Value Your Mental Real Estate

“When bringing order to our surroundings, it’s important to consider the value of the real estate. For instance, a desk is extremely valuable real estate; be very selective about what’s on the surface of a work desk, as well as in any shelves, drawers, or cabinets that are within easy reach...work is easier when prime real estate is reserved for the most useful materials.” Gretchen Rubin from Outer Order, Inner Calm

If you’ve read Gretchen Rubin, you know she is on a quest to live life better and help others do the same. Best known for her NYT bestselling book, The Happiness Project, Gretchen has several gems worth investigating if you are seeking a practical path to happier, healthier living. I am currently enjoying her gem, Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness.

This book is oddly exciting and is a great companion to my current collection of daily readings. I, like Gretchen and like you, am on a quest to live life better. I want to get the most from my days, my relationships, and my daily living. As part of my quest, I am seeking peace, joy, patience, clarity, and wisdom in my daily life. I am seeking calm in my life spiritually, relationally, and emotionally. This has led me to thinking of how I can declutter my outer and inner world.

Outer Order, Inner Calm is written in a practical way to deal with the clutter and disorganization in our home and work environments, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the clutter and disorganization in my mind. I was excited when I came to page 27, Protect Your Prime Real Estate. Gretchen compares the working area of a desk to real estate that needs to be guarded. We need to be intentional about what enters our desks and what stays on our desks.

The last few days, I’ve been taking inventory of my mental real estate. I’ve been reflecting on what fills my mind, what consumes my mental energies, and what is the clutter I can clear to create some space and some peace of mind. Gretchen has three key questions to help deal with clutter. In fact, she recommends we ask these questions about everything we own.

Do we need it?

Do we use it?

Do we love it?

If the answer to any of these is yes,

then we need to ask ourselves,

“where does it belong?”

So how does that translate to declutter and create some space in our minds? The answer begins with awareness. When we are aware, we can assess. Let’s consider our immediate physical surroundings. When we look at everything, we can be overwhelmed. But when we focus and deal with one item, it becomes manageable. Is this object needed? Useful? Do I love it? If so, where does it belong? In the same way, we can scan our thoughts and place our focus on one single thought. One piece of mental clutter. Is this thought needed right now? Is it useful? Do I love thinking about it? If the answer is yes, make time or schedule time for it.

One way to begin a mental thought inventory is with a journal. Schedule a small block of time to write down everything that consumes your thought life. I’ve found this to be a revealing practice. It’s like taking a moment to look at everything that clutters our desks. Then we can sit back and assess where we are and what deserves our attention, our mental real estate.

So today, I challenge you to seek some inner calm. Make some room. Create some space. We have some valuable real estate that deserves our attention and intention. So take a look, take a breath, and dig in. Oh, and pick up a copy of Outer Order, Inner Peace. This is one book that definitely deserves some desktop real estate.

Have a calm and happy day!