Mental clutter hurts my brain. When I say this, I’m not talking about the traditional version of mental clutter that involves limiting beliefs. So let me explain what I mean.
When I am wrestling with complex decisions like working through the practical aspects of a creative idea or creating content, my mind is in overdrive. After a few hours, my brain can start to feel like a microwaveable meal spinning around on a glass plate without the appropriate ventilation holes in the plastic film.
But that’s okay. To me, although wrangling with a complex decision is challenging, it’s essential to the overall health of my life or business in the end. So I don’t mind a bit of discomfort.
But mental clutter isn’t about making complex decisions. Mental clutter is the stuff that exhausts my mental brainpower and keeps me from thinking straight when it’s time to make those game-time decisions.
I’ve spent hours on Yelp trying to pick the best restaurant for dinner when I should be working. I’ve spent inordinate amounts of time and missed deadlines by obsessing over the margins on a Word document. I’ve been late for appointments because I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to wear.
Mental clutter uses your brain power to sweat the small stuff because your brain doesn’t discriminate. It will expend just as much energy on insignificant matters as it will on complex decisions if you let it.
Mental clutter is exhausting and time-consuming, and when you are running your life or business, spending your mental energy on the small stuff is a time waster. So here are some ideas for clearing out mental clutter and leaving room for those bigger decisions:
Let Someone Else Dress You
I can’t even begin to express the angst I have felt over the years trying to decide what to wear to work in the morning. Generally, I like to be expressive and unique in my style. It’s just that no one told me that as an adult, you’ll have to choose between styling yourself in the morning and eating, feeding kids, making lunches, and getting out the door on time. You can do one or the other, but not both.
Instead of shopping for clothes, use styling services like StitchFix or Trunk Club and let them pick for you. You’ll save tons of time and energy. If you don’t want to pay for a service, try creating seasonal capsule closets for yourself once a quarter with clothes you already own. That will narrow your options and decision making down to a few pieces instead of your entire wardrobe.
Speaking of Lunch, Be Okay With Feeding Your Kids (And Yourself) the Same Thing
When I was a kid, I ate a peanut butter (no jelly) sandwich almost every day. I ate it because I wanted a peanut butter (no jelly) sandwich every day, and I genuinely liked it when I saw it in my lunchbox. But for some reason when I pack lunch for the kids in my life, I feel like I should offer some variety. I give options. I ask for input.
Why do I do this when I know with certainty that there are meals that the kiddos will eat and enjoy over and over again too? Mental Clutter.I question if it’s a good idea to feed them the same thing. I wonder if they want variety. Plus there are all of these great lunch ideas on Pinterest.
In reality, the kiddos couldn’t care less about eating the same things, and for the most part, neither do I when I really think about it. Don’t overcomplicate lunch for yourself or anyone else. Choose 3-4 meal options and rotate them accordingly.
Automate Your Groceries
There is life before automating groceries, and there is life after. Life after automation is much better. Going to the grocery store is the leading cause of overspending, over buying new “foods” you won’t eat or don’t like, and wasting time in unnecessarily long lines. Don’t bother. Use Instacart, Amazon, Shipt or any other service you need to automate your grocery shopping process. Most of the services are fairly inexpensive, but they are all worth every penny.
Set Deadline For Decisions
I can wrangle with even the smallest decision for days and weeks if I don’t set parameters. So when it comes to small line items in my business or life, I set deadlines for myself and stick to them. Creating some parameters around the decision-making process helps me get things done instead of just thinking about getting things done. It also helps me to remember that the only wrong choice is not making one.
Choose to be a satisficer over a maximizer
The book Paradox of Choice talks about the difference between maximizers and satisficers. A satisficer is a person who takes action once her criteria are met. It doesn’t mean she settles for mediocrity. It just means that when she is searching for a hotel, a car, or a pasta sauce as soon as she finds something that fits the bill, she makes a decision and is satisfied.
A maximizer has FOMO, or the fear of missing out. A maximizer wants to make the optimal decision. So even if she finds a taco bar on Yelp that means her requirements, her inquiry won’t stop there. She won’t leave her house and go to the restaurant until she has examined every possible choice and knows that she is making the best possible decision.
The author of Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz, argues that satisficers tend to be happier than maximizers because they spend less time and energy making a decision. He also contends that once a maximizer makes a choice, she is still unhappy because she continues to be anxious about whether she made the right choice.
I agree with Barry except I call maximizing your options mental clutter. The best way to make a decision, especially on the small stuff, is to create a criterion, find the thing that meets it, decide, and move on. You’ll be happier in the long run and can choose to expend your mental energy on more important matters.
Are you a maximizer, a satisficer, or both? Let me know in the comments below. How can you use this knowledge to clear mental clutter and make game-time decisions? I want to hear about that too below.
