January 20, 2025 • 29 mins
Feeling buried under a mountain of mental clutter? Join me as I share some thoughts on how to declutter your mind. This episode of the Barrier Busting Podcast promises to unravel the chaos of cognitive overload that dims our decision-making and clouds our mental clarity. You'll learn to recognize the sneaky link between mental clutter and procrastination, and discover nine actionable strategies to tidy up your mental space, leading to a more serene and joyous state of mind. I'll also share insights on how a life coach can help you cut through the noise of cognitive and emotional baggage.
In an era dominated by digital noise, letting go has never been more challenging. Through personal anecdotes and proven strategies, we'll tackle the hurdles of digital detoxing, offering tips on managing media consumption and setting boundaries with technology. Ever felt the futility of multitasking? A Stanford study backs up the inefficiencies we all suspect, advocating for a focus on single-tasking to maintain cognitive control. These, and more, on this episode.
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Speaker 1 (00:13):
Are you feeling stuck , trapped by barriers holding
you back from reaching your fullpotential?
Well, let's bust through thosebarriers so that you can live
your best life.
Hi, I'm Matt Brooks, founder ofMatt Brooks Coaching, and I'm
passionate about helping peopleovercome barriers to achieve
success.
Join me for insights,strategies and inspiring stories
(00:35):
as we explore practical tipsand powerful tools to unlock
your true potential.
This is the Barrier BustingPodcast.
Well, welcome back everybody.
This is Matt Brooks and I'mhappy to be here, as always.
(00:58):
Glad you're listening.
Thank you for tuning in.
I'm going to change gears alittle bit and we're going to do
a couple of weeks just twoweeks on this concept of
decluttering, right.
Decluttering.
It's kind of a kind of a thingwe should all do from time to
time Just get the clutter out ofthe way, right.
And so today I'm going to talkabout decluttering your mind,
(01:21):
and next week we're going totalk about decluttering your
stuff.
I'm going to have aprofessional organizer on.
Yes, there are people out therewho you can hire to declutter
your stuff.
They study this likescientifically, and so she's
going to be on next week to talkabout what they do.
But we're going to talk todayabout decluttering the mind
right now.
Getting rid of clutter helps usreduce stress and anxiety, and
(01:46):
you know I'm all about that.
I'm always talking about howbad stress is for us.
So let's go at that from everyangle possible, and clutter is
bad.
Clutter creates a lot of stress, okay.
So decluttering can help youreduce that stress and anxiety.
It also helps you be moreproductive, right?
(02:07):
It improves your focus and yourconcentration, it can boost
your mood and it has many othermental health benefits.
So I think it's a veryimportant topic to just talk
about and think through, and youknow what I'm talking about.
I mean, your head is filledwith swirling thoughts.
It's just it's like a pinballgame going on in your head.
Your brain is overloaded to thepoint where you just can't
(02:29):
effectively function.
Here's a scenario You'rereceiving dozens of emails a day
, you're attending back-to-backmeetings and juggling multiple
deadlines all in a day.
You just put your mom in anursing home and your daughter
is dealing with severedepression.
There's a small mountain ofrepairs and improvements you
need to make on your house, andyour car is starting to show
(02:49):
signs that it may need to bereplaced soon.
Moreover, your spouse is havinga really hard time with all
this and it's put a seriousstrain on your marriage.
And you just found out thatyour cholesterol level is
through the roof and you need totake serious steps to deal with
that right now.
Meanwhile, while all this isgoing on, you're bombarded all
(03:10):
day long with information toprocess and remember.
The news cycle is relentless,emails and texts keep coming and
notifications on our devicesare constantly appearing to fill
us with even more informationand making it worse.
You just can't seem to getanything done.
You can't seem to make anydecisions about anything.
It's as if you're paralyzed.
(03:33):
This is called cognitiveoverload.
Sometimes it's calledinformation paralysis, but it's
more than that.
It's cognitive overload.
Your brain is too full.
There's so much going on inyour brain that you just can't
process it all.
You can't effectively function.
Your neural networks areclogged with clutter and it's
(03:53):
slowing you down and making youless efficient, and all of this
combined is adding a massiveamount of stress to your life.
Your mind is so cluttered thatyour mental space is a chaotic
mess.
There's so much going on.
It's hard to focus right, tothink straight and get anything
done.
It's hard to remember thingslike details.
It's hard to quiet our mindsenough to focus on the task at
(04:16):
hand, let alone get any sleep.
Well, just like a messybasement or attic, that clutter
can get out of hand.
And just like a basement andattic, our minds need some
tidying up from time to time.
We need to free up someheadspace.
It'll not only help us makebetter decisions, but it will
(04:38):
make us healthier as well.
Time for mental declutter.
Time to shed some non-essentialbaggage and find a way to stay
focused.
Again, face it Clutter createsstress.
Clutter is distracting.
Clutter creates confusion.
Clutter gets in our way.
(04:58):
Studies have shown that there'sa link between clutter and
procrastination, that clutterincreases stress, that it
decreases productivity, that itmakes it hard to relax, it makes
it hard to sleep and sometimesit encourages unhealthy habits.
Have you ever noticed that whenyou clean up or organize your
space, like whether it's yourworkspace or some space at home
(05:23):
it just feels good?
I mean, you feel good, right?
Well, just like declutteringour space makes us feel better,
decluttering our minds helps usfeel calmer and happier.
And why?
Less stress, less to worryabout, less stress, less to
worry about?
Pardon the plug, but this isseriously a place where a life
(05:45):
coach can really assist you insimplifying your mental space
and finding clarity.
A coach can help you sortthrough everything and decide
what to keep and what to get ridof.
A coach can help you cutthrough that thick fog of
cognitive overload.
Remember, it's not as simple asthings just lying around.
Your thoughts aren't just lyingaround waiting to be sifted
(06:06):
through.
The mind is really complex andit's often clouded by old hurts,
traumas and many layers oflived experience.
Cutting through that haze andgaining clarity that's hard,
that's tough.
Today I'm going to put out ninetips that I think will help
(06:29):
declutter your mind.
