How do you clear your mind?

59 replies
Sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed, I know there are people with a lot more on their plate than me but I find it really hard to kill off inefficiencies and focus on a single task - the only surefire way to enjoy any success.

I know that to be successful I need to clear my mind and focus on a small number of things, but right now I feel like I'm being pulled in all sorts of directions.

How do you stay focused?
#clear #mind
  • Profile picture of the author RARMediaGroup
    Easy. Get a tasty beverage, sit down, and start going through your tasks one by one. We're all human, we can only do one thing at a time so don't stress out.
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    • Profile picture of the author jcpeden
      How do you figure out what you should focus on? Do you keep a log of your performance or the outcome of your ventures?
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    • Profile picture of the author 1234nasir
      Wonderful and perfect answer to the question..........!

      Originally Posted by RARMediaGroup View Post

      Easy. Get a tasty beverage, sit down, and start going through your tasks one by one. We're all human, we can only do one thing at a time so don't stress out.
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      • Profile picture of the author Edie47
        How do I stay focused? I have to write things down. If I try to keep too many thoughts, plans and ideas in my head, it seems like I don't get as much accomplished.

        I've journaled and kept lists for a long time. In order to keep everything in its proper mental place, I write down my goals for the day, week, month, etc. Each night I write a tentative list for the next day and in the morning review and change the list as neeeded. Then I check off what I accomplish until my tasks are done or I need to stop for the day.

        Since I started doing that on a daily basis I've accomplished a lot more!
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  • Profile picture of the author Max Stryker
    I leave the water running.
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  • Profile picture of the author RARMediaGroup
    Start on the most important thing to you, then move down (two things are NOT equally important). Your always making progress, some people move faster than others.
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  • Profile picture of the author browse15
    I want you to think of life as an hourglass. You know that there are thousands of grains of sands on the top of the hourglass and they all pass slowly and evenly through the narrow neck in the middle. Nothing you or or I could do would make more than one grain of sand pass through the neck of the narrow neck without impairing the hourglass. You, I and everyone else are like those hourglass. When we start the day, we are flooded with hundreds of task that we feel that we must accomplish that day, but if we do not take them one at a time and let them pass though the day slowly and evenly, as the grains of sand passing through the hourglass, we are bound to break our physical and mental structure.

    "Text taken from a book that I was reading some time back"
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    • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
      For clearing your mind nothing compares to meditation. If you find it hard to sit still there's some excellent "how to" videos on YouTube for beginners.

      Another excellent way to quickly clear your mind is listening to "Brain Entrainement" Sounds. They're growing in popularity, why? Because they work. You can find many good ones on YouTube also.

      -"A Clear Mind is A Stable Mind"
      - Sri Ravi Shankar
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      • Profile picture of the author Eleanor Hope
        meditation difficult but agree it works once u can get it consistent. Also remember someone once saying that u need to be in the mood - that is when energy high and motivated u get a lot done and if u are not to do something else like - exercise or something u enjoy doing.
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  • Profile picture of the author dinadana
    I love sport.
    It's always hard to go to the gym, but after i feel so energetic and happy!)
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  • Profile picture of the author Victor Edson
    I like playing outside with my daughter. Especially on nice days like today.

    I just sat down with a clean thought process ready to tackle the next task.

    Thing is, like you said there's a lot of different tasks.

    So what I do is jot down some notes on a pad of paper and put a line through as I go.

    Especially when I get really overwhelmed I find this helps, because then I can see what I need to do, pick which one to do first and then just focus on that one part until it's done...or ready to be put back on the list
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Stepp
    Music helps me a lot.

    It doesn't work when I'm listening to music that has lyrics though. I tend to focus more on the lyrics than what I was originally trying to focus on, lol.

    Check this out:
    Digitally Imported - addictive electronic music

    Hover over the 'Listen Now' menu item.

    When I need to clear my mind and/or focus, I open the 'Chillout Dreams' or 'Chillout' MP3 streams. It is 100% free to listen to these MP3 streams.

    I recommend using VLC (VideoLAN - Official page for VLC media player, the Open Source video framework!) to play the stream. It is opensource/free and works on just about every operating system.
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  • Profile picture of the author masterofinternate
    When I get over emotional, Shut the door and cry for sometimes. I fill so relax and light after crying. Then my mind get cool and review the situation then I make my own strategy to stay focusing and fulfill that desire.
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  • Profile picture of the author Carol_A
    Physical activity - go rake a section of your back yard.

