How Keeping Our Thoughts Clear Helps Us Keep Our Physical Space Organized

Typically when people think of clutter and disorganization, it is directly related to the space around them. However, many people deal with chaos and disorganization within their minds. 

The world can be overstimulating and overwhelming, especially for busy moms who are shuttling kids all over the place while juggling the demands of a career while running a household.

It is a lot for one person to take on at one time. And easy to feel overwhelmed.

It can be a messy mental space without a way to sort, purge, and organize those thoughts. Time to clean it up and clear it out! 

SPACE Method: How a Professional Organizer Takes Home Organization and Applies it to Your Mind

At Organized by Keli & Co, our Denver professional organizers use the SPACE method from home organization expert Julie Morgenstern when helping clients sort, purge, and organize their homes.

This framework helps navigate our organizing sessions.

SPACE (in regards to spatial organization) stands for: 

• Sort

• Purge

• Assign

• Contain

• Equalize

When creating clear minds, we shook up the professional home organization acronym slightly but kept a similar approach. Sometimes all you need is a good brain dump to move forward. Sometimes our brains become cluttered just like the closet- so its time to use processes and resources to reduce stress and create solutions.

When talking about your mindset, our SPACE method shifts to looking something like this:e

• Sort

• Prioritize

• Action

• Celebrate

• Evaluate

Let’s break down these steps and how you can support an organized lifestyle by maintaining a clear mind because your mindset is a game changer!

Sort

The first step to a clear mind is to sort through all the mental clutter. What is the best way to do this? Sit down and do a brain dump the old-fashioned way. You could use the notes app on your device, but personally, I find that physically writing out your brain dump is beneficial. 

Don’t worry about getting everything right or making sure your thoughts are organized. You are just putting all of your ideas onto paper. 

This doesn't have to be a big project- just work quickly to get everything unpacked from your mind. It will be disorganized and that's ok!

Prioritize

Now that you have all your thoughts on paper, you can start to purge the unimportant and prioritize the things that need attention. This is similar to decluttering a closet. What items can be discarded or delegated?

Chances are that quite a few things are hanging out up there that can be pushed aside for now (or even for good). If you feel like you’ve got a million and one things to do and you can’t keep them all straight.

Action

Take action on the thoughts that need your immediate attention. These are unavoidable tasks or to-do list items that are a priority above all else.

Celebrate

Celebrate your wins—both large and small. A victory is a victory! Give yourself props for the progress you have made. Even checking off three items on your to-do list is worth celebrating. (Sometimes, I even like to write something down that I just finished for the pure satisfaction of crossing it off of my list)

Evaluate

You’ll need to revisit your mental load and evaluate the items on your list from time to time. Determining what priorities are prevalent now is important. Your priorities will shift over time, which means your to-do now items may move up and down on that list. By evaluating your mental dump, you’ll be able to slowly but surely clear the clutter. 

Additional Tips for Cleaning and Clearing Your Mind

It takes both exercise and healthy food choices to make an impact and a positive change for your body. I would argue a similar correlation exists between your mental and physical clutter. Inner and outer calm work together to create a simplified way of living. 

Here are some ways to reach mental clarity and help preserve your inner calm.

Give the Digital World a Rest and Write it Out

Much of the world has gone digital and for some people managing their thoughts digitally works. For many, like me, it does not. I need to be hands-on (kinesthetic) to achieve my goals. For me, paper and pencil are magic–especially when I need to organize my thoughts.

Stressful thoughts are intrusive and difficult to sort through and find the cause of the distress. Putting your words down on paper helps make it easier to understand what is happening mentally. For this, you can even take up journaling. Some tips for journaling those thoughts out of your mind:

• Be consistent - Block a specific amount of time daily. Turn it into a ritual, such as writing before bed each evening. Brain dumping before bed could even help you sleep easier.

• Go with the flow - Don’t try to make sense of your writing. Let your thoughts flow onto the paper.

• Keep your journal on hand - Keeping your journal with you during the day will allow you to brain dump when needed. 

• Reflect on your thoughts - Take time to reflect on what you’ve written and use these notes to help make changes that will keep you mentally clear. 

Unplug + Pause

Again, the digital world can leave our brains feeling like mush. Staring at screens alone overstimulates our brains. To successfully clear your mind, try these techniques: unplug and pause. 

Each option offers your brain a chance to reset itself and refocus. 

Unplug

Devices offer a stream of constant distractions. From text messages and emails to mindless scrolling on social media, our overstimulated brains never have much chance to find calm and clarity. Unplugging and reconnecting with nature can help calm your brain and minimize the onslaught of information it typically endures. 

Pause

A simple strategy for clearing your mind—especially when you feel unfocused or stressed–is to pause your current activity. Inserting a moment of pause—even a brief two to three minutes—can make a world of difference in your day. Focus on the silence and take deep breaths to find that inner peace and clear your mind. 

Finding Mental Clarity is Crucial in Developing a Powerful Mindset

Knowing how to clear your mind and sift through the mental clutter will help create calm, clear physical spaces. A clear mind is a powerful mind, and you’ll find priceless results and benefits from having a clear mind: 

• More energy

• Boosted creativity and flow

• Improved memory skills

• Clarity during stressful times

• Control over negative thoughts

• Able to process heavy emotions and situations more clearly

• Develop an easy-going, magnetic personality

Decluttering Your Mental and Physical Space with the Assistance of a Denver Professional Organizer

Organized by Keli & Co understands what it means to be trapped beneath clutter–mentally and physically. Taking time to recenter yourself can help you improve in leaps and bounds within the walls of your home. 

These tips and tricks and our SPACE method can help you become mentally strong. However, finding mental clarity is the first step to clearing your space and living a simpler, more effective lifestyle. If you find yourself struggling with keeping your home in order, our home organizers can help. 

Contact Organized by Keli and Co and see how we can help take your home organization to the next level. You’ve done the hard work mentally; hire us to help you organize your home.

Our comprehensive professional organizing services are ready to make a difference and help you maintain a clear mind and home in your Denver, CO house.