Now, there are many othersonline.
You can do a Google search.
You'll find all kinds ofarticles on decluttering your
mind and many more tips than theones I'm going to share.
I'm just going to share ninetoday.
I'm not going to go into depth,however, with the standard hits,
the things we always hear about, you know, like breathing, deep
(06:49):
breathing, diet, exercise andsleep.
Don't take that as me thinkingthey're unimportant.
On the contrary, these thingsare critical to our brains
functioning well and our overallhappiness.
I just talk about them all thetime, as does everybody else,
and I'm guessing you're probablysick of hearing it, so I'm
going to gloss over them andmove on today, but nonetheless
(07:11):
they are powerful tools fordealing with mental and physical
clutter.
Again, deep breathing, diet,exercise and sleep.
Powerful tools, okay.
Tip number one write it down.
If you've been listening to myshows, you know me.
I'm a huge proponent of makinglists.
I love lists, but for thispurpose we're going to do what's
(07:35):
called a brain dump.
All right, you're going to geteverything out on paper
everything and if possible,organize your thoughts into
separate lists relevant tovarious topics, so, like you
might put home repairs on itsown list, work to do's on
another list, personal to do'son another list, financial to
do's.
But either way, even if youdon't do the organization part
(07:56):
of that, just write it down.
Get it on paper.
Get it out of your head andonto paper.
This will make you lessstressed.
You won't need to worry aboutas much you know juggling
everything in your memory.
You won't need to worry aboutthat at least as much as you
typically are, because it'sgoing to be on paper.
You can check it there.
(08:17):
It's going to calm your braindown a little bit.
It always works, I promise.
Once it's on paper and you cansee it, you can also prioritize
these thoughts better.
Okay, you'll be able to see itall.
I mean, you can identify what'sessential and what's garbage.
That's just weighing you down.
Get the junk out.
So if you get it out on paper,you'll then be able to see what
(08:40):
it is.
Prioritize it, get rid of thestuff you don't need.
That's just taking up space.
Tip number two mindfulness.
Get out of your head and intothe moment.
That's what mindfulness is.
All right, it's taking time tobe aware of your current
thoughts, feelings andsensations, without judgment or
(09:02):
interpretation.
Just being present in thatmoment.
I know this sounds to somepeople.
You roll your eyes when youhear this, but it's really
important when you're dealingwith a haze, with a big fog, a
thick fog of all sorts of thingsrattling around in your mind
and all sorts of emotions goingon in your body, to just stop
for a minute and just be presentwith who you are at that moment
(09:26):
, how you're feeling, whatyou're feeling and what your
thoughts are at that moment.
Don't judge it, just do that.
It's about being in the moment,truly in the moment, not
distracted, just focused on thepresent moment.
This really is another greatway to reduce stress and blood
pressure.
By the way.
Tip three is really there'sthree things in this tip that
(09:49):
I'm grouping together and I'mcalling this the how to chill
tip.
Tip number three how to chillI'm involving these three
different things are meditation,solitude and nature.
Chill I'm involving these threedifferent things are meditation
, solitude and nature.
And I put those three in therebecause those three can often
achieve the same thing, butdifferent people, different
(10:10):
strokes for different folks.
You know, like some people justdon't.
They're not into meditation,but solitude or being in nature
these are things that can helpthem essentially meditate, clear
out their minds and, just, youknow, think about what they need
to think about, or just try toair their minds out.
All these things meditation,solitude and nature Television
off, radio, silent phone, out ofreach that's critical for this
(10:35):
portion.
Free yourself for a bit of timefrom anything coming at you
from an outside source,especially news and social media
.
Shut it down, step away for abit, decompress, relax, even if
it's just for 10 minutes.
Okay, now, I know for somepeople these things are
particularly hard to do.
(10:57):
Being alone with your thoughtscan be uncomfortable, even scary
for some.
I had a friend who was actuallya doctor.
He was a general physician or aprimary physician, is what he
did, and this guy could never bealone.
This guy had people living inhis house.
He was single and he had acouple of college kids living in
(11:19):
his house who were just, youknow, walking all over him.
He didn't care.
He could never be alone.
He alone was something hesimply couldn't do.
I don't know what he was scaredof, but clearly something.
So he had to have people around.
I think it's really importantfor us all to get away from
everything for a bit every nowand then, no matter how
uncomfortable it can be.
Those painful memories can comein and those painful feelings
(11:44):
can emerge, and that's often whywe're afraid to be alone.
But don't be afraid of them.
They're real, they're part ofyou, they are part of the makeup
of you.
Why you are the way today isthat you overcame many of those
things.
Don't be scared of them, buttry to find some peace in that
silence, in that meditation, orthat time in nature, or that
(12:06):
solitude.
It takes a bit of practice, butyou can get there pretty easily
if you're willing to try.
Okay, so that's tip numberthree, when we get back the rest
of my nine tips.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Feeling overwhelmed, Struggling to find balance in
your daily life?
At Matt Brooks Coaching, we getit and we can help.
With over 25 years of nonprofitexecutive experience and an MSW
with a clinical focus, MattBrooks offers personalized
coaching designed to help yourise above your challenges and
live your best life.
(12:46):
Whether you aim to advance yourcareer, enhance your skills or
simply find more clarity andpeace, Matt is here to be your
partner and ally.
Visit mattbrookscoachingcom tobook your free discovery session
today.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Take the first step towards a brighter tomorrow.
Okay, tip number four Declutteryour workspace and your
physical spaces, your home,wherever you hang out for long
periods of time.
Declutter them.
(13:24):
Look, clutter can create stress.
We've already established thatright.
But whether it's clutter inyour mind or clutter in your
physical space, it can createstress.
If your desk and office is amess, it makes it not only hard
to concentrate, but it can alsobe hard to find things,
especially when you need them ina pinch.
So you're shifting aroundlooking for stuff, it's taking
(13:46):
too much time, you feel theclock ticking and you get really
stressed.
And we all know how good itfeels to be in a neat
environment.
Come on, let's be honest.
