“Clutter is not just physical stuff. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self.”
Eleanor Brownn
According to this quote, brain clutter can come in many different forms. When we’re working on our goals and moving our businesses forward, these are some of the things that can clutter us up and hold us back.
Physical Clutter
Looking at stacks and piles of files, supplies and miscellaneous items in our office space makes it hard to focus. It’s distracting, it pulls our attention in different directions and sucks up time and energy when we have to search for things. Piles, distractions and searching also turn into stress. We can’t work our best when we’re stressed!
Let’s look at some ways to reduce the clutter, whether physical or mental, that saps our focus.
Ideas
If you’re holding onto old ideas, plans, projects or goals that you haven’t acted on, evaluate whether this is something you still want to pursue. If it still makes sense, then be sure to find a way to capture it so your brain can relax and not worry about forgetting about it. But if you’re over it and just having a hard time letting the ideas or projects go, commit to being decisive and saying goodbye. Open up that time, space and energy for new ideas and goals that make more sense for you now.
I had to do this recently in my own business. At the end of 2020, I made a commitment to create one YouTube tutorial per week. Many weeks I reached my goal and some weeks I pushed it off until the next week. I would have to come up with content, record, upload, add tags, etc. and then hardly get any views. The committed (stubborn) side of me felt like I should see it through until the end of 2021. Finally, I let the practical and time conscious side of me take over so I could drop the videos moving forward. I deleted the ideas for content that I had in my notes app and just let it go! I’d rather put that time and energy into my business where it has a higher and better payoff. And also do things that I feel are more fun. I’m really glad that I let it go so I have less busy work on my plate.
Toxic Clutter
If you have toxic business or personal relationships in your life, the dynamics can leave you feeling stressed, worried, angry or anxious. This leads to feeling distracted and you may place more focus and thoughts on the interactions you are having versus your work, projects and goals.
One example of a toxic relationship is having someone who takes too much of our time and energy. With their stories, complaints and questions coming at us, our focus ends up going to their priorities and not our own. Depending on the circumstances, you may have to create boundaries, distance yourself, be direct or go your separate ways.
Bad Habits
When we are under stress, our brains default to the habits we have that are the strongest. So, if you have engrained healthy time management habits and are under stress and pressure, hopefully you will take a breath and implement great focus strategies.
If you have bad habits that take the lead, under stress you may default to common time management wormholes like multitasking, focusing on low value activities or avoidance activities. You may find it easier and more fun to default to looking at social media posts, texting a friend or grabbing a cup of coffee instead of working on what you’re supposed to be working on.
We are always a work in progress, even when we know about good time management and focus techniques. Continue to work on implementing the good habits you already have and continue to learn about new ones. Work with a business coach or productivity consultant if you need to.
“Clutter forces the brain to consume energy. Create uncluttered environments instead.”
Carmine Gallow
