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Clear Some Mental Clutter

12/22/2019

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Do you ever have things you want/need to do that don't get done?  They are what I call "one day tasks."

Here's one of my one day tasks; For a few years I've wanted a gutter for my back door - a small need in the big scheme of life.  Living in Southern California we historically have been in a drought . However, that changed last year when we got a lot of rain.  So last year when I went out my backdoor during the rain, I'd have a waterfall coming off of my roof and I'd think to myself, "I must call a gutter guy."  

My "I must call a gutter guy" one day thought always seemed to come up when it rained.  I remember thinking in the summer I should call a gutter guy because they would probably be available in the dry season.  However, I never got around to it.  It would get filed in the back of my mind.

Do you have small things you want for your life that you put off and file under one day tasks?  They just never get attended to.  And as time goes on the one day tasks come into your mind and you don't take action?  It's being human to have this behavior.  We want things, but other things take our attention and we put the thing we want to the back of our mind for "one day".

I believe these one day tasks build up and accumulate as mental clutter.  Something triggers us and we are reminded of the task and then push it down.   This behavior reminds me of the kids game "Whack a Mole."  The mole comes up and you wack it down and it pops up again and you wack it down.  So I ask, what Moles are you whacking down in your life?

It is taking action on the little things in life that can make a big difference in the quality of life.  What nagging things are popping up and creating mental clutter for you?  What one day task would you like done?

I cleared a one day task this week when I heard it was going to rain.   I was determined to get a gutter guy to my house to put up the needed gutters before the rain started.  It happened, the gutter guy came on Saturday.  Can I just tell you what a relief that was to take that one day task out of my head!  A gutter...YES, it made me happy and cleared some mental clutter!  And, tonight we had a huge downfall of rain and my gutters are nicely dong their job.  My husband opened the backdoor and said "Wow, look at this - no waterfall!"

When we let one day tasks accumulate in our mind we support mental clutter.  And, the cool thing is we are at choice at any time to do things differently.  Once you realize you have accumulated one day tasks in your mind, follow these easy steps to start taking control and getting the tasks done and clearing your mental clutter:

1) Make a list of the one day tasks currently living in your mind.
2) Decide which one day task you want to work on first (do an easy one for quick success and motivation.)
3) Create a plan for doing the one day tasks you listed in Step 1; add tasks to your calendar.
4) Choose to maintain an ongoing one day task list (this gets it out of your head and sets you up for success.)
5) Acknowledge yourself for choosing to manage your one day tasks and clear some mental clutter in the process.
6) If you get stuck in any of these steps, reach out to me and I'm happy to help you get back on track or set up a plan.


Tip:  Use an App or Notes in your phone to keep your one day task list.  I like the app Wunderlist as I can check things off and share the list - it works great sharing lists with my husband.  There are many apps that can help you keep track of your list.

​Author's Many Hats

I wear many hats - all in service of reminding you that you are a powerful force of energy.  You get to direct your energy in a direction that matters to you.  You are always using it, either intentionally or accidentally. Which do you choose? 
Working with me we  impact many arenas of your life - relationship life, work life, home life, money life and more.

My Hats:
Thought Organizer creating clarity and focus
Personal Development Coach creating bigger impact in client's lives.

Shared Wisdom Circle Facilitator creating group experiences for life impact.
Creator of The Shared Wisdom Project creating positive energy into the world.
Productivity Consultant creating sustainable and personalized solutions for disorganization.
​Activational Speaker creating new perspectives and an invitation to something new for life.

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Doodle Boxes

12/4/2019

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When I was in my corporate job, I was on the phone a lot and doodled while I talked.  Always the same doodles … boxes inside of boxes and more boxes inside of boxes.  The truth was the doodles were a metaphor for how I felt in my corporate job – stuck in a box and soulfully stifled.  
 
Twenty years ago,  I left my corporate job and entered the world of personal development/leadership training.  I started to doodle again and realized I was doodling open designs, circles, and squiggles.  I enjoyed letting my mind wonder and to see what creative piece emerged; It was freeing to my soul.
 
Fast forward to today…I am in the process of creating something new and feeling stuck; I was explaining my stuck place to my coach and saying, “if only I could figure it out, I could organize it in the cell in the excel spreadsheet in my mind and execute it…”  He stopped me and said, “You’re in a BOX!”  OMG, I gasped and the memory of the doodle boxes metaphor came flooding back. 
 
We can all get blindsided by the edges of our boxes; the boxes we know are there and the boxes we discover are unconsciously there.  We all have boxes that keep us from getting what we really want from life … fear, stuck, frustration, overwhelm, beliefs, habits, etc.   It’s what we do when we find a box that can change the course of our life.
 
There are times our mind needs to have things in a box to execute something.  There are times our soul needs to be out of the box to be creative. There are times we dance between both.
 
If you are feeling stuck in any area of your life, I challenge you to look and see if there is a box that needs to be looked into and unpacked.  If you need a hand unpacking the box, I’m a call away!


​Author's Many Hats

I wear many hats - all in service of reminding you that you are a powerful force of energy.  You get to direct your energy in a direction that matters to you.  You are always using it, either intentionally or accidentally. Which do you choose? 
Working with me we  impact many arenas of your life - relationship life, work life, home life, money life and more.

My Hats:
Thought Organizer creating clarity and focus
Personal Development Coach creating bigger impact in client's lives.

Shared Wisdom Circle Facilitator creating group experiences for life impact.
Creator of The Shared Wisdom Project creating positive energy into the world.
Productivity Consultant creating sustainable and personalized solutions for disorganization.
​Activational Speaker creating new perspectives and an invitation to something new for life.

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    Author
    Marilyn Crouch

    I wear many hats ...
    ​
    Empowerment Coach &
    ​Life Strategist 

    Shared Wisdom Circle Facilitator

    Organizing & Productivity Consultant

    Creator of The Shared Wisdom Project

    Activational Speaker

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