Minimalism: Two Manuscript, Minimalism, and Minimalism and Declutter Your Mind, Find Freedom From Fear, Worry and Depression by Living With Less

Minimalism

Two Manuscript, Minimalism, and Minimalism and Declutter Your Mind, Find Freedom From Fear, Worry and Depression by Living With Less

Minimalism and Declutter Your Mind

Declutter Your Physical Environment and Mindsets to Clean Up the Mental Clutter That's Holding You Back

Table of Contents

Minimalism and Declutter Your Mind...............................................................................1

Introduction..........................................................................................................................7

Chapter 1: What Is Mind Clutter and Who Suffers From It?...........................................8

Symptoms of Mental Clutter..............................................................................................9

Increased confusion.....................................................................................................10

Chattier inner voice......................................................................................................10

Increased chaos............................................................................................................10

Increased conditions or rules......................................................................................10

Increasing desire to collect things..............................................................................10

Comparing yourself to others.....................................................................................10

Worry.............................................................................................................................11

Guilt...............................................................................................................................11

Negative self-talk.........................................................................................................11

Understanding Why Your Mind Is So Cluttered..............................................................11

Tackle One Task at a Time..........................................................................................11

Identify the Reasons for Your Cluttered Mind............................................................12

Chapter 2: What Causes Mental Clutter?........................................................................13

How Minds Get Cluttered.................................................................................................15

Chapter 3: Types of Mental Clutter.................................................................................17

Worry.................................................................................................................................17

Regret................................................................................................................................17

Guilt...................................................................................................................................18

Negative Self-talk.............................................................................................................18

Chapter 4: Benefits of Decluttering Your Mind.............................................................19

Helps with Anxiety...........................................................................................................22

Improves Relationship Skills............................................................................................22

Improves Decision-Making Skills....................................................................................23

Promotes Good Health.....................................................................................................23

Relieve Stress....................................................................................................................23

Better Quality of Life........................................................................................................24

Chapter 5: Techniques to Incorporate Decluttering in Your Mind............................26

Spend Time with Yourself................................................................................................26

Pursue Your Passions and Goals.....................................................................................26

Spend Time with Positive People.....................................................................................27

Ask for Some Help............................................................................................................27

Keep A Memory Diary and Put It to Good Use................................................................27

Set Up a Schedule and Stick to It....................................................................................29

Setting Up Your Schedule................................................................................................30

Schedule for Personal Events Too...................................................................................31

Stick to Your New Schedule, But Don’t Beat Yourself Up When You Slip Up...............31

Start with a Morning Routine...........................................................................................32

Work on a Night Routine..................................................................................................33

Limit Your Exposure to Electronic Devices.....................................................................34

Keep Your Room Free of Distractions.............................................................................34

Have Some Chamomile Tea Before You Sleep?..............................................................35

Set a Stress Time..............................................................................................................35

Maintain a Journal............................................................................................................36

Use a Calendar Planner....................................................................................................36

Chapter 6: Guide to Decluttering Your Thoughts.........................................................37

The Link Between Clutter and the Thought Process......................................................37

The Link Between the Thought Process and Outcome..................................................37

Decluttering Exercises.....................................................................................................38

Meditation.....................................................................................................................38

Deep Breathing.............................................................................................................38

Instilling New Habits....................................................................................................39

Steps to Mindfulness to Declutter Your Mind.............................................................39

Chapter 7: How to Take Back Your Thoughts...............................................................42

Understand the Power of Distraction..............................................................................42

Utilize Substitution...........................................................................................................42

Increase Physical Activity.................................................................................................42

Spend More Time Being Grateful....................................................................................43

Dealing with Negative Self-talk.......................................................................................43

Let Go of the Baggage of the Past...................................................................................44

Chapter 8: How to Eliminate Negativity from Life by Breaking Negative Thought Patterns...............45

Become Conscious of Your Negative Thought Patterns................................................46

Replacing Negative Thinking with Positive Thinking.....................................................47

Chapter 9: How to Organize Your Mind and Control Unending Mind Chatter........48

Accept Your Fears............................................................................................................49

Chapter 10: Minimalism for Reducing Mental Clutter.................................................50

Prioritize............................................................................................................................50

Downsize Toxic Relationships.........................................................................................50

Rethink the Stress Price You are Paying.........................................................................51

Chapter 11: How to Command Ownership of Your Happiness..................................53

Main Reasons for Unhappiness.......................................................................................53

Discontent.....................................................................................................................53

Relationships................................................................................................................53

Worldly Influence..........................................................................................................54

Take Charge of Your Happiness......................................................................................54

Become Conscious of Your Mortality..........................................................................54

