I've taught "clearing your mind" as a practice and method for over six years now and if you're not new to Best Today® you've likely noticed that clearing your mind is (1) the first step in previewing your month (2) the first step in previewing your week and is (3) included in both the Best Today® Guide and Clear Your Mind weekly preview pads.
I've also taught this practice to corporate clients and small business owners and it is consistently reported back to me as one of the most helpful things for them. So, today I want to share why and how to make clearing your mind an effective practice that you make work for you, where you are based on your needs, personality and season of life.
And, to make it easier, I've also created the Clear Your Mind pad to give you one place to successfully clear your mind!
First, what does it mean to clear your mind? Is it just a brain dump?
Clearing your mind is the practice of writing down everything that is currently residing in your mind. No category is off limits--work, life, dates, things you've been meaning to do, things you want to do, whatever is in your mind. You operate best when your mind is clear to allow you to focus on the present thing. This is why we clear our minds before previewing and planning our months and weeks, so that we go into the planning process with a clear mind but also aware of what was residing in our minds. The list now lives on paper and not in our heads.
Clearing your mind, however, as a practice is not a simple brain dump where you write and then let it stop there. The clear your mind practice allows you to now review what you've written and then categorize it: now, next, later. You can also decide if anything on that list is "never." You won't get to it, give it any of your capacity or energy or resources, and it can end there.
One important thing to note: CLEARING YOUR MIND IS NOT MAKING A 'TO DO' LIST. Say that out loud with me please, "clearing your mind is NOT making a 'to do' list. You don't need a to do list to function with intentionality. You do need an understanding of what matters, what you have capacity for and what you will prioritize (and this includes things that don't tend make "to do" lists like movement, rest, nourishment, community, time with self, etc...)
How often do you do this practice of clearing your mind?
There are many ways to use this clear your mind practice, so you will do this in a way that meets your needs. But there are two times when you will make this a practice that I've already alluded to.
Previewing Your Month and Week.
Once you're done you place the items where they belong: within the month or week as needed or make plans to add them to "later" and note when "later" is.
At the end of the month or week you discard that Clear Your Mind sheet and start a new sheet.
Other Ideas
- I have worked with some clients who complete a Clear Your Mind sheet every Friday at the end of the work week so that they go into their weekends with a clear mind. They then will review that list on Sunday when they preview their weeks.
- I recently used the Clear Your Mind pad to plan the product launch for the new January products (pictured below). I listed the things I would work on that week in the "now", the following week in "next", and the week after that in "later". On the left hand side I listed out everything else that I knew needed to be done and then I added everything to my calendar. The CYM practice helped me to get everything out that needed to be done but it doesn't end there, I then put each result that I needed on the calendar so I knew when I was going to have it done. This is why it isn't a passive brain dump.
- Clearing your mind about a project around the house and categorizing what will get done and then communicating it to the family.
- Quarterly clearing your mind if you do quarter planning. Use that to assign things for each month within the quarter.
- Any time and any place where you find yourself weighed down by so many thoughts and ideas in your head, use the Clear Your Mind practice as a first step. So yes, you can use these daily and discard the same day! It brings you so much peace of mind to see everything in one place and then make a plan for what is listed.
We've made clearing your mind easy with our new Clear Your Mind Pad that provides you with two sizes of sheets, both with 50 pages.
Clearing Your Mind is a great first step in well, clearing your mind. And then deciding what you will do with each thing on your Clear Your Mind pad. This could look like delegating something to someone else, scheduling it, putting it within your week, deciding it's not a priority and removing it from your list you've created or deciding to take action on it immediately.
I want to hear how you will use the Clear Your Mind practice and the Clear Your Mind Pad to aid in your life! Share with us in the comments, in the Best Today® Community or text us at 404-737-1002! We're thrilled to see how you use this practice to allow your mind to function without the weight of so many open tabs!
Questions? Share them below, I would love to help!
