How To Clean Up Mental Clutter

Health & Fitness Beauty Tip

submitted: Mar 25, 2009
tip #327

Don't get overwhelmed with mental clutter. Learn to manage your to-do's and minimize your stress.

Who isn't overscheduled, overspent, and overtired? In today's hectic lifestyle, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. And our growing addiction to cell phones, iPods, Blackberries and text messages seems to fuel the fire. The result is chronic mental clutter or a state some life-coaches call "overload in overdrive." Here are a few tips for cleaning out mental clutter so that you can focus, relax and unwind.

1) Use cell phones, Blackberries, Treos, iPhones and laptops to facilitate the things that really matter, but don't let them dictate your life. Turn them off turn at designated time-out periods during the day, like after dinner or during lunch.

2) Don't be obsessive about checking your email. Try to only check your inbox a few times a day like in the morning, once in the afternoon and at the end of the work day. This will ensure that work doesn't consistently pile up on you, overwhelming your mental to-do list and causing you to stress.

3) Keep a list of what you need to get done each day. This way you won't worry about forgetting to do something. Be realistic about how much can be done in the allotted time.

4) Learn to delegate rather than risk overload. You don't have to do everything yourself.

5) Ease up on perfectionism. Ask yourself what it is you really need to get out of a particular situation. Perhaps it is a good relationship with someone or peace of mind. Keeping your mind on the ultimate goal will allow you to responsibly let go of certain details and still attain your desired outcome.

By Susan Reimer Torn, IAC-certified mentor coach, founder of Scentient Beings and self-proclaimed spa junkie.