Have you ever been working on your computer when it starts acting funny? You know, it gets sluggish and takes longer to complete tasks, or it doesn't do what you want it to do--or even seems to take on a mind of its own and starts doing things you didn't even tell it to do!
Our minds get like that from time to time as well. Your mind can only do so much processing before it starts to get overwhelmed and just can't process things as effectively as it used to. This is normal and does not mean you're ADD or need to go to the doctor to get a prescription or to fill you with more caffeine!
Every once in a while, it's necessary to clear your mind from all the information processing you've been doing for your job and your personal life, and get a fresh start.
What are you options when this happens (to your mind as well as you computer)? You can keep going round and round with it, hoping it will clear up on its own (though it usually gets worse instead), yell at it to "shape up," or find some ways to work around the problem (which often ends up taking more time and effort).
Usually the best solution, however (and sometimes the last resort) is to give it a fresh start by rebooting (shut down and restart). I find that 95% of the time this solves the problem completely.
On your computer, it's simple to do--either hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete or the power button. But how do you reboot your mind?
As you've probably noticed with your computer, it's a good practice to get into to have a regularly scheduled reboot, data defrag, and virus/malicious software scan.
1. MENTAL REBOOT Daily Refreshers (like refreshing your screen occasionally through the day)--take a few deep breaths; get up to stretch or go for a walk down the hallway; have a few sips of water; switch tasks (e.g., go from something left-brained--logical--to something right-brained--creative); close your eyes and take a purposeful "mental vacation" for a minute or two; exercise; meditate or engage in self-hypnosis (you can find some good-quality hypnosis CD's to make it easier).
Weekly Refreshers (like hitting "restart") take time once a week to review your tasks and results, and plan for the week ahead. Write down what you want to accomplish in the coming week. Assign your tasks to certain days and times to make sure you're not overextending yourself and are accomplishing things in a reasonable amount of time. Be sure to also schedule time for relaxing activities such as a hobby, time with friends or family, fun activities, or a bike or stroll through a nearby park or along the ocean.
Monthly/Yearly Refreshers (like shutting down completely and starting up again later) although daily or weekly refreshers can keep you more focused on a regular basis, having a longer period of time to relax and unwind can give a bigger result. Go on a weekend retreat or a full 1- to 2-week vacation. Just remember to let work go and really be there. Despite what your ego might try to convince you, the world will not fall apart if you are not there (yes, really).
2. DATA DEFRAG our minds are capable of storing an incredible amount of information. We pretty much store, in various areas of our mind, everything we've ever seen, heard, or experienced in our lives. The idea that it can get pretty jumbled isn't surprising.
It's a good idea to write down information we need to remember so we can give our brains a rest and be able to access it more easily. Writing a "To Do List" is a helpful tool for tasks we want to make sure to complete or not forget about. I prefer paper lists, myself, but electronic calendars and schedulers are more other people's style.
Also, finding ways to store information that we might not need right now but have a good likelihood of needing in the future. With advances in personal data storage devices such as computers, PDA's, Blackberries, etc. this is a whole lot easier (and space-saving) than ever.
Just make sure you have a good system for retrieval! For instance, I have a 5-page word file that has all my various account information along with passwords, email addresses, phone #s, etc. I keep a hard copy nearby and one stored safely in electronic format. (Make sure this information stays secure and that you change passwords occasionally.)
3. MALICIOUS SOFTWARE/VIRUS SCAN There's an estimate that we have about 60,000 thoughts moving through our mind every day. And 90% of them are the same ones over and over. Although we might not be consciously thinking about all these bits of information, they are still in there influencing our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Often, our brain accepts information or ideas without being conscious of it or being able to properly evaluate it for its worthiness. It's like malicious software that gets loaded with something else we're doing or a virus that sneaks in undetected for its own destructive ends. They run silently in the background breaking down our good programs or create a total meltdown that leaves us feeling helpless and causing us to lose what's really important.
The belief systems handed down to us from our parents/other authority figures, institutions, and peers and the experiences we have that we create distorted perceptions or meaning about, and negative self-talk are all examples of these types of harmful programs operating below the surface. Sometimes we get glimpses of them yet don't know how to get rid of them.
This is when it's time to call in a professional who knows how neutralize these malevolent intruders and their harmful effects. If you need help rebooting, defragging, or clearing malicious software from your mind, try enlisting the help of a life coach and/or someone trained in NLP or hypnosis, as these are two very effective tools to do so.
