insideKENT Magazine Issue 97 - April 2020 | Page 101

Clear away distractions
Our brains are easily distracted. The more
information that you throw at it, the less able it will
be to focus on the most important tasks. We live in
a world of constant information that assaults our
senses and bombards our brains, from housework,
to do lists, never-ending email lists, constant social
media feeds, phone calls, the list goes on. So clear
the distractions and the chaos – tidy up your home,
take a digital detox, set time limits for certain activities
and schedule in at least 15 minutes a day of ‘me
time’. Whether this is to read a book, practice
mindfulness, exercise, or just sit down with a cuppa,
it all helps to clear the distractions and reduce stress.
Write it down!
In our busy lives we have 101 thoughts and to do’s
flying around inside our head, and it is hard to shut
our brains off. A great way to de-clutter your brain
is by using the old-fashioned, but highly effective
method, of writing your thoughts down.
As Ryder Carroll, creator of the Bullet Journal,
explains, “we have to externalise our thoughts to
de-clutter our minds. Holding thoughts in your
mind is like trying to grasp water – it is nearly
impossible. But by writing down our thoughts, we
can capture them clearly so we can work with them
later.” He recommends five simple steps that
everyone can follow:
1. Create a mental inventory. Write down the
things that you need to do, the things that you should
be doing, and the things that you want to do.
2. Consider why you're doing each of these
things. Be mindful of why you’re doing the things
you do. It is all too easy to get distracted by all the
things we should be and could be doing, we forget
to ask ourselves whether we even want to be doing
those things.
4. Divvy up what’s left. Now that you have
reduced your mental clutter down to just the things
that you have to do and those that matter, break
any big tasks down into smaller steps.
5. Quickly revise your list every day. Get into
the habit of revising your list every day, even if it’s
just five minutes. Otherwise we tend to drift and
distractions start seeping back into our minds.
“Unfortunately, time is not a renewable resource,”
says Carroll, “so it is our responsibility to take the
time to identify the things that interest us and figure
out ways to pursue them.”
Whether you choose to write your thoughts in a
specific journal, a notebook, or even a scrap of paper,
studies show that writing your thoughts down helps
to free up more energy. Why not go one step further
and rip that paper up or recycle it, so you are literally
throwing away all your mental clutter.
3. Is it vital? Does it matter to me or someone
I love? Ask yourself these questions for every item
on your list. If your answer is no to both, then cross
that item off your list straight away.
101