Reducing Mental Clutter with Mental Dumping
by Melissa Storey
Every day is filled with tasks, projects, assignments, and endless chores. Unfortunately we tend to allow this never ending list of ‘to do’ items to swirl around aimlessly in our minds throughout the day. I wanted to find a strategy to manage my mental clutter that was quick and also very simple. This week’s post focuses on reducing mental clutter by completing a daily ‘mental dump’. I first read about mentally dumping in a book called Behind the Clutter written by June Saruwatari, a professional life coach and professional organizer. This was a fabulous book with so many great mechanisms for getting to the root of the mental and physical clutter in your life. Mentally dumping stood out as one of the simplest way to clear my mind of daily action items and activities that I wish to do.
Messy Yet Simple
June Saruwatari starts off the mental dumping process by creating a lists of all of the tasks that needs to be done. Sometimes my lists are messy! But that’s okay because they serve me well, allowing me to check off items that I have completed and to see which tasks I have yet to finish. By mentally dumping, I don’t have to worry about how organized my list is. The goal of this technique is to help relieve your brain of the weight of remembering all the tasks you need or want to do during the day. Jot down every item swirling around in your head as you think of it, you can prioritize later!
Prioritizing
After you mentally dump everything from your mind, you can organize the information. Prioritize the tasks that need to be completed right away and schedule in the tasks that are not as urgent.
Scheduling
I typically do my mental dump just after my morning workout. Choose the time of day that best works for you. Maybe you prefer to prepare for the following day by doing your mental dump before bedtime. Perhaps you could use this strategy prior to eating breakfast to help clear your mind setting you up for a successful day. It can also be used as a coping strategy for when you feel stressed or overwhelmed during the day. Use mental dumping however it best serves your life!
Dump your Clutter
Mental dumping is a sometimes messy, but simple strategy for dealing with mental clutter. Prioritizing is a great way to organize all your disorganized thoughts and tasks. It can help you decide which tasks are necessary to complete first and which can be scheduled in for a later time. Mentally dumping helps manage a mind full of clutter and can help you to focus on the activities of your day.
Every day is filled with tasks, projects, assignments, and endless chores. Unfortunately we tend to allow this never ending list of ‘to do’ items to swirl around aimlessly in our minds throughout the day. I wanted to find a strategy to manage my mental clutter that was quick and also very simple. This week’s post focuses on reducing mental clutter by completing a daily ‘mental dump’. I first read about mentally dumping in a book called Behind the Clutter written by June Saruwatari, a professional life coach and professional organizer. This was a fabulous book with so many great mechanisms for getting to the root of the mental and physical clutter in your life. Mentally dumping stood out as one of the simplest way to clear my mind of daily action items and activities that I wish to do.
Messy Yet Simple
June Saruwatari starts off the mental dumping process by creating a lists of all of the tasks that needs to be done. Sometimes my lists are messy! But that’s okay because they serve me well, allowing me to check off items that I have completed and to see which tasks I have yet to finish. By mentally dumping, I don’t have to worry about how organized my list is. The goal of this technique is to help relieve your brain of the weight of remembering all the tasks you need or want to do during the day. Jot down every item swirling around in your head as you think of it, you can prioritize later!
Prioritizing
After you mentally dump everything from your mind, you can organize the information. Prioritize the tasks that need to be completed right away and schedule in the tasks that are not as urgent.
Scheduling
I typically do my mental dump just after my morning workout. Choose the time of day that best works for you. Maybe you prefer to prepare for the following day by doing your mental dump before bedtime. Perhaps you could use this strategy prior to eating breakfast to help clear your mind setting you up for a successful day. It can also be used as a coping strategy for when you feel stressed or overwhelmed during the day. Use mental dumping however it best serves your life!
Dump your Clutter
Mental dumping is a sometimes messy, but simple strategy for dealing with mental clutter. Prioritizing is a great way to organize all your disorganized thoughts and tasks. It can help you decide which tasks are necessary to complete first and which can be scheduled in for a later time. Mentally dumping helps manage a mind full of clutter and can help you to focus on the activities of your day.