    Lie on the bed, close your eyes and force yourself to relive the memory of a positive experience.

    Music.

    Sit outside, get fresh air, look at the trees, listen to the birds.

    Choose one of the above, and when you come back to your computer, you'll be raring to go.



    P.S. I use an old-fashioned timer that 'dings' ........keeps me on the clock when I can get carried away with following rabbit trails on the Internet.

    P.P.S. Turn off automatic delivery of your email and only check it at designated times in the day, morning, noon and evening.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jun Balona
    I bathe. Warm water. In the middle of the night.

    Then I drink a can of iced beer, then go to sleep.

    The next day I feel refreshed. No worries .
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  • Profile picture of the author purplesquril
    Easy.
    Dring another beer, and toss some bills in the shredder.
    \
    dunno if that helps things in the long run though.
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  • Profile picture of the author mjarel
    I turn on music & forget whats happening around me..because other people always busy in building hurdles for you so don't care..
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Frei
    I usually have 100% clear mind in morning, after I wake up. So, sleeping is kind of a way to clear your mind
    Also, you should have goals and a plan written down. Like "my success plan". Once you got it, you can always refer to it and check if your current idea fits your plan. There are just too man ways to earn money, provide value. Chose one and follow your own way.
    At least, it helps me immensely to have goals and plan.
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  • Profile picture of the author DIGITALCHAMELEON
    Motivate yourself, reading motivational books may help you a lot.
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  • Profile picture of the author jtunkelo
    To clear the mind, I just cut out all possible distractions. Flick the phone and iPad to airplane mode, close all video and audio, close email client, close the window facing the street... close close close.

    When there's nowhere for the mind to go but the task at hand.. it gets easy to do. There's a certain pull that comes up in the silence. That's how I generally get all my best work done. Go full hermit, if you will.

    Of course, there's times when you need something more heavy duty to get into it. There's always meditation. Breathing exercises. And so on, and it only takes a few minutes.
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  • Profile picture of the author rr1455
    yes, you need to do all the above... Make sure to write things down and check back to see that you are making progress..... Here is a site that help you with your goals: Goals for Action
    Keep up the great work...
    Roger
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  • Profile picture of the author byronberry
    To clear up my mind without worrying of anything that makes me distract, I first stop in seconds to what I currently working then take a deep breath to relax my mood then close my eyes..then..inhale..exhale..inhale...exhale..then after a while that my mind is clear for any disturbance, that's the time I continue to do the things that needs to be done.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steelpoint
    The thing that has helped me to keep my head clear and cut down on stress is, like other members, writing down your task list. However, just writing them down alone didn't really help me. Until I made some changes to the goal list:

    Before a new month starts, I write down all the major activities that I know need to be completed during the following month. I even write down personal things like how many nights I'll go out with my wife that month.

    The thing that gives this exercise power is when I take those monthly goals and add completion dates next to each of them. By working those activities into the calendar I am giving myself a finite time to complete each task as well as booking that time.

    Schedule your most important activities and goals into your calendar then let everyone else compete for the remainder of your time.


    This is all stuff that we have heard before. The idea is to never write a task down without also writing down the date that you will complete it. That's the part that has made all the difference for me.

    I hope this helps
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  • Profile picture of the author mindmarketing
    I think when you feel like that the best thing to do is just walk away.

    Take a break. Do something completely unrelated to what you're hung up on.

    Daily meditation was already mentioned. Although it doesn't have to be broken down all Buddhist Monk style if that's not your game. Just focus on clearing your mind, and building an awareness of all the things floating around you.

    Nature is a great place for this. Go touch a tree, or walk barefoot in the grass.

    I know it seems hippy, but you need to unplug is my point.
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  • Profile picture of the author Leanne King
    Figure out what your top priorities are ie the actions that will bring you results that you want, break it down into tasks, break the tasks down into things to do each day/hour etc and use a deadline ie (30 minutes) and a timer. Also, do the thing that you are dreading first off during the day because then once you have got that out of way you will feel like you have achieved something and will race through the rest of the tasks. That's what works for me anyway. When I don't follow this system, I fall of the rails and get totally lost and confused
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    • Profile picture of the author James Clark
      I recently posted a video on my blog to do just that. The video was made a few year ago by John Reese. However the link is broken or he remove it.Take a pad of paper and write down what you don't want to think about.

