Does having a clear head really mean having a clear mind? Regardless, what’s the best way to clear your thoughts? It’s simple.
Thinking: Clean Space = Clear Mind
Here are five writing tips you can use to organize your thoughts:
- Conduct a Brain Dump
Just as we organize our lives and work by dumping many of the things that keep us busy and distracted onto a to-do list, we can also dump our emotions and internal toxins—our worries and fears—onto a piece of paper.
- Keep a Journal
A journal is where you report and unload regularly. It’s a deeper form of mental detox. I treat my journal like my compost bin. I dump stuff in there and let it stew until it turns into something else.
- Write a Letter to Your Inner Critic
Mental clutter is the result of our impulse to overthink things. Regrets about mistakes made five years ago, worries about whether we’ll ever be good enough—we all have these thoughts. They’re unhelpful and self-destructive, preventing us from fully realizing our potential. The inner critic is the first thing we need to try to eliminate from our minds.
- Write an Unsent Angry Letter
It’s well-known that Abraham Lincoln, whenever he needed to rebuke someone, would write what he called a “hot letter.” He’d vent his anger onto paper; then he’d set it aside until his emotions cooled down, and he could handle things more diplomatically.
- Free Write, Following Prompts
Timed free writing based on prompts is a highly effective way to silence the inner critic. Setting a timer allows you to tap into unfiltered voices, transcending your logical thinking. It’s a way to open the hidden cabinet doors of your mental clutter.
Regardless of the season, you can start your mental spring cleaning anytime. You can even start today. Use the above writing prompts, set a timer for 10 minutes, and begin. Stay curious and enjoy the process!
