Move Repetitive Decisions to Autopilot to Declutter Your Mind

Steve Jobs is the more well-known co-founder of Apple. He created the world's first one trillion dollar and two trillion dollar company along with Steve Wozniak. Apple became the first company with a market capitalization of three trillion dollars in January 2022. 

 

The meteoric rise of Apple in the computer and consumer electronics industries in the early 1990s had a lot to do with Jobs' leadership. One thing the tech icon did that impacted his management was frequently wear the same outfit. Perform an image search for "Steve Jobs," and you continually see him wearing the same three things.

• A black mock turtleneck top

• New Balance sneakers

• Blue jeans

One of the wealthiest men in the world, Jobs could certainly have afforded an endless amount of clothing. Yet he continually wore the same things. Why did he do that?

 

It gave him one fewer choice to make every day.

 

This allowed him to free his mind up for other things. He put what would otherwise have been a daily decision on autopilot. He didn't have to spend any mental energy worrying about what he would wear.

 

How many images of Albert Einstein have you seen that look the same? He reportedly purchased several versions of the same suit so he didn't have to waste any of his considerable brainpower on his choice of clothing each day.

 

In an interview on the NBC Today show, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said he owns about 20 identical gray-colored T-shirts. Former US President Obama also believes in limiting the number of routine choices he has to make daily.

 

In a 2012 interview with Vanity Fair, President Obama said, "You'll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I'm trying to pare down decisions. I don't want to make decisions about what I'm eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make."

 

If it's good enough for these successful people, should you try it? Perhaps you should if you want to declutter your mind.

 

Limit Repetitive Choices

 

Maybe you don't want to wear the same clothing all the time. That's fine. All we're saying is that when you limit the number of conscious decisions you have to make, there's less going on in your conscious mind. That means fewer things that can collect in your head and lead to clutter.

 

Move simple decisions to autopilot. This could be what you will wear to work, what you eat each morning, or a specific schedule of activities you will follow at some time during the day. The less mental energy you spend on decision-making, the freer your conscious mind is when you engage in important activities.

 

This is a simple way to reduce the amount of input that goes into your mind. When you reduce how much you ask your conscious mind to do, you limit the possibility that mental clutter will build up and keep you from performing at your best.

The Twice-a-Day Ritual That De-Clutters Your Mind, Helps You Sleep Better, Relieves Stress, and Boosts Mental Focus

Scott Bea is a clinical psychologist who understands how clutter can wreck your mental and physical health. He tells us that visual clutter, anything that falls within your line of sight but isn't necessary, cranks up your production of cortisol. That means more stress and anxiety.

 

Clutter negatively affects your self-esteem level, even if you don't consciously believe it's that big of a problem. Mental and physical clutter kills your ability to focus and be productive and can lead to sleep loss.

 

Physical clutter in your environment can lead to mental clutter. 

 

Your senses are constantly trying to deal with everything they detect in your messy, disorganized space. This fogs up your brain and gets it working overtime. When you remove visual, physical, and mental clutter from your life, you gain better control of not only your mental abilities. You also boost your self-esteem and feel good about what you've accomplished.

 

The Downside of a Cluttered Mind

 

Before we discuss how you can do some spring cleaning in your mind, let's get a little negative. Sometimes understanding the downside of a situation can motivate you to take action. Here are a few of the unfortunate symptoms of a cluttered mind.

 

• You constantly focus on the negative and have difficulty seeing things positively.

• You worry about things you have no control over.

• It isn't easy focusing your attention and having clarity of thought.

• You are easily and frequently distracted.

• Your brain never shuts down and is always processing information from multiple topics and lists.

• A cluttered mind can lead to multiple sleep problems.

• It's common to feel physically drained, mentally confused, and unproductive.

 

When your mind is cluttered with unnecessary "stuff," a lot of energy is required to deal with it. This can make you feel run down and fatigued. You don't feel like doing anything or dealing with anything.

 

Don't worry; there is a simple solution you can use twice a day to sleep better and relieve the stress your mental clutter is causing. You will find it easier to focus, and you'll be more productive as well. Here's what you need to do.

