Brain spinning out of control? Clean out these two things.
(read time: 2.5 min)
A few weeks ago I talked about my Dump List (click here to read the Dump List Boost). This resonated with many of you, and you wondered if I had another tip to share in the same vein. Boy do I ever. You don’t need to deep clean your whole house to regain control. What you need is a strategic clean.
YOUR BOOST
When you feel overwhelmed by all the things in your brain fighting to get out, do a strategic clean. This means tackling the two places you let things pile up (physically and electronically), using this easy to follow guide for each item (think piece of mail/paper/note etc.)
Delete (or recycle) it if it’s done, over or no longer of value, or you are never going to read it or take action.
Do it. If it will take you less than 3 minutes, do whatever the task is that is associated with the item
Schedule it. If it will take you longer than 3 minutes to do, schedule time on your calendar to complete the task.
Kick it to someone else. If you need to delegate, do so. Just be sure to be clear about what the task is, what it should look like when done, and when you want it done by.
If you are wondering where things physically pile up in your life, just take note of how you feel when you need to open your mail app, or when you look at the pile on your desk. If it causes you a twinge of anxiety, that’s your clue that it's a dumping-ground. (Common dumping grounds: stack of papers on a desk, a pile in the corner of the bedroom, a catch all folder on your desktop, a purse, a work bag, the front seat of the car).
THE SCIENCE
Your mind has a neat way of creating anxiety around the unknown. So while those dumping-gounds might seem innocuous, they cause you stress everytime you see them. When you take the time to directly attack the unknown, you replace your fear with the full and real picture, and often it's not as bad as you thought it would be. In response, your amygdala settles a bit, giving you the energy to engage your logical brain (frontal cortex) so that you can get the stuff done that needs doing.
TAKE HOME
You don’t need to clean EVERYTHING to feel in control. Get strategic, and tackle your physical and electronic dumping-grounds. Doing so will give the intellectual and admin items a place and consequently remove the stress of too many unknowns. Then rest easy, you have dealt with what you could, trashed what is done, and best of all, scheduled or delegated the rest. Breathe a sigh of peace, you got this.
No shame, no guilt, just more good days,
Nicole