If you're in clean andorganized surroundings, it feels
good.
Right, you just feel good.
It's I don't know.
It's sort of like thedifference between a sunny day
(14:07):
and a dark, cloudy day.
The sunny day you feel better,you're more productive.
Same thing with a neat andclean and organized environment,
you want to limit your stressand calm your mindidy up your
space.
Now, I mentioned earlier thatwe're going to go in depth into
this next week with a guest thatI'm bringing on who's a
professional organizer, so I'mnot going to get into this too
(14:30):
much more, because next weekwe're going to do all kinds of
tips and tricks and things youshould do or consider doing if
you want to declutter your space.
But I'm just going to leave youwith one rule that I have.
It's a personal rule.
This does not come from anytextbook.
This is my own thing, and therule is this If it hasn't moved
in four years, ditch it.
(14:51):
Okay, I'll tell you a storyabout some magazines that were
my wife's in my house.
She had this stack of magazineson the floor in the corner of
the living room.
It was probably about 30 ofthem, and on top the top one had
a purse, a guy on the cover.
(15:11):
I looked at that guy's face forfour years.
That stack never got touched.
It was just sitting there.
I don't know why, I don't knowwhat it was for, but I was like
hon, I'm ditching this.
It hasn't moved in four years.
Okay, now I'll be honest, sheshe had a little trouble
partying with them, becausesometimes she has trouble
(15:34):
partying with things in general.
Right, but they weren't servingany purpose.
Okay, so we're going to talkabout that next week too.
You know, advice for thosepeople who have trouble parting
with things, especially thingsthat are sentimental, because
sometimes you just really doneed to part with things because
they're they're just getting inthe way.
But again, more on that nextweek.
(16:06):
Tip number five unplug andunwind.
Unplug and unwind.
I'm going to do an entireepisode soon on stress in the
digital age because, let's faceit, these devices we have are
bringing a lot of stress intoour lives too, in many different
ways, but for our purposes.
Now I'm just going to give youa couple thoughts on this, this
unplug and unwind idea.
First, limit your mediaconsumption.
(16:28):
Too much info can clog yourbrain and cause stress and
anxiety, right?
So my advice is set specifictimes during the day for this.
Don't just scroll all the timeor at any given moment.
Decide on a couple differenttimes when you're going to sit
down and look at your socialmedia, or sit down and look at
the news and stay away from itthe rest of the time.
(16:51):
Make a conscious decision notto let yourself get inundated
all day, okay, choose thosespecific times.
And also, my advice is setspecific time limits.
So 20 minutes or 30 minuteshere and 20 minutes there, but
that's it.
I've got to get off after 20minutes, whatever it may be.
(17:13):
Also unsubscribe and removethings.
So, emails, apps that you don'tuse, unsubscribe, get rid of
them.
I mean, if you're gettingregular emails from places that
you shopped at once and that wasit, and you're not interested
in that, just unsubscribe.
It's just taking up space onyour computer and it's having
(17:36):
more of a subconscious impact onyour psyche than you realize,
because it's just more clutter.
Just unsubscribe and you don'thave to deal with it, right?
Same thing with apps you're notusing.
There's a 2020 rule indecluttering spaces that I read
can be adapted for this.
The 2020 rule for declutteringspaces, I think, is something
like if you can replace it in 20minutes and for under $20,
(17:58):
ditch it.
But when it comes to apps, it'sif you can replace it in 20,
like if you can download itagain in 20 minutes and for
under $20, go ahead and ditch it.
If you're not using it, get itoff your phone.
Just the look of it being therefilling up space is just
stressing you out.
Okay, all right.
Lastly, notifications right, I'mgoing to talk a lot more about
(18:24):
this on the show that I'm sayingI'm going to discuss stress in
the digital age.
But notifications, man, it'slike you know talk about
Pavlovian right, and you knowit's like the doorbell's ringing
all day long.
You know what I mean?
I mean you got to go into yournotifications with every app and
(18:44):
seriously think them through.
Okay, what notifications do youreally need, like to come up on
your computer screen or yourphone or your iPad as a banner?
What do you really need andwhat don't you?
So for me, I do not look atemails whenever they show up.
I have set times where I'lljust check emails, and so I got
(19:08):
rid of the banners just gone.
All I have are the badges.
So I'll look down at, I'll lookat my computer or my phone and
I'll see the email app you knowthing, and it'll have a little
red circle in with a number inthere and I'll know I've got
some emails to look at and I'llget at it later.
It's a lot easier that way thanthese things constantly
(19:28):
scrolling or popping at the topof our screens.
That drives me nuts.
The only things I have asnotifications are, like my ring
doorbell and text messages thatcome through my phone.
That's it, nothing else.
I just don't want to bebothered by that stuff and it
just really.
You know, I noticed a couple ofyears ago these things were
(19:49):
driving me nuts and I just kindof went through.
I spent, took a half an hour,an hour one day to just think
about that.
I went through my devices andredid all my notifications and I
can't recommend that enough toeverybody.
Get the notifications to stopbeeping and honking at you all
day long.
Oh my God, that's maddening.
(20:12):
Tip number six multitasking.
Don't do it Right.
You're thinking wait a minute.
What?
Don't do it Right?
You're thinking wait a minute.
What Don't multitask?
No, multitasking bad, not good,all right.
A study at Stanford showed thatmultitasking decreases your
efficiency.
Let me say that again Decreasesyour efficiency and has a
(20:34):
negative impact on yourcognitive control, your
efficiency and has a negativeimpact on your cognitive control
.
Okay, we live in times nowwhere we think that multitasking
is the thing right.
It's all about more and morefaster, faster, hell.
I've even recently learned thata lot of younger people who
listen to podcasts are listeningat faster speeds, like they're
speeding up the podcast from afaster speed than what it was
(20:57):
recorded Like.
Why, why, oh why, have we becomeso rushed, so impatient?
For some reason we think thatif we can't do five things at
once.
We aren't kicking ass.
We have to do five things atonce to like be successful.
No, I hate to break it to you,but we are not kicking ass when
we're doing five things at onceto be successful.
