5 Routines To Clear Mental Clutter

When you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself if what you have to do is necessary. Depending on the answer reschedule, drop it or continue.

Keep in mind what’s the most important thing to get done, what could be postponed and what could be done by someone else. It’s not about ignoring tasks, it’s about refocusing.

When you get away from work, you clear mental clutter and initiate unconscious thought. Delaying decisions until you’ve had time to simmer brings better results and lessens your sense of being overworked.

For those overwhelmed with worry about the future, create a routine of visualization. After taking a few deep breaths to clear your mind, envision the answer to the following questions:

• What am I trying to do?
• How do I need to show up to do that?

Lesson learned analysis is a process used to learn from the past and improve in the future. It helps clear out regret from past events.

Do that by asking yourself these three questions:

• What was supposed to happen?
• What actually happened?
• What would I do differently next time?

Use the STOP acronym to remember the process. Stop what you’re doing. Take a breath. Observe what’s going on around you. Proceed. Awareness brings more intentionality and exercises your attention spam.

Deep breathing is a rhythmic repetitive motion and it helps to remove mental chatter because it can be done whenever and wherever you wish. As you breathe, put your hand on your stomach; if your hand is moving in and out you’re doing it right.