How to Manage Your Mind and
Figure Out What Drives You

by ants

How did you get along with your planning this week? Did you make progress and what happened when you said ‘no’ to what was not possible, scheduled or accounted for in your diary? (if you haven’t read last weeks post yet, you may want to read it first here: Effective Time Management for Smart People)

Manage Your Mind

Let’s take a look at what it means to manage your mind this week i.e. taking control of your thought processes, thinking skills and decision making abilities.

Remember, you cannot be held responsible for the minds or agendas of others, so you are far better off managing your own mind and schedule.

Make some quiet time daily. Commit to the same time every day and start with at least 10 minutes and increase that time incrementally as you get better at it.
Switch off phones, radios and televisions and remove any other potential distractions. Close your door and request not to be interrupted during this time.
Ideally you should do this at the beginning of the day and again at the end if you have the time. Winding down at the end of a tough day is a good idea not only because you are totally spent and exhausted. Instead, consciously choose how you would like to begin and end your day.
Use a technique (with closed eyes) such as breathing, meditation, contemplation or whatever you prefer as a means to spend some quiet time alone. This is not the time to read a book or run through your tasks in your head but instead to be still and to let what happens, happen without interfering with the process.
Focus on your breathing and be still – pay attention and be aware. Thoughts will occur but this is not the time to fight those. Simply be with what is and because things are the way they are right here and now.

The problem we face today is that we are bombarded with inbound messages, advertisements, images, information, noise, interruptions, demands, requests and all sorts of other non-stop 24-hour a day stimuli, which vies for our attention or immediate decision making and/or action. It leads us to the frenzied madness of rushing around and making incorrect or impulsive decisions, with much regret later.

This further drives the addiction to ALWAYS be on the button without any control over the on-off switch making us slaves and powerless to the demands.

We cannot blame our stressful jobs or demanding bosses alone for this affliction because it us who have become like addicts who have no control over hitting that send/receive button every few seconds whilst in the middle of something (even a social engagement) just in case that all important email, text, phone call or message has arrived or will arrive any second now. Surely we stand to lose out if we aren’t continuously checking our inboxes, mobile phones, replying to our skype messages, updating our Facebook profiles, replying on Twitter, visiting our post boxes or dialing into our voicemail waiting for that one thing that will change the landscape.

This is not helping the ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder) syndrome and epidemic, which both children and adults suffer from and which affects our own pockets and costs governments, companies and employers billions a year in medication and therapy.

We have chosen to be available 24×7x365 and our lifestyles have come to depend on it.

And you can do MORE to manage your mind.

Now that you have quietened your frenzied thought processes, which will assist you in being calmer with more sound judgment, what else is left to do?

Consider a few other important factors, which influence your decision-making, your rationale and your ability to be efficient.

Cut out or cut down on stimulants. The more stimulants you have in a day, the more erratic your behaviour and thought patterns will become. You feel low or bored and then you reach for the sugar, caffeine or a cigarette, which instantly gives you the temporary high you are after. This however is very short-lived, and will leave you feeling low and thus seeking more of the same very soon! A vicious cycle and dangerous roller coaster ride. Caffeine is a powerful stimulant and found in coffee, tea, chocolates, fizzy and energy drinks and hidden in many others raise your adrenalin which in turn makes you edgy, jittery and unable to concentrate on one thing for too long without either satisfying the craving or looking for something else, like pushing the send-receive button incessantly. Best to avoid it, cut down or have a decaf alternative. Sugar will affect your blood sugar levels, which affects your moods and energy levels so as with caffeine, avoid it, cut down or use an alternative.
Don’t skip breakfast and keep it light and healthy. A heavy breakfast will drain the blood from your brain in order to digest whatever is in your stomach, leaving you lethargic and tired before the day has even begun.
Perform some light exercise. Any exercise that requires you to breathe fully into your lungs will assist you in becoming clearer and leave you feeling more energetic!
Clear out the clutter! If you have to search hours on end for an article, email, document or even a physical thing in your surroundings every time you have a request for it, it will drive you crazy and waste a lot of valuable time and energy! David Allen’s Getting Things Done deals very effectively with how to set up your Inbox so that you can categorise and file things away for ease of find and peace of mind!
Get a good night’s sleep. If you are well rested, you will concentrate better on the tasks at hand. And if the amount of stimulants you consume daily interferes with your sleep pattern then we need to talk. Having a good night’s sleep will go a long way in getting you up earlier to start your day and leave you feeling refreshed and ready to go about your day bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. 

What Drives You?

Last but not least, a keen sense of awareness of what your internal drivers are can assist you in overcoming any obsession you have with constantly seeking information or wanting to know first what is happening around you all of the time.

Ask yourself the following questions to become aware of your behaviours and habits:

Will knowing first change the landscape drastically or significantly? If the answer is yes and your job depends on knowing first, then who can you delegate this task to whilst you are getting things done in your life?
What is driving your behaviour for wanting to be ‘wired’ all of the time? Does this feel natural or do you feel as if something is missing from your life?
Are you in control or being controlled by your behaviour/s?
Are you jittery, nervous or anxious all of the time? Could this be related to the stimulants your take or the kinds of food your consume daily or lack of sleep?
Are you able to sit or be still and concentrate on tasks without feeling like something is missing or about to happen any moment?
Are you able to concentrate on and complete a task without the urge to perform or complete other tasks simultaneously?
Can you commit to and complete things and bring them to fruition or do you always bail out ahead of time?
Do you enjoy what you do and do you feel stimulated by it? If not, what are you really waiting for and what is stopping you from achieving it or making another decision?

If you are struggling to answer any of these questions or need to talk to someone about your answers, please contact me so we can discuss how to get you time efficient and happy whilst getting things done in your life!

Until the next time, happy productivity!