      I found it very useful to get the higher education from inside my head. Personally, I never heard of anyone getting a "B" in Biology and it change their life.

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  • Profile picture of the author packerfan
    Originally Posted by jcpeden View Post

    Sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed, I know there are people with a lot more on their plate than me but I find it really hard to kill off inefficiencies and focus on a single task - the only surefire way to enjoy any success.

    I know that to be successful I need to clear my mind and focus on a small number of things, but right now I feel like I'm being pulled in all sorts of directions.

    How do you stay focused?
    If I really need to just get away from everything, and I mean everything, there's only one thing that works for me. I go to the movie theater and see a movie. It gives me 2 hours to escape and completely forget about everything other than the movie.

    This solves nothing, but sometimes I just need a break.

    In order to make progress I've found the following works better than anything else for me.

    1. I only work on the stuff that matters.

    2. I realize that 99% of everything doesn't matter

    This helps me keep things in perspective and hopefully not be stressed out completely. By working on the 1% I accomplish way more than worrying about the 99% that doesn't matter anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author amenwolf
    A cup of coffee, 2 sticks of ciggys... and maybe a game or 2 of dota.. then I'm ready to start work all over again..

    Unless of course the game was too intriguing that made me end up playing a few more rounds...
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  • Profile picture of the author ankur sharma
    well, here's what you should do. Place candle just 3 feets away from you. Your room should be dark. Keep looking at flame for 5 mins (max. time, till your eyes start watering). Then, close your eyes, you will see reflection of flame. Concentrate on the reflection, after 3 mins the reflection will vanish.Open your eyes again and start the whole process again.

    Keep doing this for 40 mins and you will feel lot of relaxation with no baggage at all.
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  • Profile picture of the author ejb2059
    I step away from my work .. get the leash, and take my dog for a nice long walk -

    Co Co is a rescue that I adopted slightly over a year ago ... Watching her child like playfulness and curiosity always makes me smile and realize it's the simpler things that truly bring me joy ..
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  • Profile picture of the author maidmarion
    Its good to get out and take your mind off what ever work you have back at home.

    Then make a list of the things you need to do, from more important to less important, and get back home, and when you want to start, start ticking off the things. It feels good to see them ticked off. I have a blank board at home where I write down what I need to do. It faces me as soon as I walk in the house, so its hard to neglect it. I rub off when things are done.

    You can do it!
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  • Profile picture of the author success4all
    Originally Posted by jcpeden View Post

    Sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed, I know there are people with a lot more on their plate than me but I find it really hard to kill off inefficiencies and focus on a single task - the only surefire way to enjoy any success.

    I know that to be successful I need to clear my mind and focus on a small number of things, but right now I feel like I'm being pulled in all sorts of directions.

    How do you stay focused?
    It is a very individual thing. To some it is music, to others it is meditation, exercise, sport or some relaxation technique. You have to try different things and find out what works for you best.
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  • Profile picture of the author JTDrew
    What is your end Goal?

    Typically if we are being pulled in to many directions we are not clear of the end result. Are you crystal clear on your end goal? Then work backwards from that to gain clarity on the task at hand that needs to be accomplished.

    "Free the mind and the rest will follow"
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  • Profile picture of the author miavanru
    great posts everyone!
    I have to say it's music for myself, good sound from quality speakers does it everytime. I put in noise canceling earphones and zone out for a song or two. When possible, a run or some kind of exercise gets my mind right.
    Taking these 'brainbreaks' from my work allow me to come back focused on the task at hand.
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  • Profile picture of the author daniel900
    I go to the sauna.
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  • Profile picture of the author SEO Agency
    By just thinking the positive way of life and ignore the negative and bad side of it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aandice Austin
    IMO,you shoud always know what you want, just try to get them!
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  • Profile picture of the author Tonglimit
    hello everyone
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  • Profile picture of the author RyanHaus
    I clear my mind by just sitting in a quite place and taking 3-4 deep breaths while I close my eyes.