(21:17):
No, I hate to break it to you,but we are not kicking ass when
we're doing five things at once.
We are, at best, being mediocre.
Constantly going back and forthbetween multiple tasks not only
limits your attention span, butjust creates more clutter in the
brain, more stress, and Ipromise you we are not as
efficient or effective when weapproach our tasks in this way.
(21:39):
So please, just a single task.
Keep to a single task.
Do one thing at a time and doit well.
Tip number seven be decisive.
Somebody.
I can't remember where I readthis, so I apologize.
I know I've done this before.
I apologize to whoever came upwith this phrase that I can't
(21:59):
credit you here.
I just don't remember.
But I think you'll at leastappreciate that the phrase is
getting out there because it'sso profound, and that is quote
clutter is delayed decisions,end quote.
Think about it Clutter isdelayed decisions.
Don't procrastinate.
You're just adding to theclutter in your brain when you
procrastinate.
Make decisions, don't wait, andnot just the high-value stuff,
(22:24):
by the way.
Low-value issues or low-valuetasks, things that may not need
to be addressed immediately orthat seem mildly unimportant,
they have a way of clogging upthe pipes.
Seriously, they really do so,especially if more and more of
them build up over time.
Man, suddenly you're just waydown with these little
(22:45):
unimportant things that have nowbecome more important than you
wanted them to right.
So get those low value tasksout of the way.
You'll have more space to focuson the high value things.
So you know, be decisive, makedecisions.
Tip number eight handle yourpapers.
Handle your papers.
(23:05):
What am I talking about?
Well, your stuff, your papers,your mail, your bills, your you
know the title of your house,your tax documents, all that
stuff.
Handle them when you have them.
Don't put them in piles, don'tlet them build up.
Oh my God, I had a girlfriendonce who just piled up
everything and so she nevercould find anything.
(23:27):
And just basically, I think shethought if she piled it up then
she'd find things.
But what really happened wasshe piled them up so high that
she just conveniently forgotthings.
Don't do that.
No, handle your paper, sort,file and shred.
That's what I'm saying Sort,file and shred.
Okay, first of all, don't letit get into piles.
(23:54):
Like I said, look at it in atimely fashion.
Don't let the mail pile up,read it and deal with it Like
then when you get it whether ifit's trash, throw it out or if
it's like something that needsto be filed or it's a bill.
Put it in the right place, likeright away.
It just it'll take less time ifyou do it now than if you let
it build up right.
So sort through your stuff,divide and conquer it right.
(24:15):
File let's talk about filingFile in the right way.
Got to create a solid filingsystem and I'm not going to do
that in this episode, but youcan find plenty of resources on
the internet and fromprofessional organizers that you
can hire to find the best wayto do this.
But make sure you've got asolid filing system and file
(24:36):
documents in the right placeright away.
Don't let them sit around andwait.
Trust me, your life will bemore efficient but, more
importantly, you'll be happier.
I promise the rest of the stuffshred it.
Shred everything you don't need.
If it's outdated, shred it.
If it's junk, shred it.
If it's no longer of use.
Shred it, be gone with it,expel it from your brain and
(24:59):
your life.
All this, by the way, is wheredigital tools are really great.
I mean, I have to say, I own ane-ink notebook.
The one I own is the RemarkablePaper Pro.
It's an amazing tool forsomeone like me.
I keep all my notes, pdfs, allkinds of things on that device
(25:22):
and there's a cloud service soit appears on every device that
I have.
So if I'm like out of the house, I need to reference something
that I had taken notes on, Ijust pull it up on my phone,
which is great.
It's a huge time saver.
Very easy to sort things, veryeasy to search for things saves
me just tons of time.
(25:43):
Right, and to me, by the way,those cloud-based things that's
the best part of technology nowis that we can for personal use
and productivity, that is, thosecloud services are amazing.
That means we can just findthings on whatever device we
happen to have.
So if we're hiking on amountain and all we that is,
those cloud services are amazing.
That means we can just findthings on whatever device we
happen to have.
So if we're hiking on amountain and all we have is our
phone and we need to referencesomething.
As long as we've got, you know,as long as we can connect to
(26:06):
something, you know, as long aswe have service, we can find
what we need.
So cloud-based services areamazing, in my opinion.
Last tip, tip number ninefinancial minimalism.
Financial minimalism this ismainly for peace of mind.
Okay, a, cancel all your unusedsubscriptions.
(26:28):
Take an hour, go through yourphone, your devices, your
television if it's a smart TVand just cancel all your unused
subscriptions.
You might be surprised at whatyou'll find.
I'm sure many of you have donethis.
You go through the list andyou're like I've been paying for
that.
I haven't used that in fouryears, right?
So take a little bit of time tocancel that stuff, all right.
(26:51):
Automate payments for things.
This is well.
It's up to you whether you wantto do that or not.
Some people are veryuncomfortable with that, but if
you're looking for ways to haveless stuff to worry about, that
is one good option.
Automating payments and lastly,on this one, build an emergency
fund, an emergency fund.
(27:11):
It takes time to get out ofdebt and build an emergency fund
, but do that before you startspending like a rock star,
because, boy, if you want to getout of debt and build an
emergency fund, but do thatbefore you start spending like a
rock star, because, boy, if youwant to talk.
Peace of mind, knowing you havea slush fund somewhere in your
bank, knowing you have a cushion, that's going to bring you
peace of mind, all right.
Well, that's enough for todayon decluttering your mind.
(27:32):
I hope you found these thingshelpful.
Please tune in next week, as Ihave professional organizer
Sarah Hackenberg joining me.
She's going to fill us in on awhole bunch of ways to declutter
our stuff, and all of this isin service of reducing stress
reducing stress in our lives,making us more productive and
(27:54):
more efficient.
She's terrific.
She's going to have some greatideas for us, so I'm sure you're
not going to want to miss thatMeanwhile.
Thanks for listening today.
If you enjoyed this, please hitthe like or subscribe button so
you'll know every time I drop anepisode.
If there's a topic you wouldlike covered you would like me
to discuss, shoot me an email.
