Let’s face it: you and I have way too many tabs open – both in our web browser apps, and in our minds. Here I’m referring to the latter – the mental space. Being crowded can give a placebo effect that you’re busy and thus successful. In all honesty however, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Busy-ness does not equate to success. A crowded environment is an overloaded, cluttered, messy one, leading to hypertension, stress, and even panic. None of that is enjoyable or beneficial. So now that we have acknowledged and admitted to the problem, let’s fix the problem.
Start off by cutting the cord of negativity. While we are naturally truth-seekers and want to find out about important events, know that the ruling powers of the Internet have a grip on our expectations of the world and of ourselves by what they put in front of us and lead us towards. Don’t just turn off your phone’s notifications – unfollow the mainstream news channels for a brief while. Log out entirely of every social media and email account (besides work email, of course). Calm yourself internally and be rest assured that you are not going to miss anything “important” for a couple hours (or even a few days).
Shock value, too, must be blocked. Use DF-Tube on Chrome-based web browsers (or Focus for YouTube on Safari) to hide YouTube’s Home, Trending, and Shorts page, along with comments on videos and recommended videos. This way your mind will stay focused only on the original intended task at hand (i.e.: looking up how to remove mold from a bathroom sink).
Your music habits have an effect as well. Avoid listening to anything loud or aggressive like rock or metal. Use nature sounds or soft synth pads as background noise instead.
Set time into blocks dedicated for specific tasks or groups of tasks, adjusting for any would-be interruptions or major events. There are other time management methods, however. Use what works best for you – just don’t cram 10 eggs into a 7-egg basket. Picture this: You have several plants of different species and thus different watering needs. Just ensure you show up at the right times and water each plant the appropriate amount needed for it to keep growing each day.
Not everything has to be hard to qualify for worthiness and contributing to success and goal achievement. The little things can matter just as much as the big ones. Just because you didn’t have work so hard to overcome a big obstacle today, doesn’t mean the day was wasted or otherwise insignificant.
Another thing that piles up in a clutter mentally are ideas and creative thoughts. Grab your notebook – paper or digital – and quickly jot stuff down. Try to only jot down the necessary key points within your ideas to avoid it clogging up the rest of your schedule. You should be able to return to these notes later and have a good understanding of the basics of the aforementioned ideas and thoughts. Now you can elaborate and develop the crucial details without losing sight of the original idea’s targets.
Complete unplugging can help a great deal, too. Will the sore back and butt please rise up? Yes, I said, will the sore back and butt please rise up! Prolonged sitting is a killer. Walk about – and if the weather and outdoor environment is suitable, go for a 5-10 minute walk around your neighborhood. Visit the local park during non-busy hours. Absorbing the sights, sounds, and smells around you can aid in regaining mental clarity and inner peace.
On the verge of a panic? Get up and walk about for a bit – slowly! Practice breathwork – inhale from your nose for 4 sec., briefly pause, exhale through mouth for 8 sec. (twice as long). Repeat a few times until tension eases. Grab a glass of water and take a few slow, smooth sips.
By applying these principles, we can significantly reduce the number of tabs in our brains, take out the trash, and neatly file away all the remaining files.