Organizing Your Mind (6 Steps)
Reading time – 3 minutes
In Harold Taylor’s newsletter www.taylorintime.com , May 2014, he talked about Organizing your Mind to create the life you want. His advice is still true today. Getting your mind in the right place so you can concentrate on the things that bring you joy, fulfillment and contentment will help you create that life that brings out the best part of you.
By Harold Taylor
Organize your mind than your desk or house
It’s more important to organize your mind than your desk or house. You can always walk away from your desk or house, but you can never walk away from your mind. We must first accept the fact that time is not life, as many of us in the past may have suggested; it is merely the medium through which life passes. And life, as you experience it, is not something that happens to you, but something that happens because of you. You create the life you will experience – good, bad or indifferent – by what you believe, how you think, and what you do.
Mind-clearing session
To create the life that you want, you must first organize your mind. And you do this by clearing it of all the worldly clutter that keeps it preoccupied and constantly distracted. One way of doing this is to engage in a 15 or 20-minute mind-clearing session each morning after you get up and are fully dressed. Don’t do it while you are still in bed and half asleep. This is too important. It will determine how the rest of the day goes. And life takes place in a series of days.
Complete your morning ritual of breakfast, getting the kids off to school, putting out the garbage or whatever your morning routine entails. Then sit comfortably in your favourite chair, and without trying to rid your mind of the random thoughts that will invariably invade it, do the following six things in succession.
6 Steps
- Relax, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and just be aware of the miracle that is you.
- Give thanks for all that you have and have had in the past. Don’t rack your brain trying to think of everything – just those that come to mind quickly.
- Forgive anyone who has hurt or offended you.
- Offer up ten-second prayers, blessings or good wishes for at least three other people each day.
- Think positive thoughts about all your future plans, opportunities and endeavours,
- Decide and confirm how you will spend the next hour of your life. This may already be scheduled in your planner or you may choose something different.
The reason for doing these six things will be explained in the next article in this series on holistic time management. But the reason will probably become clear to you as you progress through each day.
Whether you call this session meditation, mindfulness, or “being in the now” is immaterial. What is important is that you continue to do it each day, modifying it as you go along, until it becomes your unique morning routine. And how you spend the next hour of each day will eventually create the life that you will lead.
Organize your mind than your office or home. Harold Taylor Share on XI think there are some great suggestions to help you focus on the life you want to create. Is anything missing? Let me know in the comments.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
If your mind is organized, your house and everything around you will be.
This is excellent advice. So often when I make a mistake or get overwhelmed, it’s because instead of focusing on the task at hand, I’m thinking about all the other things that need to be done.
That is a wonderful morning mind-clearing routine. Thanks for sharing it! I would use it in conjunction with an evening routine that includes making a list of what is unresolved from that day and what is on the agenda for tomorrow.
I think we need to slow down in the morning to prepare ourselves for the day especially if we suspect it may be a demanding day. Starting your day well is the best gift you can give yourself. I also make a list in the evening for the next day. It helps to relieve my mind of small details and allows me to relax and prepare for a good sleep.
This is a wonderful ritual to follow. I take a few minutes each morning for journaling. It is not exactly the ritual or 6 steps Harold Taylor advises us to take but for me it starts my day just right.
I take a walk each morning. It allows me to clear my thoughts for the upcoming day. Journaling is not a task I enjoy. I am glad that it is part of your routine. I think journaling allows you to look back, when needed, to add perspective to the journal you have travelled and are travelling.
I’m a huge fan of Harold’s and his holistic way of living life and perceiving time. I love the 6-step mind-clearing approach you shared. It makes so much sense. If you begin your day from a place of calm, gratitude, and focus, you’ve given yourself (and everyone around you) a great base to lead from.
I love your comment about starting your day from a calm, focused place with gratitude for what you have and how you can help others. That mindset helps you to be ready to deal with unexpected challenges.
This is so powerful! I was just talking about this with my children in college. Thank you for sharing. =)
There are so many ways to help develop a mindset that prepares you for your day. I am glad you enjoyed reading about these steps.
I love Harold Taylor. He was a guest speaker at a webinar offered by Faithful Organizers, and I loved learning from his many years of experience. I can see how calming and productive these 6 steps can be, and how they can set you off on a good path for the day!
Being intentional about your day helps you to have extra mental and physical energy for the unexpected challenges that arise.
I’m a big fan of taking time each day to think about your blessings, things in your life that need mending, and then setting a course for the day. It’s a way to focus on the positive, release the negative, and focus your energy.
Thank you for your comment. I like the way you worded it. “It’s a way to focus on the positive, release the negative, and focus your energy.” If each day started this way, think how easy it would be to reach your goals.
This is definitely a profound, Zenlike approach, and for those capable of clearing their minds like this, I’m sure the effect is rewarding. Personally,
I’ve never been good at sticking with a gratitude practice and anything that still bothers me after a night of sleep probably won’t ever be forgiven. But I do believe in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s advice about how you should “Finish every day and be done with it…” and try not to take yesterday’s kerfuffles into the new day. I think most people would benefit from this kind of practice, even if we can’t achieve all six steps to the same degree. Thank you for sharing this!
I also have trouble doing a daily gratitude routine. Thank you for sharing Ralph Waldo Emerson’s advice. I can most days finish the day and be done with it. Although there are times when it is impossible and my sleep is restless.
Beautiful idea and I love the calm way Harold writes. When I start my day like this, things always go better!
Harold Taylor writes in a very understandable and encouraging way. He challenges us to do things to make our lives better, make us a better person and he challenges us to grow.