The Mind in Good Order
How often do you wake up and start thinking about the not-so-positive events that happened over the past week? Do you wake up with old regrets and leftover guilt, mulling on negative emotions? The crush of your pending daily deadlines (possibly even past due tasks), long-term projects, reminders for your family, paying bills or even your business goals and aspirations – all of these can lead to a flood of wasted time and energy.
If such thoughts are cluttering your mind before you even get out of bed, how can you focus on being the best at what you do? Imagine if you were able to clear that clutter out of your mind to create a stress-free, emotionally-calm environment around you. The results would be astounding. To start to clear your mind-space, here are some tips for relieving stress, for increasing productivity, and making you more organized in your head:
1. Start with a list. Write down everything in your head as a to-do list, digital notebook or diary; whatever method works best for you. I use an electronic to-do list called TickTick which I can access on my computer and also on my phone at any time. I often write lists of items that are next on my to-do agenda, projects or maybe something for the future, and of course, my shopping list.
2. Manage per project. Create a to-do list for each project. There are steps you have to go through to reach the end goal of the project, so set them out individually and conquer one task at a time. It’s much better setting items out instead of keeping them in your head.
3. Focus on one thing at a time. Stop multi-tasking. We end up wasting time skipping between different tasks. Do one thing well, finish it to your satisfaction, and then move onto the next task.
4. Review and reorganize. Every week review your calendar, inbox and to-do list. I set aside time in my calendar each week to spend solely on reviewing my administrative life, filing documents in their folders, trashing items that need to trashed, and setting new reminders and re-prioritizing tasks at hand.
5. Jot down ideas. Put down any random thoughts into a notebook. I use Evernote, but you can also use the Microsoft version called OneNote, or even an old-school notebook.
6. Take it easy day by day. Focus on important, essential items to complete each day. Don’t have daily ‘musts’; they will only stress you out.
7. Work off that steam. Exercise. It can help to increase the oxygen into your blood cells, which then goes to your brain and makes you more productive. I’m no advocate for physical activity, but I do find this to be true. I go for walks, even if it is only around a mall, to clear my head.
8. Take a step back. Calm down. If you don’t finish it today, you can do it tomorrow. It won’t be the end of the world.
Don’t overcomplicate simplifying your life. Start with the first step and then the next step, and next, until gradually you’ll get used to a new, de-cluttered methodology, and later you’ll find it has becomes a habit.