Use These Strategies to Dominate Your Scattered Brain
Sometimes your mind wanders all over the place and you can’t seem to pinpoint exactly why. You’ve tried all sorts of productivity hacks . You tried to treat relaxation as a skill that needs practice . However, you struggle to stay on top of a nasty case of frivolous insanity.
It’s a vicious circle of stress: you’re overwhelmed because there’s too much going on in your head, but there’s too much going on in your head for you to start clearing your thoughts. Some people refer to this feeling as absent-mindedness or erratic thoughts – I find myself describing it as ” my brain is clogged up “. It’s like a traffic jam.
While something more serious may be involved, such as adult ADHD or anxiety , there are plenty of little tips and tricks to make your thoughts more manageable. Here are some strategies to start clearing your mind so you can get things done.
Various ways to clear your head
The key to clearing your head is to take small steps first. The following may seem obvious, but deciding to organize your thoughts is half the battle.
Get your thoughts on paper
This is my version, but then again, I have been a supporter of recording every little thing for many years.
We have previously touted the benefits of maintaining the habit of journaling in general. It can be difficult at first to find words around your thoughts. However, once you make the decision to articulate some of the things that are spinning around in your head, you will find that your thoughts and feelings will be much less messy once they are translated. Also, to-do lists become much more actionable when you see them written (compared to all those tasks that willy-nilly spin around in your brain).
Write down not only what you need to do, but how those responsibilities make you feel. Reduce pressure, anxiety, questions and ideas. If pen and paper aren’t your thing, there are plenty of diary apps out there to help you find what works for you.
Free to write and delete
You don’t have to keep a diary like a diary. If you find it difficult to write down your thoughts, release yourself from any pressure and write something “readable”. I like to open a Word document meant to be deleted. I write fluently without worrying about spelling, grammar, or any kind of consistency. This means that my document often looks like a crazy, nonsensical bulleted list, like this:
- emphasized
- call dad back
- fix the budget!
- lose the currency of my youth?
- buy quinoa
It is cathartic and often quite frankly. I call it brain dumping, but to be honest, I’m looking for a more attractive name for this practice.
Use an organizational system
That could mean writing in a diary, filling out a note-taking app of choice, or color-coding Post-it notes—if you find a system that works for you. Various tools help solve many abstract problems and make them more concrete and doable.
When it comes to digital note-taking tools, I prefer Evernote , Microsoft OneNote , and Zoho Notebook .
Create mini to-do lists
Still overwhelmed after writing all your tasks? Break them down until you come across quite feasible tasks. I’m talking about things that are very easy to cross out. “ Open your laptop ” and “ Drink a glass of water ” level to-do lists are critical to getting yourself moving. Avoid multitasking: Your goal is to cross things off and then use that sense of accomplishment to further motivate you.
Log off
I’m not saying you need to log out, but you know Twitter doesn’t help you clear your head, right? Try free extensions like StayFocusd and WasteNoTime , or any of these social site blocking tools . Heck, even block your work sites from time to time.
go for a walk
You may need to set aside time to take your mind off your stress and get your mind wandering. I am a runner and this is my number one head cleaning tool. I don’t know if I could do anything if I couldn’t run, walk, drive a car, or ride a train…any activity that I’m moving forward in, but I can let my mind go. empty. Personally, I love listening to music during this period, but it might be a good idea to switch off completely and immerse yourself in your surroundings.
Breathe
Obviously, but underestimated. Try these breathing exercises to relieve stress.
Final Thoughts
We all become distracted. The best way to avoid this feeling is to eliminate the root cause. You might have too much to do, which means organization and productivity hacks might go too far.
Focus on taking care of yourself. Try to approach rest as a goal and learn to structure downtime . When you take the time to relax, you will have a clearer head to organize all your thoughts and finally get on with what needs to be done.