How to Declutter Your Mind

There's nothing worse than feeling angsty because of a mess - and it's even worse when that mess is in your mind. Whilst tackling an invisible, imaginary pile of thoughts seems like a Herculean task, we have a few tricks up our sleeve to get your headspace tidied up.

Tidy Space

Bet you saw this one coming. A tidy space creates a tidy mind; whether it's decluttering your entire home or a small space like your desk, the act of tidying up is cathartic for a busy brain. If there aren't any distractions lying around our physical space, it makes it a little easier for our minds to calm down.

To Do Lists

Writing things down puts a lot of worries into perspective. What feels like a million thoughts attached to a thousand things to do can turn out to just be three main tasks when you write them down. Being able to visualise the mess in your brain and line your thoughts up in an orderly fashion takes the clutter from your mind and onto a piece of paper.

Prioritise

Once you've got what's on your mind in front of you, grab a highlighter and figure out what the top priorities are. Trying to juggle everything at once means no job is completed to a high standard, and by labelling your thoughts in order of importance you'll be able to concentrate on them one by one without feeling bad about it.

Limit Decision Making

When it comes to small things - what to eat, what to wear - rather than bogging your brain down with pointless decisions every single day of the work week, keep it simple both in the pantry and in the wardrobe. More exciting dishes and fancier clothes should be saved for exciting, fancy occasions - so don't stress yourself out on a Monday morning over the little things...

Be Decisive

...but when it comes to the bigger decisions, put your foot down. A lot of brain-space is taken up flip-flopping between big decisions, second-guessing ourselves, and being stuck in limbo. Train yourself to pick a choice within a given time-frame (dependent on the importance of the decision, of course) and then put it to bed. Freeing your mind between a rock and a hard place feels a lot better than obsessing over often inconsequential outcomes.

Limit Information Overload

Keep your phone on silent, or better yet, delete any social app with relentless notifications altogether. It's hard enough making it through the week energised without constantly having to absorb, process, and react emotionally to the wealth of information at our fingertips. Knowledge is good, but no one really needs to fill their brains up with celebrity gossip or doomsday news.

Final Note

Regularly practising mindfulness is a long-term way to keep your mind feeling free from clutter. Meditation, walks in nature, and gentle exercises like yoga and pilates all help our bodies and minds to rest, giving our mental wellbeing a chance to recover for when resilience is really needed.