• Write it down when you wake up.

• Write it down when you go to bed.

What is the "it" that you should be writing down? Your thoughts. Your feelings. Anything that's going on in your head. In the morning, write out a game plan for the day. Prioritize important things and keep everything else off of your list.

 

At night, read over what you wrote that morning. Then unload your mind. Back up the mental dump truck and get it all out. If random thoughts bother you during the day and are still on your mind, let them stand up and be recognized.

 

Writing out your thoughts is such a powerful way to clear your mind. When you do this regularly in the morning and at night, you'll find you sleep better, and you're more productive during the day. This won't stop your ceaseless inner chatter. It gives you control over it while ensuring a lot of mental clutter doesn't take up full-time residency in your mind.

Mindful Living: The Path To A More Fulfilling Life

Mindfulness is not an out-of-reach foreign concept that is difficult to add to your everyday life. It’s actually quite the opposite. Mindfulness is a meditation technique that has many benefits and is very simple to use. Here we talk about what mindfulness and its benefits are as well as ways to include it in your daily living.

 

What is Mindful Living?

 

Mindful living simply means incorporating the practice of mindfulness into your everyday life. As a beginner, you’ll need to make a conscious effort to practice mindfulness as you go about your day. Once you hone your skills, you’ll find yourself engaging in mindfulness automatically as you complete your daily tasks.

 

Mindfulness is a mental state in which you are fully aware of the present moment. You engage with your five physical senses and free thoughts. You allow yourself to experience the moment from an objective perspective. In mindfulness, it’s important to refrain from viewing experiences as “good” or “bad.”

 

How Is Mindful Living Beneficial?

 

Mindful living has benefits that reach every core life area, including mental health, physical health, social relationships, employment, recreation, etc. Here are just a few of the benefits that mindful living provides:

 

• Less rumination on undesired thoughts

• Stress reduction

• Better cognitive function

• Less emotional reactivity

• Higher satisfaction with relationships

• Better mental health

• Stronger immune function

 

How to Live Mindfully

 

There are many ways to introduce mindfulness into your daily life. It is a form of meditation as well as a mindset. First, you can start by scheduling a structured mindfulness session into each day. Ten-minute sessions are a good starting point. You can add them to your wake up or bedtime routine so that they’re easy to structure into your day. Here are some ways to practice mindfulness during these sessions:

 

• Get yourself into a comfortable position within a quiet and calm environment.

• Starting at either end of your body, gradually tense and relax your muscles and joints. Pay attention to the physical sensations as you do so.

• Take slow, deep breaths. Count how many you take and how long they last. Feel and visualize the air working through your respiratory system.

• Allow yourself to have thoughts of positive messages.

• Repeat encouraging mantras aloud.

• Listen to a guided meditation.

• Once you get better at these techniques, you can begin to practice them in a less structured way. Here are some ways to engage in mindfulness throughout your day:

• Practice mindfulness when you get a small break in your day, such as at work or while sitting at a red light in traffic.

• Journal at the end of each day to recap your experiences and note what you are grateful for that day.

• Create a positive affirmation jar and start your day by reading a slip out of the jar.

• Take inventory of your five physical senses as you complete daily activities, such as walking, driving, eating, hygiene tasks, and recreational activities.

• Focus on a single task at a time. For example, instead of listening to music while making dinner, prepare the meal without additional stimuli. You can feel the ingredients in your hands, hear the sound of chopping, smell the food cooking, see the variety of colors in the ingredients, and taste test the meal as you’re preparing it.

• Participate in creative recreational activities, such as coloring, sewing, sculpting, etc.

• Look at an object for a few minutes to notice details you’ve missed in the past.

• Actively listen in conversations with others.

• Practice empathy. Imagine what others may be experiencing and why they’re acting the way they are.

 

Think about what you will say before you say. Remember that it’s okay to take a pause in conversation if needed.

 

Source Links

 

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/mind-body/mindfulness-activities

 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320392

  

https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/