NEGUS’S HACKS TO DECLUTTER YOUR MIND

Meditate for four minutes every day

“Sitting with yourself for four minutes in a meditative state doesn’t take long. But to experience a shift, you have to do the work. A child can do homework on their own, but they do much better when a parent sits with them.”

Free-writing

“This is very different to journalling or jotting down a to-do list. Spend five minutes each day for a few weeks allowing yourself to write down your thoughts however they appear, like a brain dump to clear your mind. Lots of people start with: “I don’t know what to write, I don’t know what to write, God, I’m so frustrated. I don’t know what to write, I’m so frustrated I have to do this, I have to do that.’ The theme is they’re frustrated because they’re feeling obligated. You can start to make choices about what you do. And when you’re making a choice for the right reason, it shifts to a positive thought and frees up space in your head.”

Tidying and organising

“As with everything, taking action alongside these always helps – clearing out the loft, or garage, or garden shed, will mirror the minddump of free-writing; it is methodical, it requires you to let go of things that are outdated and no longer have relevance in your life. Think about when you’re clearing out the kitchen cupboard, you have to unpack it. Usually, its contents go all over the kitchen, and when you look around, you think, “Oh my god, what have I done?”. But that thought is momentary, because then what happens is you start tidying things up and organising, and by doing this, you’re creating something much more effective that will help you in terms of how you want to live.”

Take a “power pause”

“Take a moment whenever you are challenged or triggered to take stock of how you want to respond. Do you want to respond on auto-pilot, or do you want to respond mindfully and from your best self?”