It's matt atmattbrookscoachingcom.
(28:14):
Matt at mattbrookscoachingcom.
Matt at mattbrookscoachingcom,I'd love to hear from you.
I'd love to hear your ideas andI will be happy to work on them
and try to do a show for you ifI feel comfortable with the
idea myself.
So go ahead, send me your ideasplease.
For now, anyways, be well andI'll catch you next time on the
Barrier Busting Podcast.
Thank you,
Are you feeling stuck , trapped by barriers holding
you back from reaching your fullpotential?
Well, let's bust through thosebarriers so that you can live
your best life.
Hi, I'm Matt Brooks, founder ofMatt Brooks Coaching, and I'm
passionate about helping peopleovercome barriers to achieve
success.
Join me for insights,strategies and inspiring stories
(00:35):
as we explore practical tipsand powerful tools to unlock
your true potential.
This is the Barrier BustingPodcast.
Well, welcome back everybody.
This is Matt Brooks and I'mhappy to be here, as always.
(00:58):
Glad you're listening.
Thank you for tuning in.
I'm going to change gears alittle bit and we're going to do
a couple of weeks just twoweeks on this concept of
decluttering, right.
Decluttering.
It's kind of a kind of a thingwe should all do from time to
time Just get the clutter out ofthe way, right.
And so today I'm going to talkabout decluttering your mind,
(01:21):
and next week we're going totalk about decluttering your
stuff.
I'm going to have aprofessional organizer on.
Yes, there are people out therewho you can hire to declutter
your stuff.
They study this likescientifically, and so she's
going to be on next week to talkabout what they do.
But we're going to talk todayabout decluttering the mind
right now.
Getting rid of clutter helps usreduce stress and anxiety, and
(01:46):
you know I'm all about that.
I'm always talking about howbad stress is for us.
So let's go at that from everyangle possible, and clutter is
bad.
Clutter creates a lot of stress, okay.
So decluttering can help youreduce that stress and anxiety.
It also helps you be moreproductive, right?
(02:07):
It improves your focus and yourconcentration, it can boost
your mood and it has many othermental health benefits.
So I think it's a veryimportant topic to just talk
about and think through, and youknow what I'm talking about.
I mean, your head is filledwith swirling thoughts.
It's just it's like a pinballgame going on in your head.
Your brain is overloaded to thepoint where you just can't
(02:29):
effectively function.
Here's a scenario You'rereceiving dozens of emails a day
, you're attending back-to-backmeetings and juggling multiple
deadlines all in a day.
You just put your mom in anursing home and your daughter
is dealing with severedepression.
There's a small mountain ofrepairs and improvements you
need to make on your house, andyour car is starting to show
(02:49):
signs that it may need to bereplaced soon.
Moreover, your spouse is havinga really hard time with all
this and it's put a seriousstrain on your marriage.
And you just found out thatyour cholesterol level is
through the roof and you need totake serious steps to deal with
that right now.
Meanwhile, while all this isgoing on, you're bombarded all
(03:10):
day long with information toprocess and remember.
The news cycle is relentless,emails and texts keep coming and
notifications on our devicesare constantly appearing to fill
us with even more informationand making it worse.
You just can't seem to getanything done.
You can't seem to make anydecisions about anything.
It's as if you're paralyzed.
(03:33):
This is called cognitiveoverload.
Sometimes it's calledinformation paralysis, but it's
more than that.
It's cognitive overload.
Your brain is too full.
There's so much going on inyour brain that you just can't
process it all.
You can't effectively function.
Your neural networks areclogged with clutter and it's
(03:53):
slowing you down and making youless efficient, and all of this
combined is adding a massiveamount of stress to your life.
Your mind is so cluttered thatyour mental space is a chaotic
mess.
There's so much going on.
It's hard to focus right, tothink straight and get anything
done.
It's hard to remember thingslike details.
It's hard to quiet our mindsenough to focus on the task at
(04:16):
hand, let alone get any sleep.
Well, just like a messybasement or attic, that clutter
can get out of hand.
And just like a basement andattic, our minds need some
tidying up from time to time.
We need to free up someheadspace.
It'll not only help us makebetter decisions, but it will
(04:38):
make us healthier as well.
Time for mental declutter.
Time to shed some non-essentialbaggage and find a way to stay
focused.
Again, face it Clutter createsstress.
Clutter is distracting.
Clutter creates confusion.
Clutter gets in our way.
(04:58):
Studies have shown that there'sa link between clutter and
procrastination, that clutterincreases stress, that it
decreases productivity, that itmakes it hard to relax, it makes
it hard to sleep and sometimesit encourages unhealthy habits.
Have you ever noticed that whenyou clean up or organize your
space, like whether it's yourworkspace or some space at home
(05:23):
it just feels good?
I mean, you feel good, right?
Well, just like declutteringour space makes us feel better,
decluttering our minds helps usfeel calmer and happier.
And why?
Less stress, less to worryabout, less stress, less to
worry about?
Pardon the plug, but this isseriously a place where a life
(05:45):
coach can really assist you insimplifying your mental space
and finding clarity.
A coach can help you sortthrough everything and decide
what to keep and what to get ridof.
A coach can help you cutthrough that thick fog of
cognitive overload.
Remember, it's not as simple asthings just lying around.
Your thoughts aren't just lyingaround waiting to be sifted
(06:06):
through.
The mind is really complex andit's often clouded by old hurts,
traumas and many layers oflived experience.
Cutting through that haze andgaining clarity that's hard,
that's tough.
Today I'm going to put out ninetips that I think will help
(06:29):
declutter your mind.
Now, there are many othersonline.
You can do a Google search.
You'll find all kinds ofarticles on decluttering your
mind and many more tips than theones I'm going to share.
I'm just going to share ninetoday.
I'm not going to go into depth,however, with the standard hits,
the things we always hear about, you know, like breathing, deep
(06:49):
breathing, diet, exercise andsleep.
Don't take that as me thinkingthey're unimportant.
On the contrary, these thingsare critical to our brains
functioning well and our overallhappiness.
