College football is on, summer is gone and the kids have been back in school for over a month. Order has returned to our household. Leisure days have been replaced with schedules and the next 8 months will be filled focus and productivity. Well…that is the goal.

It’s hard for me to work from home. There are many distractions and thoughts that cause my mind to go array each time I sit down. I need to wash this load of laundry before Noah’s soccer practice tonight. Or…If I prepare this dish now, we can have a decent dinner tonight and I’ll still be able to make that meeting.

I’ve tried organizing the house and removing the clutter. But somehow it doesn’t help with the decluttering of my mind. Hundreds of half-thoughts swirl around in my brain and prevent me from completing a thought or project.

Perhaps I am a bit A.D.D. but there must be steps I can take that go beyond decluttering my physical space and into my mental space. So I began to do a bit of research and pulled together a few steps I found that may be beneficial to those you who also deal with lack of cerebral order. Most are common sense and ones I’ve seen before but often repetition and reminders are all we need.

1.    Put down the remote and iPod. We are the iPod generation who fears quietness. Noise is constantly around and prevents our minds and souls from having a breather. Often our latest download or the morning news show causes us to miss the “still small voice” trying to communicate wisdom and guidance. How do we expect our minds to focus when there is constant stimulation distracting us from the present?

2.    Pick the essential(s). Clutter is the result of our indecisiveness. Irritation with a spouse, fear of failure on a project, dissatisfaction with our possessions. We unconsciously mull over many items in our brain throughout the day. The physiological response to these stressors drains our bodies and minds of valuable energy. Take time pick what is important, those things that you have control over and are able to make right – pray about it and then do what it takes to resolve it.

3.    Purge the rest. If it is out of your control, put it in the purge pile and, sorry for the cliché but, give it to God. He can handle it better than you and you’ve gained the freedom of mind to move forward.

4.    Pause. On days when a deadline is beating down your back and your mind is closing up – take a breather. Step outside, go sit in your car, close your door and your eyes. Reconnect with the Holy Spirit and literally breathe Him in. Scripture tells us God breathed life into Adam (Gen. 2:7) – ask Him to breathe creativity, focus, new life into you. We have not because ask not, right?

5.    Physical. Move, take a walk, go for a run or bike ride. Be physical for as long as time allows. One study discovered working out as little as 8 minutes will reduce tension, anger and sadness.

6.    Print it. Make a “to do” list. It helps those of us who are easily distracted to focus on one thing at a time.

7.    Put one foot in front of the other. To piggy-back on the previous - focus on your present step. Studies are revealing the myth of the multi-tasker. Multi-tasking makes us less productive and increases our anxiety as we end our day with a handful of unfinished projects. Don’t fall prey to it.

8.    Pray. Prayer has been mentioned periodically in previous steps but it’s often the last one we go to. Uh…and I just realized I put it at the end of my list. So – instead of cutting and pasting – I’m leaving it here to show how it’s often the last to cross our mind. Pray without ceasing and God will reveal what to purge, where to put you focus, when to pause, what to print, etc.

The purpose of the brain is not just to keep us alive and control our interests, personality, skills, thoughts, memories, etc. God made our brains to create, produce, discover, invent along with many other tasks. By decluttering our mind we are able to use it more efficiently and be all God created us to be.

Do you other ways you declutter your mind?