7 Ways To Clear Your Mental Clutter

We’ve all been there: To-dos piling one on top of another until your mind can no longer keep track, jumbling and cluttering your mental space and preventing you from thinking clearly. Going into such a busy time of year can feel overwhelming from the get go, and creating time to relax and recharge might seem like a nonexistent option. But rest is a major key to your overall well being, and there’s no shame in creating intentional time to clear your mental clutter! Our LIJ Partners are weighing in with their best tips to clear your mental space in order to operate at your best as we move into autumn:

Photo by Pantry Girl

1. Implement some type of mindfulness training to separate from thoughts and increase present-moment focus. Meditation, breath-work or do some sort of exercise daily, trying to build up to 20 minutes per day. Move your body in ways that feel good; sometimes something as simple as stretching mid-day can do the trick.

- Shelley White, Pantry Girl (Sydney, Aus)

Photo by Hannah Goetz Organizing

2. Write down all your thoughts at the start of each week! It can be a total brain dump, and it doesn’t need to look structured. Just get it all out onto the paper. From there, organize each task by priority per day. Organizing your weekly tasks can help to simplify and streamline each one, one day at a time.

- Hannah Goetz, Hannah Goetz Organizing (Austin, TX)

Photo by Ducks in a Row

3. Organize your space. Being organized in the space you spend your day in reduces stress, leaving your mind free to focus on what you love⁠. When you are organized, you are more in control and can invest your valuable time and money wisely to lay the foundation for the life you want, which overall contributes positively to your mental well being!⁠ To organize your space, take the first step without overthinking. Select a space or room that gives you the most overwhelm or anxiety, assign a small section to yourself, and take small steps every day.

- Eve Mizzi, Ducks in a Row (Melbourne, Australia)

Photo by Urban OrgaNYze

4. Automate your routine. Ask yourself, “What am I wearing today, and what's for lunch?”  All of these routine questions can clutter up our headspace. In order to avoid decision fatigue, try automating your minor tasks like setting out clothing the night before, and designating nights of the week for certain meals (who doesn't love Taco Tuesday?!)

- Laura Kinsella, Urban OrgaNYze (New York, NY)

Photo by Urban OrgaNYze

5. Schedule and stick to it! My golden rule is honor your to-dos like you would a doctor's appointment. Calendar them in time blocks so they don't repetitively linger in your mind, and they get done.

- Laura Kinsella, Urban OrgaNYze (New York, NY)

Photo by Sunday Plans

6. Use the "bedtime" setting on your iPhone. You set a designated time, and at that time, your phone automatically goes into Do Not Disturb and puts up a soothing nighttime screen. This really helps to shut off the brain at the end of the day, especially when it's so tempting to send "just one more email" or check social media.

- Margaret Ellison, Sunday Plans (Charleston, SC)

Photo by Sunday Plans

7. Timeblock, giving yourself permission to fully get into the zone for a set period of time and know that nothing else is important—no emails/calls/texts/social media scrolling. This can be applied to any sort of work or play. Decide on a timeblock when you're going to be entirely engrossed in an activity and set your electronics to Do Not Disturb. Can you tell we're big fans of the DND feature?!

- Margaret Ellison, Sunday Plans (Charleston, SC)

Using this advice as it fits into your lifestyle can truly help to ground you, prioritize your schedule, and maximize your mental capacity so you can thrive in your day-to-day life! Remember, what works for you might not work for everyone, so feel free to tweak and adjust any of these suggestions so they work in your routine. You’ve got this!

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