I just talk about them all thetime, as does everybody else,
and I'm guessing you're probablysick of hearing it, so I'm
going to gloss over them andmove on today, but nonetheless
(07:11):
they are powerful tools fordealing with mental and physical
clutter.
Again, deep breathing, diet,exercise and sleep.
Powerful tools, okay.
Tip number one write it down.
If you've been listening to myshows, you know me.
I'm a huge proponent of makinglists.
I love lists, but for thispurpose we're going to do what's
(07:35):
called a brain dump.
All right, you're going to geteverything out on paper
everything and if possible,organize your thoughts into
separate lists relevant tovarious topics, so, like you
might put home repairs on itsown list, work to do's on
another list, personal to do'son another list, financial to
do's.
But either way, even if youdon't do the organization part
(07:56):
of that, just write it down.
Get it on paper.
Get it out of your head andonto paper.
This will make you lessstressed.
You won't need to worry aboutas much you know juggling
everything in your memory.
You won't need to worry aboutthat at least as much as you
typically are, because it'sgoing to be on paper.
You can check it there.
(08:17):
It's going to calm your braindown a little bit.
It always works, I promise.
Once it's on paper and you cansee it, you can also prioritize
these thoughts better.
Okay, you'll be able to see itall.
I mean, you can identify what'sessential and what's garbage.
That's just weighing you down.
Get the junk out.
So if you get it out on paper,you'll then be able to see what
(08:40):
it is.
Prioritize it, get rid of thestuff you don't need.
That's just taking up space.
Tip number two mindfulness.
Get out of your head and intothe moment.
That's what mindfulness is.
All right, it's taking time tobe aware of your current
thoughts, feelings andsensations, without judgment or
(09:02):
interpretation.
Just being present in thatmoment.
I know this sounds to somepeople.
You roll your eyes when youhear this, but it's really
important when you're dealingwith a haze, with a big fog, a
thick fog of all sorts of thingsrattling around in your mind
and all sorts of emotions goingon in your body, to just stop
for a minute and just be presentwith who you are at that moment
(09:26):
, how you're feeling, whatyou're feeling and what your
thoughts are at that moment.
Don't judge it, just do that.
It's about being in the moment,truly in the moment, not
distracted, just focused on thepresent moment.
This really is another greatway to reduce stress and blood
pressure.
By the way.
Tip three is really there'sthree things in this tip that
(09:49):
I'm grouping together and I'mcalling this the how to chill
tip.
Tip number three how to chillI'm involving these three
different things are meditation,solitude and nature.
Chill I'm involving these threedifferent things are meditation
, solitude and nature.
And I put those three in therebecause those three can often
achieve the same thing, butdifferent people, different
(10:10):
strokes for different folks.
You know, like some people justdon't.
They're not into meditation,but solitude or being in nature
these are things that can helpthem essentially meditate, clear
out their minds and, just, youknow, think about what they need
to think about, or just try toair their minds out.
All these things meditation,solitude and nature Television
off, radio, silent phone, out ofreach that's critical for this
(10:35):
portion.
Free yourself for a bit of timefrom anything coming at you
from an outside source,especially news and social media
.
Shut it down, step away for abit, decompress, relax, even if
it's just for 10 minutes.
Okay, now, I know for somepeople these things are
particularly hard to do.
(10:57):
Being alone with your thoughtscan be uncomfortable, even scary
for some.
I had a friend who was actuallya doctor.
He was a general physician or aprimary physician, is what he
did, and this guy could never bealone.
This guy had people living inhis house.
He was single and he had acouple of college kids living in
(11:19):
his house who were just, youknow, walking all over him.
He didn't care.
He could never be alone.
He alone was something hesimply couldn't do.
I don't know what he was scaredof, but clearly something.
So he had to have people around.
I think it's really importantfor us all to get away from
everything for a bit every nowand then, no matter how
uncomfortable it can be.
Those painful memories can comein and those painful feelings
(11:44):
can emerge, and that's often whywe're afraid to be alone.
But don't be afraid of them.
They're real, they're part ofyou, they are part of the makeup
of you.
Why you are the way today isthat you overcame many of those
things.
Don't be scared of them, buttry to find some peace in that
silence, in that meditation, orthat time in nature, or that
(12:06):
solitude.
It takes a bit of practice, butyou can get there pretty easily
if you're willing to try.
Okay, so that's tip numberthree, when we get back the rest
of my nine tips.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Feeling overwhelmed, Struggling to find balance in
your daily life?
At Matt Brooks Coaching, we getit and we can help.
With over 25 years of nonprofitexecutive experience and an MSW
with a clinical focus, MattBrooks offers personalized
coaching designed to help yourise above your challenges and
live your best life.
(12:46):
Whether you aim to advance yourcareer, enhance your skills or
simply find more clarity andpeace, Matt is here to be your
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Visit mattbrookscoachingcom tobook your free discovery session
today.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Take the first step towards a brighter tomorrow.
Okay, tip number four Declutteryour workspace and your
physical spaces, your home,wherever you hang out for long
periods of time.
Declutter them.
(13:24):
Look, clutter can create stress.
We've already established thatright.
But whether it's clutter inyour mind or clutter in your
physical space, it can createstress.
If your desk and office is amess, it makes it not only hard
to concentrate, but it can alsobe hard to find things,
especially when you need them ina pinch.
So you're shifting aroundlooking for stuff, it's taking
(13:46):
too much time, you feel theclock ticking and you get really
stressed.
And we all know how good itfeels to be in a neat
environment.
Come on, let's be honest.
If you're in clean andorganized surroundings, it feels
good.
Right, you just feel good.
It's I don't know.
It's sort of like thedifference between a sunny day
(14:07):
and a dark, cloudy day.
The sunny day you feel better,you're more productive.
Same thing with a neat andclean and organized environment,
you want to limit your stressand calm your mindidy up your
space.
Now, I mentioned earlier thatwe're going to go in depth into
this next week with a guest thatI'm bringing on who's a
professional organizer, so I'mnot going to get into this too
(14:30):
much more, because next weekwe're going to do all kinds of
tips and tricks and things youshould do or consider doing if
you want to declutter your space.
