6 Tips to Organize Your Thoughts

Anything can be organized, even your thoughts. We say that we can't help the way we think, but we can! There may be things in life that we have no control over, but our thoughts are not one of them.

When a thought comes to mind, you make the choice to accept or reject that thought. Your choice may be conscious or subconscious, but either way it's your choice.

Our brains function basically like computers. They are constantly processing information; incoming thoughts and outgoing actions. At times, so many thoughts are floating around in our heads that we can't keep them all straight. If we don't purge the excess in some way, we become overwhelmed, and process this information in a much slower, less efficient way than we would like.

The list below provides 6 tips to help organize your thoughts. My hope is that these tips will provide some relief for the barrage of thoughts that come from our fast-paced lives. Clutter is clutter, whether it comes in the form of things in our homes, or the thoughts in our brains. We need to purge clutter from our brains, just like we purge clutter from our homes.

Document your thoughts - This seems like a simple idea and it is. There are times when we have ideas, or thoughts about a multitude of things. If you don't get those things out of your head and documented in some way, you're in danger of forgetting them, or becoming overwhelmed. Use the medium that works best for you such as - pen & paper, text message, voice message, phone app, etc.

Sort your thoughts - After you document all your thoughts, tasks, concerns, ideas, questions, etc., sort them into their respective categories.

Prioritize your thoughts - Due dates and deadlines are priorities based on importance and urgency. Many times, due dates and deadlines determine our priorities. Other times, our troubles cause us to worry, and those thoughts become our priority. Taking an action on those worrisome thoughts, however small it may be, can possibly reduce the stress, so you can purposefully re-prioritize the thought for another time.

Reframing a thought - Reframing refers to changing the way a thought, concept or idea is considered. This can be helpful when you are problem solving. Looking at an issue in a different way may provide a viable solution.

No multi-tasking - It's been determined that multi-tasking is counter-productive. When you try to perform more than one task at a time, your brain spends more time trying to switch between tasks, or thoughts. Focus on one thought at a time for optimal productivity.

Mental clarity - Sometimes we need a break. Thinking can be exhausting. In order to organize our thoughts, we need mental clarity. There are many ways to achieve mental clarity and it's different for all of us. Taking a walk in the fresh air does it for me. Meditation works for some, while exercise does it for others. Find something that works for you and practice it regularly.

Sally E Morgan is the owner of SOS: Simple Organized Solutions LLC. For more information on how SOS can eliminate stress and create peace of mind in your life, go to,

http://www.sossimpleorganizedsolutions.com.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sally_E_Morgan/680809

6 Tips to Organize Your Thoughts

Anything can be organized, even your thoughts. We say that we can't help the way we think, but we can! There may be things in life that we have no control over, but our thoughts are not one of them.

When a thought comes to mind, you make the choice to accept or reject that thought. Your choice may be conscious or subconscious, but either way it's your choice.

Our brains function basically like computers. They are constantly processing information; incoming thoughts and outgoing actions. At times, so many thoughts are floating around in our heads that we can't keep them all straight. If we don't purge the excess in some way, we become overwhelmed, and process this information in a much slower, less efficient way than we would like.

The list below provides 6 tips to help organize your thoughts. My hope is that these tips will provide some relief for the barrage of thoughts that come from our fast-paced lives. Clutter is clutter, whether it comes in the form of things in our homes, or the thoughts in our brains. We need to purge clutter from our brains, just like we purge clutter from our homes.

Document your thoughts - This seems like a simple idea and it is. There are times when we have ideas, or thoughts about a multitude of things. If you don't get those things out of your head and documented in some way, you're in danger of forgetting them, or becoming overwhelmed. Use the medium that works best for you such as - pen & paper, text message, voice message, phone app, etc.

Sort your thoughts - After you document all your thoughts, tasks, concerns, ideas, questions, etc., sort them into their respective categories.

Prioritize your thoughts - Due dates and deadlines are priorities based on importance and urgency. Many times, due dates and deadlines determine our priorities. Other times, our troubles cause us to worry, and those thoughts become our priority. Taking an action on those worrisome thoughts, however small it may be, can possibly reduce the stress, so you can purposefully re-prioritize the thought for another time.

Reframing a thought - Reframing refers to changing the way a thought, concept or idea is considered. This can be helpful when you are problem solving. Looking at an issue in a different way may provide a viable solution.

No multi-tasking - It's been determined that multi-tasking is counter-productive. When you try to perform more than one task at a time, your brain spends more time trying to switch between tasks, or thoughts. Focus on one thought at a time for optimal productivity. 

Mental clarity - Sometimes we need a break. Thinking can be exhausting. In order to organize our thoughts, we need mental clarity. There are many ways to achieve mental clarity and it's different for all of us. Taking a walk in the fresh air does it for me. Meditation works for some, while exercise does it for others. Find something that works for you and practice it regularly.

Sally E Morgan is the owner of SOS: Simple Organized Solutions LLC. For more information on how SOS can eliminate stress and create peace of mind in your life, go to, http://www.sossimpleorganizedsolutions.com.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sally_E_Morgan/680809

How To Be A More Productive Variant Of Yourself

I'm going to dwell on the topic of how to be more productive. A productive person has things going for him/her, has more time for himself/herself, and the rewards are disproportionate to the efforts put in. Life becomes easier and smoother, and everything falls into place. 

Focus on what is essential; cut out the trivial stuff. 

People have been shown to look busy doing something or the other, as our society values "busyness." However, less is more. The great economist Vilfredo Pareto demonstrated that 80% of your results come from 20% of the effort you put in. Identify and focus on the 20% in every area of your life. 

Keep the essential tasks for the time slot when you are full of energy. 

Identify the 3 to 5 most important "to get done tasks for the day," arrange them by priority, and tick them off when you do them. Even if you get two tasks done, you are on your way to progress. Please avoid more than five tasks to get done. You would end up doing nothing. When you put things down on paper, you would have the clarity as to what you need to do. "Think on paper." Mornings immediately after waking up are ideal for high energy output. 

Use the Do - Delegate - Defer - Dump method - "the formula" for everything you do. 

If you can do something which doesn't take time, but is essential, do it immediately (as it is crucial, you may still have to do it soon). Something is not vital, still needs to get done, and you have someone to help out - delegate it. If it is important, and you have the time to do it, defer it; set a reminder. If it is not essential and doesn't make any difference to your productivity, dump it. Be careful; categorize correctly. Do not discard the crucial things which can come back and bite you later. 

So, to become more productive, a few simple steps you could take would be to focus on what is important, and work in time slots (ideally a one-hour slot with 15 minutes rest afterward). Keep the most critical tasks for the period when you are full of energy, the mundane tasks for later, and use "the formula." 

The benefits of being more productive are: 

1. You would streamline your life. 

2. You would be stress-free. 

3. You would have more free time for yourself and your family. 

4. You would earn more.

5. You would have peace of mind. 

If the above benefits don't motivate you to take action in a relaxed manner, what else would? 

The baby steps you take today would lead to a bigger, better you, tomorrow. 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sandeep_Gopinath_Menon/2253590