    This little trick works quite well for me. It seems to stabilize my thoughts.

    I inhale through my nose and take the biggest breath I can and exhale through my mouth.

    This only takes about 30-45 seconds but you will feel a little more at peace.
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    • Profile picture of the author Hapningnow
      Originally Posted by RyanHaus View Post

      I clear my mind by just sitting in a quite place and taking 3-4 deep breaths while I close my eyes.

      This little trick works quite well for me. It seems to stabilize my thoughts.

      I inhale through my nose and take the biggest breath I can and exhale through my mouth.

      This only takes about 30-45 seconds but you will feel a little more at peace.
      I use this method a lot - especially when I feel overwhelmed. Really gives you a fresh perspective on things. I also have a small desktop fountain that I like to turn on while I am working. The sound of trickling water is very relaxing.
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  • Profile picture of the author dejones
    Meditation is a great exercise to help to improve our concentration. This will help us improve our focus...! :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author madmmd
    i am still struggling to fight information overload when it comes to learning online..
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  • Profile picture of the author davechan
    I find that the best way is to visualize what you want in game to be. For example, if you want a certain type of outcome like a new job and all of your actions should be focused on that outcome. Review all of your actions of the day at that the end of the day and see if they move you forward toward your goal.if there were more non-productive actions toward your goal you should readjust the next day.
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  • Profile picture of the author rcritchett
    I agree with the Niche Man! (and all of the other replies were great)

    Meditation. The challenge is, most people have a connotation with meditation.. like it's something spiritual or esoteric; it's not.

    It's brain optimization. It snags (stimulates neuronal activation and growth) the brain. Minus the neuroscience and the consistent lab proof of the SICK power of your brain and meditation,

    I've been experimenting with it for quite some time, it is the EMPEROR of mind clearing exercises!
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  • Profile picture of the author Anthony Vides
    What I would do is the following:
    First. Ask myself: What is what I really want my business to be focused on?
    There are several options and that is what is overwhelming. You haven't chosen what you want to do.
    Once you have chosen the direction you want to give to your business, go to the second point.
    Second. Select the information you already have(of what you want to do) and organize it.
    Third. Before buying any new thing that sounds like a "secret, loop hole, push button" thing, ask yourself if that purchase is going to help you NOW to build the business you are trying to build.
    Fourth. Delete all the emails not related to your business idea.
    Fifth. Dedicate yourself to shape your business.
    I hope these steps could be of great help for you. Thanks for the opportunity.
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  • Profile picture of the author PLR Basket
    Simple. I stop trying.
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  • Profile picture of the author marilynsmoonwalk
    Usually I go to the perfect place, likes garden i like the beauty of some butterfly around the flower with a fresh air to refresh my mind.
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  • Profile picture of the author lindagamble
    just surfing on net ...
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  • Profile picture of the author hireava
    To stay focused, I simply look or find something that would motivate and inspire me to achieve my goal.
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  • Profile picture of the author QuelThalas
    for example i want to re-learn for a test. i will relaxing my mind by take a deep breath then sit somewhere quite and read it. it really needs effort to stay focus to stay awake and not sleepy.
    for me focus is hard.
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  • Profile picture of the author QuelThalas
    for example i want to re-learn to preparing my test tomorrow. i will take a deep breath then sit somewhere quite and try to read it. it will be so much helpful. i will stay focus and not be sleepy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Maxist
    I find that the easiest road to immediate clarity is to simply accept that you're stressed, or that you can't focus, or whatever. Just say to yourself "yeah I'm having a hard time staying focused right now". From there you can ask yourself "what's the one thing, no matter how small, that I can do, right now, to improve my situation?".
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  • Profile picture of the author PinkVelvet
    The best way to clear my mind is by having a little night walk at the park or just before the sun goes down. The fresh breeze helps and so does walking. If you want to clear your mind, I suggest doing yoga, walking, or even meditation. Some people even relax with dance but it really depends on the type of person you are. Like... right now I'm listening to "bird noises from nature" and that really helps.

    There's a lot of stuff out there that can help you.
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    • Profile picture of the author Eleanor Hope
      love yoga and walking as well - though end up spending too many hours at computer and come away with back pain, when i should have taken own advice and got out the house and take a break. thanks for reminding the importance of clearing your mind
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