But I'm just going to leave youwith one rule that I have.
It's a personal rule.
This does not come from anytextbook.
This is my own thing, and therule is this If it hasn't moved
in four years, ditch it.
(14:51):
Okay, I'll tell you a storyabout some magazines that were
my wife's in my house.
She had this stack of magazineson the floor in the corner of
the living room.
It was probably about 30 ofthem, and on top the top one had
a purse, a guy on the cover.
(15:11):
I looked at that guy's face forfour years.
That stack never got touched.
It was just sitting there.
I don't know why, I don't knowwhat it was for, but I was like
hon, I'm ditching this.
It hasn't moved in four years.
Okay, now I'll be honest, sheshe had a little trouble
partying with them, becausesometimes she has trouble
(15:34):
partying with things in general.
Right, but they weren't servingany purpose.
Okay, so we're going to talkabout that next week too.
You know, advice for thosepeople who have trouble parting
with things, especially thingsthat are sentimental, because
sometimes you just really doneed to part with things because
they're they're just getting inthe way.
But again, more on that nextweek.
(16:06):
Tip number five unplug andunwind.
Unplug and unwind.
I'm going to do an entireepisode soon on stress in the
digital age because, let's faceit, these devices we have are
bringing a lot of stress intoour lives too, in many different
ways, but for our purposes.
Now I'm just going to give youa couple thoughts on this, this
unplug and unwind idea.
First, limit your mediaconsumption.
(16:28):
Too much info can clog yourbrain and cause stress and
anxiety, right?
So my advice is set specifictimes during the day for this.
Don't just scroll all the timeor at any given moment.
Decide on a couple differenttimes when you're going to sit
down and look at your socialmedia, or sit down and look at
the news and stay away from itthe rest of the time.
(16:51):
Make a conscious decision notto let yourself get inundated
all day, okay, choose thosespecific times.
And also, my advice is setspecific time limits.
So 20 minutes or 30 minuteshere and 20 minutes there, but
that's it.
I've got to get off after 20minutes, whatever it may be.
(17:13):
Also unsubscribe and removethings.
So, emails, apps that you don'tuse, unsubscribe, get rid of
them.
I mean, if you're gettingregular emails from places that
you shopped at once and that wasit, and you're not interested
in that, just unsubscribe.
It's just taking up space onyour computer and it's having
(17:36):
more of a subconscious impact onyour psyche than you realize,
because it's just more clutter.
Just unsubscribe and you don'thave to deal with it, right?
Same thing with apps you're notusing.
There's a 2020 rule indecluttering spaces that I read
can be adapted for this.
The 2020 rule for declutteringspaces, I think, is something
like if you can replace it in 20minutes and for under $20,
(17:58):
ditch it.
But when it comes to apps, it'sif you can replace it in 20,
like if you can download itagain in 20 minutes and for
under $20, go ahead and ditch it.
If you're not using it, get itoff your phone.
Just the look of it being therefilling up space is just
stressing you out.
Okay, all right.
Lastly, notifications right, I'mgoing to talk a lot more about
(18:24):
this on the show that I'm sayingI'm going to discuss stress in
the digital age.
But notifications, man, it'slike you know talk about
Pavlovian right, and you knowit's like the doorbell's ringing
all day long.
You know what I mean?
I mean you got to go into yournotifications with every app and
(18:44):
seriously think them through.
Okay, what notifications do youreally need, like to come up on
your computer screen or yourphone or your iPad as a banner?
What do you really need andwhat don't you?
So for me, I do not look atemails whenever they show up.
I have set times where I'lljust check emails, and so I got
(19:08):
rid of the banners just gone.
All I have are the badges.
So I'll look down at, I'll lookat my computer or my phone and
I'll see the email app you knowthing, and it'll have a little
red circle in with a number inthere and I'll know I've got
some emails to look at and I'llget at it later.
It's a lot easier that way thanthese things constantly
(19:28):
scrolling or popping at the topof our screens.
That drives me nuts.
The only things I have asnotifications are, like my ring
doorbell and text messages thatcome through my phone.
That's it, nothing else.
I just don't want to bebothered by that stuff and it
just really.
You know, I noticed a couple ofyears ago these things were
(19:49):
driving me nuts and I just kindof went through.
I spent, took a half an hour,an hour one day to just think
about that.
I went through my devices andredid all my notifications and I
can't recommend that enough toeverybody.
Get the notifications to stopbeeping and honking at you all
day long.
Oh my God, that's maddening.
(20:12):
Tip number six multitasking.
Don't do it Right.
You're thinking wait a minute.
What?
Don't do it Right?
You're thinking wait a minute.
What Don't multitask?
No, multitasking bad, not good,all right.
A study at Stanford showed thatmultitasking decreases your
efficiency.
Let me say that again Decreasesyour efficiency and has a
(20:34):
negative impact on yourcognitive control, your
efficiency and has a negativeimpact on your cognitive control
.
Okay, we live in times nowwhere we think that multitasking
is the thing right.
It's all about more and morefaster, faster, hell.
I've even recently learned thata lot of younger people who
listen to podcasts are listeningat faster speeds, like they're
speeding up the podcast from afaster speed than what it was
(20:57):
recorded Like.
Why, why, oh why, have we becomeso rushed, so impatient?
For some reason we think thatif we can't do five things at
once.
We aren't kicking ass.
We have to do five things atonce to like be successful.
No, I hate to break it to you,but we are not kicking ass when
we're doing five things at onceto be successful.
(21:17):
No, I hate to break it to you,but we are not kicking ass when
we're doing five things at once.
We are, at best, being mediocre.
Constantly going back and forthbetween multiple tasks not only
limits your attention span, butjust creates more clutter in the
brain, more stress, and Ipromise you we are not as
efficient or effective when weapproach our tasks in this way.
(21:39):
So please, just a single task.
Keep to a single task.
Do one thing at a time and doit well.
Tip number seven be decisive.