Do Not Rely on Others for Happiness.........................................................................55

Find Your Passion.........................................................................................................55

Chapter 12: How to Remove Bad Habits........................................................................56

How Bad Habits Can Clutter Our Minds..........................................................................56

Step-by-Step on Removing Bad Habits..........................................................................56

Chapter 13: The Role of Habits in Reducing Stress and Mind Clutter......................59

Clearing Physical Clutter is Easy.....................................................................................59

More Decision Making Means More Mental Clutter.......................................................59

Habits That Help You in Reducing the Mind Clutter......................................................60

Chapter 14: Some of the Ways to Clear the Clutter and Keeping Yourself Positive62

Know What You Want.......................................................................................................62

Know Why You Want It.....................................................................................................62

Stay Positive......................................................................................................................62

Set Priorities......................................................................................................................62

Identify the Challenges....................................................................................................62

Write Your Thoughts on Paper........................................................................................62

Chapter 15: Living in the Present Moment....................................................................64

Chapter 16: How to Let Go...............................................................................................66

Chapter 18: Tips for Eliminating Negative Self-Talk...................................................71

Try Possibility Thinking...................................................................................................71

Avoid Personalizing..........................................................................................................72

Talk as If It’s a Loved One...............................................................................................72

Avoid Playing the Victim..................................................................................................73

Get Rid of the Source.......................................................................................................73

Get Rid of Prejudices........................................................................................................74

Embrace Imperfections....................................................................................................74

Spin to Win........................................................................................................................75

Give Your Inner Critics and Rants a Name.....................................................................75

Chapter 19: How to Cultivate Nourishing Relationships to Declutter Your Mind...76

Be More Inclusive.............................................................................................................77

Listen.................................................................................................................................77

Mind Your Words..............................................................................................................77

Don't Pick and Choose the Qualities...............................................................................77

Chapter 20: Tackle Your Problems Head-On................................................................79

Start by Facing Reality......................................................................................................79

Facing Your Problems, Overcoming Your Challenges...................................................80

Chapter 21: Impacts of a Cluttered Mind to Your Health............................................81

Chapter 22: How to Maintain Your Mind........................................................................83

Conclusion..........................................................................................................................86

Introduction........................................................................................................................93

Chapter 1: How to Create a Decluttering Habit and Mindset.....................................94

Spend five minutes each day...........................................................................................94

Give away one item per day.............................................................................................94

Fill a trash can each day..................................................................................................94

Change your attitude and perspective of things...........................................................94

Be imaginative..................................................................................................................94

Chapter 2: The Elements that Confuse Your Life.........................................................96

Clutter...............................................................................................................................96

Chapter 3: Adopt a Technique.........................................................................................99

The Four-Box Technique.................................................................................................99

The Segment Technique................................................................................................100

The Trash Bag Approach...............................................................................................100

The 12-12-12 Challenge..............................................................................................100

The KonMari Method...................................................................................................101

Chapter 4: Steps of Decluttering your Home..............................................................102

Step 1: Schedule it.........................................................................................................102

Step 2: Designate a purpose for each room................................................................102

Step 3: Identify suitable zones......................................................................................102

Step 4: Decide on where to start..................................................................................102

Step 5: Declutter and organize.....................................................................................103

Chapter 5: The Usual Culprits of Clutter.....................................................................104

Having more things than necessary.............................................................................104

Having mixed items of different style genre...............................................................104

Unhealthy perfectionism...............................................................................................104

Untidy wire and cable placement..................................................................................104

Lack of time....................................................................................................................104

Undisciplined housemates/Lack of house chore appointment..................................105

Chapter 6: Benefits of Decluttering and Maintaining an Organized Home...........106

Saves Money...................................................................................................................106

Get More Space..............................................................................................................106

Multiple Uses..................................................................................................................106

Save Time.......................................................................................................................106

Increases Resourcefulness............................................................................................106

Stress..............................................................................................................................106

Illness..............................................................................................................................106

Finding Things Easier....................................................................................................107

Energy Booster...............................................................................................................107

Peace of mind.................................................................................................................107

Organized stuff..............................................................................................................108

Visitor-ready space........................................................................................................108

Breaks the clutter chain.................................................................................................108

Accident-safe environment...........................................................................................108

Chapter 7: Decluttering and Organizing the Kitchen................................................110

Maximize Use of Cabinets and Drawers.......................................................................111

Organize How You Store...............................................................................................111

Wash Things After Use...................................................................................................111

Arrange Floor Area Strategically...................................................................................111

Organize Your Food and Save Wastage........................................................................112

Chapter 8: Decluttering and Organizing your Closet or Wardrobe.........................114

Declutter Your Closet....................................................................................................115

