Henry David Thoreau once said, “As a single footstep will not make a path on Earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” But, how does one sort through all the mental clutter to uncover those enriching thoughts? How does one then place such thoughts in the forefront of our minds, to not merely be recalled by happenstance, but positioned strategically so that they are never out of the “line of sight”? The answer can be found in the more tangible (and sometimes mundane) realm of tidying! There is a popular show about organizing hosted by Marie Kondo, to whom I have bestowed the title “The Goddess of Tidying”. In watching her entire series (yes, I binged watched the entire season!), I found that her system of organizing could easily be used to declutter the mind space. I define mind space as the area of your Being typically devoted to thought. For many of us, this space can be cluttered, disturbing, and even dangerous. For some who have devoted attention to mental clutter, this space can be elegant, peaceful, and beautiful. Here are some ways that I have restyled the tidying system to renew my mind:
- Let go of things that don’t matter. This involves taking inventory of wasted thoughts (which includes “spinning your wheels” over the same problems over and over again (ruminating), toxic/negative thoughts, hurt feelings towards others)
- Keep things that spark joy. Mentally, this means holding space for positive, productive thoughts. Go back often to bathe in these thoughts, letting them empower and enliven you. This is akin to walking the “deep physical path” of which Thoreau speaks.
- Treat your thoughts as if they are alive. If we imagine destructive thoughts as hungry wolves appearing to devour us, then beneficial thoughts are as Good Samaritans, here to assist us at every turn. With that being said, I find that destructive thoughts can be turned on their heads with a little know-how and attention (see my article “Harvesting Happiness”).
A friend of mine recently said that her mind “feels like computer desktop with a lot of windows open at once”. As a mother, wife, entrepreneur, and healthcare practitioner, I completely relate! When she said that, I started to adopt yet another approach to organizing my mind space: I actually treat my mind just as she imagined, like a computer screen with tons of open websites and apps- or like a cell phone with items in an online store shopping cart never purchased, YouTube videos on the Watch Later list, clever Facebook posts saved but not read. You can try this technique too! Try to “close” as many apps and website screens as possible. Family member you’ve been thinking of? Call them. House remodeling you’ve been contemplating? Book an appointment for a free estimate. Worrying about financial issues? Brainstorm, create, then execute a plan to financial prosperity. Ruminating about lack of exercise? Put a workout date with reminder in your calendar. Goal you’ve been wanting to achieve? Take a step (no matter how small or large) towards it TODAY. Get the idea? Good! Then, get cleaning!