Somebody.
I can't remember where I readthis, so I apologize.
I know I've done this before.
I apologize to whoever came upwith this phrase that I can't
(21:59):
credit you here.
I just don't remember.
But I think you'll at leastappreciate that the phrase is
getting out there because it'sso profound, and that is quote
clutter is delayed decisions,end quote.
Think about it Clutter isdelayed decisions.
Don't procrastinate.
You're just adding to theclutter in your brain when you
procrastinate.
Make decisions, don't wait, andnot just the high-value stuff,
(22:24):
by the way.
Low-value issues or low-valuetasks, things that may not need
to be addressed immediately orthat seem mildly unimportant,
they have a way of clogging upthe pipes.
Seriously, they really do so,especially if more and more of
them build up over time.
Man, suddenly you're just waydown with these little
(22:45):
unimportant things that have nowbecome more important than you
wanted them to right.
So get those low value tasksout of the way.
You'll have more space to focuson the high value things.
So you know, be decisive, makedecisions.
Tip number eight handle yourpapers.
Handle your papers.
(23:05):
What am I talking about?
Well, your stuff, your papers,your mail, your bills, your you
know the title of your house,your tax documents, all that
stuff.
Handle them when you have them.
Don't put them in piles, don'tlet them build up.
Oh my God, I had a girlfriendonce who just piled up
everything and so she nevercould find anything.
(23:27):
And just basically, I think shethought if she piled it up then
she'd find things.
But what really happened wasshe piled them up so high that
she just conveniently forgotthings.
Don't do that.
No, handle your paper, sort,file and shred.
That's what I'm saying Sort,file and shred.
Okay, first of all, don't letit get into piles.
(23:54):
Like I said, look at it in atimely fashion.
Don't let the mail pile up,read it and deal with it Like
then when you get it whether ifit's trash, throw it out or if
it's like something that needsto be filed or it's a bill.
Put it in the right place, likeright away.
It just it'll take less time ifyou do it now than if you let
it build up right.
So sort through your stuff,divide and conquer it right.
(24:15):
File let's talk about filingFile in the right way.
Got to create a solid filingsystem and I'm not going to do
that in this episode, but youcan find plenty of resources on
the internet and fromprofessional organizers that you
can hire to find the best wayto do this.
But make sure you've got asolid filing system and file
(24:36):
documents in the right placeright away.
Don't let them sit around andwait.
Trust me, your life will bemore efficient but, more
importantly, you'll be happier.
I promise the rest of the stuffshred it.
Shred everything you don't need.
If it's outdated, shred it.
If it's junk, shred it.
If it's no longer of use.
Shred it, be gone with it,expel it from your brain and
(24:59):
your life.
All this, by the way, is wheredigital tools are really great.
I mean, I have to say, I own ane-ink notebook.
The one I own is the RemarkablePaper Pro.
It's an amazing tool forsomeone like me.
I keep all my notes, pdfs, allkinds of things on that device
(25:22):
and there's a cloud service soit appears on every device that
I have.
So if I'm like out of the house, I need to reference something
that I had taken notes on, Ijust pull it up on my phone,
which is great.
It's a huge time saver.
Very easy to sort things, veryeasy to search for things saves
me just tons of time.
(25:43):
Right, and to me, by the way,those cloud-based things that's
the best part of technology nowis that we can for personal use
and productivity, that is, thosecloud services are amazing.
That means we can just findthings on whatever device we
happen to have.
So if we're hiking on amountain and all we that is,
those cloud services are amazing.
That means we can just findthings on whatever device we
happen to have.
So if we're hiking on amountain and all we have is our
phone and we need to referencesomething.
As long as we've got, you know,as long as we can connect to
(26:06):
something, you know, as long aswe have service, we can find
what we need.
So cloud-based services areamazing, in my opinion.
Last tip, tip number ninefinancial minimalism.
Financial minimalism this ismainly for peace of mind.
Okay, a, cancel all your unusedsubscriptions.
(26:28):
Take an hour, go through yourphone, your devices, your
television if it's a smart TVand just cancel all your unused
subscriptions.
You might be surprised at whatyou'll find.
I'm sure many of you have donethis.
You go through the list andyou're like I've been paying for
that.
I haven't used that in fouryears, right?
So take a little bit of time tocancel that stuff, all right.
(26:51):
Automate payments for things.
This is well.
It's up to you whether you wantto do that or not.
Some people are veryuncomfortable with that, but if
you're looking for ways to haveless stuff to worry about, that
is one good option.
Automating payments and lastly,on this one, build an emergency
fund, an emergency fund.
(27:11):
It takes time to get out ofdebt and build an emergency fund
, but do that before you startspending like a rock star,
because, boy, if you want to getout of debt and build an
emergency fund, but do thatbefore you start spending like a
rock star, because, boy, if youwant to talk.
Peace of mind, knowing you havea slush fund somewhere in your
bank, knowing you have a cushion, that's going to bring you
peace of mind, all right.
Well, that's enough for todayon decluttering your mind.
(27:32):
I hope you found these thingshelpful.
Please tune in next week, as Ihave professional organizer
Sarah Hackenberg joining me.
She's going to fill us in on awhole bunch of ways to declutter
our stuff, and all of this isin service of reducing stress
reducing stress in our lives,making us more productive and
(27:54):
more efficient.
She's terrific.
She's going to have some greatideas for us, so I'm sure you're
not going to want to miss thatMeanwhile.
Thanks for listening today.
If you enjoyed this, please hitthe like or subscribe button so
you'll know every time I drop anepisode.
If there's a topic you wouldlike covered you would like me
to discuss, shoot me an email.
It's matt atmattbrookscoachingcom.
(28:14):
Matt at mattbrookscoachingcom.
Matt at mattbrookscoachingcom,I'd love to hear from you.
I'd love to hear your ideas andI will be happy to work on them
and try to do a show for you ifI feel comfortable with the
idea myself.
So go ahead, send me your ideasplease.
For now, anyways, be well andI'll catch you next time on the
Barrier Busting Podcast.
Thank you,
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Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com