A place for everything. And everything in its place (for your thoughts).

Nayan Karnavat

When we try to declutter physical spaces – our homes, office desk, or a workshop, this simple rule helps. And once everything is in its place, it’s easy to find your keys. Or the memo from the office. It simplifies things and makes everything faster. It’s less about finding the perfect place for everything and more about the peace that comes from knowing what goes where.

 
Can it be applied to our thoughts too?

Imagine every thought in your brain to be a piece of paper. Some could be bits while others could run into pages. If you don’t have a system to manage, retrieve all that paper – you won’t be able to see through the clutter. There are days when your brain jumps thoughts every minute. Are you able to achieve much on such days? 

 
If a thought is worth holding on to, it needs a place.
  • Your goals need a place so you can read through them every day or week. List them on your desktop wallpaper (small text in one corner.) Or you could use a Note-taking app.
  • Tasks that get you to your goals need a place. Big goals will mean more tasks and a higher need for having an easy-to-use task manager app. Instead of keeping them in various places – inboxes, chat apps, or reminder alarms, having all of them in one place is stress-busting.
Tasks
  • If you have recurring tasks or events, put them in one place instead of several. Preferably choose a task manager that allows recurring tasks.
  • Your finances can become a mess if you don’t have a structure. Use an expense manager to put away all your transactions. Come back to it every week or month depending on your needs. And stop bothering about it at all other times.
  • Ideas need a place. So do movies to watch and things to buy. Maintain a note for all frequently used lists on a reliable, shareable, and easy-to-use app.
  • Create a ritual to check and reply to messages at fixed times instead of allowing notifications to hijack your time. Turn off notifications of all apps (except one email maybe).

These are just a few ideas to find a place for your thoughts and declutter your brain. Start with the one you are most convinced about. Experiment a bit. You will soon find what works best for you. If there are other aspects of your work that feel messy, find a structure to keep the messiness organized. A home for everything.

And if you could do this at scale – with a team, or an entire organization, you will create transformation. And see your teams’ productivity improve (drastically).

 
A word of caution.

Sticking to the system is hard work – especially if you have a lot on your table (mind). The system will work only if you are rigorous. Rigorous till you are habituated. Then it will flow like water.

The main ideas discussed above are:
  1. A task list for tasks – one-time and recurring
  2. An expense manager for your transactions
  3. A note-taking app for all your lists and ideas
  4. A ritual to check messages at fixed times (only)