Brain Clutter – Your Productivity Sapper!

Want to be more productive?

Easy – Minimize your “brain clutter!

OK, so what IS brain clutter? Just as it sounds – too much in or on the brain.

Just consider this —

• Is it more effective to write your grocery list or to keep it in your head?
• Is it more useful to have your daily schedule of events in front of you, or to try to remember all of your daily appointments?
• Is it easier to have all your family birthdays in your calendar or for you to try to remember them?

Yes, the above examples are lists. But the same benefit applies for even one time tasks.

The key is to get it out of your brain and onto paper.

And if you want to get really slick, get it into or onto some place that helps your organization. But that is the subject for another day.

Remember the times that you’ve woken up at night remembering something you want to make sure you do the next day? If you rolled over, hoping to remember, it may have disturbed your sleep. But if you wrote it down… zzzZZZZZZzzzzz. Right?

So, getting as much information out of your head, is a huge productivity strategy. 

AND… it opens up even more opportunities.

Consider this:

• Instead of trying to think of all the tasks you need to do at work while driving your car to work, you can listen to soothing music, or your favorite radio station.=>Less stress!
• Instead of trying to remember all the items on your grocery list, put them in the notes section of your iPhone by typing them in the minute it comes to you. =>More efficient!
• Put a notepad and pencil next to your bed to capture those midnight ideas or subconscious thoughts. =>Better sleep!

Where you “dump” this information is another strategy. The more organized you are about it the better. I’m an advocate of using a planner, and that’s where I keep a lot of this info. Another great place is on your smart phone.

Just remember, you’ll be more effective, efficient and productive by decluttering that awesome brain of yours!