you’ve been putting off.
Many times the mental clutter can leave us feeling overwhelmed. To overcome this, learn to trust your instincts, forge ahead and make a decision. Even if you make a mistake, it can be a learning experience, and can continue to move you forward.
One way to reduce the mental clutter is by doing a brain dump.
Another type of mental clutter are the unfinished projects that are hanging over you.
Each of these unfinished projects in an open loop in your life. David Allen author of Getting Things Done, talks about how having this open loops in our lives can be exhausting and overwhelming mentally. He encourages you to close your loops as soon as possible.
Finish a project or give yourself permission to NOT finish it and let it go. It is okay to admit that you can’t or don’t want to finish something you have begun. What may have been important in the beginning is no longer a top priority.
I love Peter Walsh from Oprah’s show, and he has a book on this topic. I have not read it yet, but it looks right on target!
If you work on removing clutter from your life, and making space, new paths and opportunities will emerge.
What things do you do to help reduce the mental clutter in your life?
This is Part 1. Part 2 can be found here: Cleaning out your emotional trash
I used to be really good at accomplishing tasks and brain dumps…I find that when I don’t set goals, I do not finish things…thank you for this reminder!
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oh gosh this is me.. I am coming back when I have more time to follow the links! I have terrible anxiety/depression and it feels like my brain is one big jumble of junk I cant get rid of!~
Mum’s the Word recently posted..DIY Tissue Paper PomPom Tutorial
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I am finding my job so stressful right now that there are nights (like tonight) when I am physically exhausted and mentally unable to stop thinking about work. Ugh. Get out of my head, irritating work clutter!!
Emily @ Make It Happen Mama recently posted..King Size Mattresses & Sewing Machine Clunkers
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I’ve been struggling with this one ALOT lately! I’ve been tyrying to eat better and exercise more. I’ve also made lists of what actually NEEDS to get done, and put everything else on the back burner. In the past I have found it helpful to clear out my physical space, get rid of any clutter, for some reason it helps me get feel more centered mentally and emotionally.
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This is all such good advice! My mind is often cluttered. Thanks for sharing.
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Agree that mental and emotional clutter can be exhausting….I was amazed how much inner peace I gained once I started to put everything I’m concerned with down on paper. I just worry about those points when I review them and make decisions. Otherwise I freed myself from the burden of always carrying them with me…
Cindy recently posted..CNA Certification In Florida
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You are so right and this post is so timely: thank you!
Kirsetin Morello recently posted..On Not Turning Our Back on Friends (Wise Words from Thoreau)
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Cleaning emotional clutter is just as important is cleaning physical clutter – totally agree! Thanks for the well wishes on my SITS day!
Missy | The Literal Mom recently posted..5 Ways Blogging Improves Life
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This post is so me. Have you been spying on me? I have so many things I want to do, but I never seem to get to the fun things. And I have so many projects going at once: Ebay, Etsy, blogging, tweeting, raising a family, taking care of a home, well, you know. But your ideas were great. Especially the “brain dump”. I need to choose what I REALLY want and dump the rest. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Thanks for your help and I’m going right to the library website to see if I can pick up Peter’s new book. God bless!
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This is such a good reminder. I seem to be a project hoarder so my mental clutter can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. I REALLY need to do a brain dump and let some of those projects go!! Thanks.
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You are so right. There are LOTs of kinds of clutter. The more life gets stressed the more the word “SIMPLE” appeals to me.
Sinea recently posted..5 Best Organizing Tips I Have Ever Learned
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[...] Last post we addressed mental clutter, all the things we need to do running around in our heads. You can read that post HERE. [...]