From the course: Time Management Fundamentals

Selecting your mind clearing options

From the course: Time Management Fundamentals

Selecting your mind clearing options

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- Now let's explore the second principle of productivity, mind, specifically, having a clear mind, a mind uncluttered with to-dos action items and unresolved concerns. A cluttered mind is constantly in a state of switch tasking. It's distracted, less creative and less equipped to communicate productively with others. So develop the habit of moving unresolved tasks from your mind and putting them into approved gathering points. In the previous chapter about space, you selected about six gathering points to keep your physical space organized. These gathering points can also keep your mind clear of clutter. When an unresolved task comes into your head, quickly put it into an approved gathering point. Let's say you're at your workspace. And suddenly you remember, you want to hang up a new picture on the wall. You could write yourself a note and put that note in your physical inbox. If you're away from your desk at lunch and you realize you forgot to send a file to a coworker, you could send yourself an email to take care of it. Maybe you're driving and you think of a project you need to work on at home, at a safe place to stop, you could dictate a message to your digital notepad. Use whatever approved gathering point works best for you in the moment. Just get the thought out of your head because your mind is not an approved gathering point. Over time, you may find that some gathering points work best for you. I find I'm most effective when I'm processing email. So I'll often email myself when these thoughts pop up. Play to your strengths. You can start using this habit right now. Did something come into your mind that was unresolved while you were watching this video? Put that thought into an approved gathering point right now. The more you practice this habit, the more your brain will become focused, creative and ready to communicate.

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