Anything can be organized, even your ideas. We say we can’t help the way we think, but we can! There may be things in life over which we have no control, but our thoughts are not one of them.
When a thought comes to mind, you choose to accept or reject that thought. Your choice may be conscious or unconscious, but either way it is your choice.
Our brains basically work like computers. They are constantly processing information; Incoming thoughts and outgoing actions. Sometimes, so many ideas float into our heads that we can’t keep them straight. If we don’t get rid of the excess somehow, we get overwhelmed, and process this information much slower and less efficiently than we’d like.
The list below provides 6 tips to help organize your thoughts. I hope these tips provide some relief to the torrent of thoughts that come from our fast paced lives. Clutter is chaos, whether it’s in the form of things in our homes, or thoughts in our brains. We need to de-clutter our brains, just as we de-clutter our homes.
- Document your thoughts It sounds like a simple idea, and it is. There are times when we have thoughts or ideas about many things. If you don’t get these things out of your head and document them in some way, you’re in danger of forgetting them or feeling overwhelmed. Use the medium that works best for you like – pen and paper, text messages, voice messages, phone app, etc.
- Sort your thoughts After you have documented all your thoughts, tasks, fears, ideas, questions, etc., sort them into their respective categories.
- Prioritize your ideas Due dates and deadlines are priorities based on importance and urgency. Oftentimes, deadlines and deadlines determine our priorities. Other times, our problems cause us anxiety, and those thoughts become our priority. Taking action on those troubling thoughts, no matter how small, can reduce stress, so you can purposefully reprioritize the thought for another time.
- Reframe the thought Paraphrasing refers to changing the way a thought, concept, or idea is considered. This can be useful when you are solving a problem. Looking at a problem differently may provide a viable solution.
- no multi–the mission – It’s been determined that multitasking is counterproductive. When you try to perform more than one task at once, your brain spends more time trying to switch between tasks or thoughts. Focus on one idea at a time for optimal productivity.
- clear mind – Sometimes we need a break. Thinking can be stressful. In order to organize our thoughts, we need mental clarity. There are many ways to achieve mental clarity and they are different for all of us. Walking outdoors does that for me. Meditation works for some, while exercise does for others. Find something that works for you and do it regularly.