Chapter 9: Decluttering and Organizing the Living Room.......................................119

Adapt A Single Style/Design.........................................................................................119

Replace Covers, Sheets, And Curtains Regularly.........................................................119

Maximize Floor Space....................................................................................................120

Have Quick Storage Bins/Boxes For Usual Clutter.......................................................120

Maximize Tabletop Spaces............................................................................................120

Put Away Unnecessary Things.......................................................................................120

Chapter 10: Decluttering and Organizing the Bedrooms.........................................122

Having Enough Cabinets and Drawers.........................................................................123

Storing Clothes and Sheets Tidily.................................................................................123

Storing Footwear and Bags the Right Way....................................................................123

Storing Cosmetics and Hygiene Products....................................................................124

Getting Rid of Unnecessary Crowding..........................................................................124

Owning Just Enough Clothes, Shoes, And Bags...........................................................124

Chapter 11: Decluttering and Organizing your Children’s Rooms..........................126

Chapter 12: Decluttering and Organizing your Garden/Garage..............................128

Chapter 13: Decluttering and Organizing the Bathrooms........................................131

Maximize Floor Space....................................................................................................133

Have Dedicated Space for Different Items...................................................................133

Keep Towels Folded and Replaced...............................................................................133

Replace and Discard Products Accordingly..................................................................133

Separate Cleaning Items................................................................................................133

Chapter 14: Decluttering and Organizing the Dining Room....................................135

Chapter 15: Decluttering and Organizing the Home Office.....................................138

Where to start?...............................................................................................................138

Let’s now take a look at the desk in more detail.........................................................139

Chapter 16: Decluttering and Organizing the Utility/Wash Room..........................141

Chapter 17: How to Teach Your Children to Declutter..............................................143

Getting your Children Involved.....................................................................................143

Chapter 18: Organizing What you Keep.......................................................................146

Making the best use of your space...............................................................................146

Chapter 19: Eliminate the Excess..................................................................................149

Chapter 20: Making Hard Decisions About Your Things..........................................151

How to decide what you really need and what you can get rid of..............................151

Chapter 21: Reasons Why you Haven’t Decluttered...................................................154

Reason 1: You have too much stuff..............................................................................154

Reason 2: Being in a transitional season......................................................................154

Reason 3: Lack of a simple organization system........................................................154

Reason 4: Perfectionism................................................................................................154

Conclusion........................................................................................................................155

Introduction

Many people feel that their mind is never at peace as if there is an incessant commotion inside the head and some people believe that their mind is hyperactive. It is always up to something. There is an out of control banging of thoughts, random thoughts, weird thoughts, negative thoughts, or thoughts of helplessness. These thoughts leave people nervous, sad, worried, or distraught. They are never at peace with themselves. They are always agitated and their thinking is fuzzy and they remain alarmed. They feel unfocused and disoriented. These are all clear signs of a cluttered mind. A mind that is overworking and not thinking straight will become unproductive and will lead to several complex problems. Happiness will always evade people with such a mind. If you are also able to relate to these things, then this book is for you. It will help you in decluttering your mind and thinking rationally.

This book will teach you to discover your path and follow your unique destiny. This book will also expose you to techniques which have never been discussed before.

Follow the advice and watch your mind expelling negativity and embracing happiness and prosperity. Some of the advice will immediately resonate with your concept of life while some others will need introspection. Spend time exploring the wisdom contained in the book. You will derive maximum benefit when you practice meditation and mindfulness with complete faith and conviction. You should not have doubts and misgivings while practicing the techniques explained in the book. Doubts lead to more clutter and confusion. Belief brings clarity and wisdom. You may not observe any change in yourself immediately. Profound changes take place gradually and silently. Your mind will undergo subtle changes as you progress through the practices.

There is a higher purpose to life than just material success.

This book will reveal how you can lead a life with purpose and overcome the clutter which envelops your mind. You will also learn to eliminate toxic memories which are currently limiting your capacity to live life to the full. You will finally break free from the web of negativity and achieve success which you have been dreaming about.

There are things that especially lead to a lot of mental clutter. This book will explain the main things that cause clutter in the mind and make life difficult. It will also give you a framework to deal with such garbage in order to make your life simpler and happier.

I hope that you will enjoy it and that it’ll help you along in life.

Chapter 1: What Is Mind Clutter and Who Suffers From It?

