In order to become the absolute best version of yourself, you have to declutter your mind. Much like a dirty, disorganized workspace can be counterproductive, a mind that’s constantly riddled with random thoughts, fears, and ideas can leave you unfocused and incapable of any real accomplishments. Worrying about what lies ahead, feeling guilt or regret what’s happened in the past, and juggling a random assortment of things to do is hardly conducive to reaching your life goals.
Deal with Remorse, Guilt, and Other Emotions That Are Tying You to the Past
For most people, the vast majority of their mental clutter is tied to things already passed. You might feel regret about how past friendships ended, or you may be holding onto pain from your childhood. Although these emotions are likely buried quite deeply, they’re guaranteed to have an impact on your day-to-day decisions and actions. In terms of real-life clutter, these feelings are not unlike the old, threadbare furnishings that people lay up in their attics or basements, the outdated and damaged clothing that still hangs in their closets, and the unnecessary household items that they’re never going to use.
These are emotions that are taking up essential space. More importantly, they’re making it exceedingly difficult for you to bring new things into your life that actually add value. Use a journal to list the different forms of baggage that you’ve been dragging around from your past. Then, make an effort to make peace with each of these things, one by one. You’ll feel infinitely lighter once you do.
Fear of The Future
You might have urgent bills looming right around the corner and insufficient cash in your bank account for covering them. You may be worried about a forthcoming promotion, the loss of your job, or the possible, breakdown of your relationship. In reality, however, all you really have to worry about are the problems that are in front of you right now. Setting your mind too far in the future will cause you to overlook the opportunities and resources that are easily within your reach.
It’s also incredibly difficult to proactively engage in any beneficial life-planning activities when fear of the future has you frozen in place like a deer trapped in headlights. Make a list of the things that you can change in your life right now and take the necessary actions to change them. Taking a proactive approach to dealing with and preventing stress is far better than letting this negative and often debilitating emotion flood your mind and render you inactive.
Stop Trying to Multi-Task
Spend more time being totally focused on a single activity to promote a sense of mindfulness, and increase the overall quality of your work. Although multitasking is often considered a sign of high efficiency, it frequently produces low-value results. Applying your full focus to each, individual activity will additionally force you to let go of your mental clutter. There are a number of random, fleeting thoughts and fears that will simply go away if they’re regularly ignored.
Clean Your Physical Environment
Surprisingly, one of the best tricks for eliminating mental clutter is simply cleaning up your home and work environment. If you have piles and piles of random projects lying around, your brain will get the idea that there’s always something pressing that needs to be done. Creating a serene, peaceful, and organized space will make you more mindful and less prone to worry about what lies ahead or what’s gone wrong in the past.
You’ll be far more effective in all life areas once you’ve made a concerted effort to get rid of mental clutter. Keep in mind, however, that mental clutter, much like physical clutter, can be quite addictive, especially if you’ve become conditioned to living with it. Despite the temporary discomfort that mental decluttering might cause, ongoing efforts to remain clear and focused thinking will definitely pay off.
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