5 Ways to Reduce Mind Clutter

Life is full of surprises and unexpected turns. It can be difficult to manage the different areas of our lives: health, career, personal relationships, finances, etc. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all my mental “to-do” lists. So much so that I become stagnate with procrastination. There are ways to reduce mind clutter that help your creativity and overall progress. Here are 5 ways to reduce mind clutter. 

Start your day with intention

Most people start their days with unlocking their phones and scrolling through social media feed or emails. Instead of starting the day mindlessly, start your day with intention. You don’t even have to get out of bed right away. When you wake up instead of reaching for your phone, spend 8 minutes to set your intentions. 

1. Practice Gratitude: Start the day by thinking of the things or people you are grateful for. 
2. Send a Mental Love Letter: Send positive vibes (a prayer, blessing, etc) to anyone who needs it. It can be a friend, a coworker, that random person you bumped into at the grocery store. Literally anyone. Think the thought, and send it in your head. You receive the love you give to others. So set intention to send love every morning. 
3. Identify 1 Goal: Identify one main goal you’d like to work on for the day. Then ask yourself, “what 3 actions can I take today to help work towards my goal”? That is your intention for the day. 

Reduce unnecessary notifications

We get distracted throughout the day with all the phone notifications. Many of them aren’t even important. This is a perfect place to begin reducing mind clutter. Go through, and turn off the notifications on apps that don’t require your immediate attention. Facebook and Instagram can wait. 

Unsubscribe from unnecessary businesses or services

I used to be that person who had a inbox full of emails from unnecessary services or companies. Your inbox might be full of non-value added information and may be a good place to reduce mind clutter. Do yourself  a favor and go through and unsubscribe yourself from emails that don’t add value to your life. Like OfficeMax or Target promotions. 

Track your Screen Time (Effective mind clutter tip)

In a recent survey, researchers founds that people in their mid twenties spend an average of 3 hours a day on social media. That is a lot of time. Although social media allows us a way to connect genuinely with an online community, it can also serve as a distraction. Social media isn’t bad, but the potential time we devote to it can be. Reducing the amount of time you spend on certain social media platforms can help reduce mind clutter. Check what your screen time is on your phone and evaluate if it makes sense for you. Evaluate and if necessary, set time limitations on specific apps. I have a screen time limit on social media to keep my daily limit under 30 min. 

Journal in the morning or Evening

The best way to reduce mind clutter is by journaling. I keep my journal next to my desk and write in it when I need a mental break. I’ve added a lot more entries in the last couple of months and it does make a huge difference. I feel like I make time for myself more often and take more breaks when I need them. If you need help with how to journal check out my journaling blog post!

Reduce Mind Clutter, it’s a Win-Win

Creativity is something that only exists when you reduce mind clutter. And creativity helps with our productivity levels. So whether you’re an artist or an engineer (or both because why the F* not) reducing mind clutter will help you be more creative.