Generally speaking, the word clutter conjures up images of piles of unidentified stuff sitting hither and yon waiting to be dealt with in one way or another. While it can be annoying at times, it is generally thought to be largely harmless – assuming you watch your step that is. While easy to avoid in small amounts, the nature of clutter is that, if left unattended, it will only multiply over time until you eventually find yourself staring at the type of mess you can only deal with by devoting an entire weekend to the task. Hence why most clean and minimalist homes obey the clear surfaces rule: Clutter multiplies, and they multiply quickly. Have you ever felt that all your thoughts are like a haze? You cannot focus on a single thing. Your mind keeps on thinking, and you keep jumping to conclusions. Have your relationships been strained because of overthinking? Is there something that is holding you back from achieving your goal, e.g. fear, anxiousness, anxiety, and pessimism, etc.? If the answer to those questions is a yes, then all this is happening because of your cluttered mind. All these unnecessary thoughts that are occupying the space in your brain are your mind clutter.

All the unnecessary thoughts that don’t let you think about something progressive and keeps you busy in clearing the fog from your mind is just trash. This trash is mental clutter that is making you feel inferior, trapped, betrayed, stressed, and marginalized. Mental clutter has the power to overpower love, and it is one of the reasons why relationships are strained, and you are left estranged.

Mental clutter is becoming a dilemma as well as the most overlooked issue of the present generation. The deeply rooted binaries, hierarchies, norms, and set rules are making it difficult to breathe and making your thoughts hazier than ever before. The clutter hinders your ability to look for the positives in life; the only thing it makes you see are the uninviting looks, unachievable goals, chances of failure, and lurking threats.

Mental clutter doesn’t let you see the light at the end of the tunnel; it makes you feel as if you are going to get out of the tunnel only by tasting death. It doesn’t let you think of any positive possibility or an outcome. It clogs your mind with all the negativity of the world.

You spend hours thinking about an ordinary thing. You get lost in your thoughts in the middle of a conversation. You are unable to comprehend the simplest of questions. You get trapped in the simplest of thoughts. You assume the worst-case scenarios. For example, you may hesitate in calling your friend for help because you assume that she’s angry with you. You don’t have any reason to think this way, but you still do. Mental clutter is making you think this way.

These days life has become so busy and chaotic that mental clutter is a normal thing. Everyone is involved in so many things at one time that the thoughts get tangled and give rise to mental clutter. However, it doesn’t always remain this simple. Mental clutter can turn into depression, anxiety, fearfulness, pessimism, and stress if not dealt with effectively.

The rapid flow of information, increased modernization, and the struggle to compete with one another in the modern world is leading to mental clutter. The working class, students, homemakers, adults, and even the older generation are among the sufferers of mind clutter.

Relationships are weakening day by day, and the focus has shifted to other things. Long hours are spent on social media where you are exposed to only the good part of others’ lives, and it makes you feel bad about yourself. You drown in a negative space and allow for mental clutter to strengthen its position in your mind. We miss seeing the struggles of people, and instead, look directly at their successes and start feeling like a failure. Then you take this failure to heart and feel as if it is impossible for you to achieve your goal. This again gives rise to unnecessary thoughts.

One should get involved in activities that are healthy and interactive. This helps in decluttering. Instead of spending long hours on social media, force yourself to spend some quality time with your family and friends. Give way to positive energy as this will eventually help you to look through the mist of your mind.

Exercise to improve your focus and try to organize your thoughts. Make time for yourself, prioritize your tasks and do not start all of them at the same time as this will add to your anxiety and will make you feel helpless. This eBook is an attempt to help you through your journey of decluttering your mind. I will shed light on all the aspects that need to be considered while getting rid of mental clutter and will also discuss the numerous ways that can help you overcome clutter in your mind.

Symptoms of Mental Clutter

One of the most nefarious parts of mental clutter is the fact that many of its aspects serve to mask the fact that there is an issue in the first place. As such, if you have let your mental clutter build up unchecked for years, then you may be extremely cluttered without even realizing it. If you are worried that this is the case, consider the following list of symptoms and see if they apply to you.

Increased confusion

Do you find yourself frequently confused by things that you used to handle with ease? Senses of general confusion, often accompanied by either fear, worry, or both, as well as a general sense of feeling scatterbrained are signs that you may be dealing with an influx of mental clutter.

Chattier inner voice

Everyone has a mental narrator who operates in the back of their mind to some degree. If that voice seems to never shut up, then you may be dealing with an influx of mental clutter. If your inner dialogue goes from normal amounts to what amounts to a constant noise in the background, then this should be considered a red flag that you potentially have mental clutter.

Increased chaos

While there are always going to be certain events in our lives that sow disorganization and chaos when they appear, this should be the exception and not the rule. As such, if you find that you are always dealing with a large amount of chaos in your life, either physical or mental, then you may need to take a closer look at your mental clutter and see if that isn’t part – or all – of the problem.

Increased conditions or rules

When it comes to