Our minds get like that from time to time as well. Your mind can only do so much processing before it starts to get overwhelmed and just can't process things as effectively as it used to. This is normal and does not mean you're ADD or need to go to the doctor to get a prescription or to fill you with more caffeine!
Every once in a while, it's necessary to clear your mind from all the information processing you've been doing for your job and your personal life, and get a fresh start.
What are you options when this happens (to your mind as well as you computer)? You can keep going round and round with it, hoping it will clear up on its own (though it usually gets worse instead), yell at it to "shape up," or find some ways to work around the problem (which often ends up taking more time and effort).
Usually the best solution, however (and sometimes the last resort) is to give it a fresh start by rebooting (shut down and restart). I find that 95% of the time this solves the problem completely.
On your computer, it's simple to do--either hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete or the power button. But how do you reboot your mind?
As you've probably noticed with your computer, it's a good practice to get into to have a regularly scheduled reboot, data defrag, and virus/malicious software scan.
1. MENTAL REBOOT Daily Refreshers (like refreshing your screen occasionally through the day)--take a few deep breaths; get up to stretch or go for a walk down the hallway; have a few sips of water; switch tasks (e.g., go from something left-brained--logical--to something right-brained--creative); close your eyes and take a purposeful "mental vacation" for a minute or two; exercise; meditate or engage in self-hypnosis (you can find some good-quality hypnosis CD's to make it easier).
Weekly Refreshers (like hitting "restart") take time once a week to review your tasks and results, and plan for the week ahead. Write down what you want to accomplish in the coming week. Assign your tasks to certain days and times to make sure you're not overextending yourself and are accomplishing things in a reasonable amount of time. Be sure to also schedule time for relaxing activities such as a hobby, time with friends or family, fun activities, or a bike or stroll through a nearby park or along the ocean.
Monthly/Yearly Refreshers (like shutting down completely and starting up again later) although daily or weekly refreshers can keep you more focused on a regular basis, having a longer period of time to relax and unwind can give a bigger result. Go on a weekend retreat or a full 1- to 2-week vacation. Just remember to let work go and really be there. Despite what your ego might try to convince you, the world will not fall apart if you are not there (yes, really).
2. DATA DEFRAG our minds are capable of storing an incredible amount of information. We pretty much store, in various areas of our mind, everything we've ever seen, heard, or experienced in our lives. The idea that it can get pretty jumbled isn't surprising.
It's a good idea to write down information we need to remember so we can give our brains a rest and be able to access it more easily. Writing a "To Do List" is a helpful tool for tasks we want to make sure to complete or not forget about. I prefer paper lists, myself, but electronic calendars and schedulers are more other people's style.
Also, finding ways to store information that we might not need right now but have a good likelihood of needing in the future. With advances in personal data storage devices such as computers, PDA's, Blackberries, etc. this is a whole lot easier (and space-saving) than ever.
Just make sure you have a good system for retrieval! For instance, I have a 5-page word file that has all my various account information along with passwords, email addresses, phone #s, etc. I keep a hard copy nearby and one stored safely in electronic format. (Make sure this information stays secure and that you change passwords occasionally.)
3. MALICIOUS SOFTWARE/VIRUS SCAN There's an estimate that we have about 60,000 thoughts moving through our mind every day. And 90% of them are the same ones over and over. Although we might not be consciously thinking about all these bits of information, they are still in there influencing our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Often, our brain accepts information or ideas without being conscious of it or being able to properly evaluate it for its worthiness. It's like malicious software that gets loaded with something else we're doing or a virus that sneaks in undetected for its own destructive ends. They run silently in the background breaking down our good programs or create a total meltdown that leaves us feeling helpless and causing us to lose what's really important.
The belief systems handed down to us from our parents/other authority figures, institutions, and peers and the experiences we have that we create distorted perceptions or meaning about, and negative self-talk are all examples of these types of harmful programs operating below the surface. Sometimes we get glimpses of them yet don't know how to get rid of them.
This is when it's time to call in a professional who knows how neutralize these malevolent intruders and their harmful effects. If you need help rebooting, defragging, or clearing malicious software from your mind, try enlisting the help of a life coach and/or someone trained in NLP or hypnosis, as these are two very effective tools to do so.
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