Can’t see the wood for the trees? That was literally me this morning! You see…our neighbours had these very tall and bushy trees, which, while they were lovely to look at, except for the diseased bit, it created a lot of mess in the garden and also felt kinda intrusive.
It’s exactly what happens when your mind is full.
Full of stuff that you need to think about, do or you’re holding onto worries about. Those things that you’re carrying on your shoulders and you’re feeling weighed down by.
You can’t see that glimmer of light, you can’t see the branches of new ideas, fresh growth and it just feels like you’re constantly chasing after the dead leaves and not getting anywhere.
You need to do the one thing that feels completely counter intuitive; you need to pause, to stop to breathe.
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash
If you want to create the space for your brain to calm down, to refocus and to begin to sort this out, just stop
Pick up a pen and some paper, write down EVERYTHING that is in your mind right now and I mean EVERYTHING….“I need to put the washing out, oh the cutlery draw needs a clean, those Facebook posts aren’t going to write themselves, I need to call x to arrange y, I just wish I could stay on top of things…”
I know you might look at this and think you could be writing forever, but just give yourself 10 or 20 minutes to let it flow. The most immediate things will surface first.
Now you’ve created some space, go through and highlight the tasks. Pick one task and go and make it happen, immediately if you can. Then, if the time is right, come back and progress another task. Keep going.
Before you know it you’ve made progress.
Here’s the harsh truth. Most people’s lists are NEVER COMPLETE, there is always more to add. But the action of giving yourself some brain bandwidth is the catalyst to beginning.
I’m forever using this handy resource I created and my favourite thing about it? It helps you work out what is helpful from a just getting it done perspective, and what’s going to help you make real change in your life.
Want to test it out for yourself?
Download Transform your To Do List and see what a difference it can make for you.
Amie 💕