10 Ways to Declutter Your Brain
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“My mind is like my web browser: 19 tabs are open, 3 are frozen, and I have no idea where the music is coming from.” —Unknown
Does this resonate with you as much as me? Sometimes there is just way too much stuff going on in my head. I can’t focus. I can’t sleep. I forget things I should know. And I struggle to get anything done.
I have learned a number of ways to help declutter my brain. When I stop spinning my wheels and intentionally take time to straighten out my thoughts, it makes a huge difference to my week.
Here are 10 ways you can declutter your brain:
1. BRAIN DUMP
I learned this from David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done. This simple practice helped me immensely, especially when work was super busy.
To do a brain dump, you get a piece of paper and write down a list of everything in your head, no matter how big or small. You can break it into projects and priorities and time frames later on. To begin, just write it down. Get everything out of your head and onto paper.
The theory is, when you have written something down, your brain knows you have a record and stops trying to hold on to the thought, taking up valuable memory space
2. STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
I do this every morning. Yep. Every single morning. I write a stream-of-consciousness page in a journal. The idea is, don’t think about what to write, sentence structure or grammar. Just write whatever is in your head. I write simple observations about my day, people I meet, places I visit, books I read— whatever. Sometimes I just write about my day. Sometimes there are deep and profound revelations of life and love. I process emotions and feelings, memories and creative ideas.
The practice was made popular by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way. She calls it Morning Pages. She recommends you write three pages every morning. And this is how I got started. It is a powerful tool to settle and straighten out thoughts that are tangled in my brain. Now I usually write just one page, depending on how messy my mind is on any particular morning.
Another great resource is Allison Fallon's, The Power of Writing it Down.
3. CRAFT
Doing something repetitive with your hands like crocheting, knitting, colouring in or drawing is great for your brain. While your fingers are busy, your mind can think through the tangle of thoughts and feelings, and find peace. There is a lot of research on the mental health benefits of crafts such as knitting, including reducing blood pressure, reducing stress and anxiety and improving cognitive function.
4. WALK, RUN, SWIM
Another great way to declutter your brain is to go for a walk. Spending time outside, doing physical exercise and having time to think have enormous benefits. You may prefer to run or swim laps. Many people spend their walking time listening to music or a podcast, but if you want to declutter your brain, walk in radio silence and let your mind wander for a while.
5. CLEANING
Physical clutter has a big impact on mental clutter. Most of us can’t concentrate in a messy, cluttered space. Taking a few minutes to clean your desk, or tidy your workspace will help you think more clearly and focus on the task at hand.
How many things do you have on your desk? What do you really need to work? While having lots of pretty knickknacks, motivational posters and a pencil bouquet may look great on Instagram, having lots of clear space can be more helpful for your crowded and distracted mind. Put the things you don’t need away out of sight.
6. TALKING TO A FRIEND
Some of us are verbal processors, and the best way to declutter your mind is to talk things through with a friend who is a good listener. Often when I articulate what I’m feeling to someone else, the answer I’m looking for emerges without them saying anything at all.
A number of times in my life, I’ve taken this to the next level and gone to talk things through with a professional counsellor. These conversations have been invaluable to me in sorting through complex and difficult situations.
7. PRAYER
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” —Philippians 4: 6
Praying through our cluttered thoughts is very helpful. Worrying focuses us on our problems. Prayer gives us hope. Prayer takes our focus off ourselves and our circumstances and turns our thoughts to a loving and powerful God who can work miracles and carry our burdens.
A prayer journal is a lovely way to practice prayer. It gives us a way to record our prayers and remember how God has come through for us in the past, giving us more hope for our future.
8. MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness is another powerful tool in our toolkit. When we focus on one thing—the smell of our coffee, the sound of the rain, the feeling of sunshine on our skin—it lowers our stress and increases our focus.
There are some very helpful apps to help develop mindfulness. My favourites are Headspace and Pause.
9. SILENCE
We are constantly bombarded with information and distraction. We can get notifications all day, every day, keeping us informed of everything from the weather to the stock market to the newest sneakers on sale. While the information can be helpful in context, it is unhelpful when it is a constant stream of interruptions.
Put your phone on ‘do not disturb,’ turn off the television and radio, close all the extra tabs on your computer, and sit in silence. Let your mind wander. Let your thoughts come and go. Sit in silence, and allow your mind to rest.
This can be difficult. When we sit in silence and allow our minds to wander, often thoughts of pain come to the surface. Memories of regret and hurt fill our minds. Unresolved conflict and trauma emerge. The healing comes when we allow the difficult thoughts to come and we make peace with our past. When we deal with our pain and invite healing, we can find forgiveness and freedom.
10. SLEEP
Did you know that your brain processes emotions when you sleep? There is amazing science that now shows the role of uninterrupted REM sleep in processing difficult emotions and stress. When we are not getting enough sleep, our brains don’t have the time to structure our emotional memories and we respond with more fear and anxiety during our waking hours.
I didn’t realise this until I watched this documentary.
If you’ve had a difficult day, one of the best things you can do is go to bed early to allow your body to do the emotional healing you need to tackle the next day.
I hope you find these 10 ways to declutter your brain helpful as you tackle the stress of everyday life.
