Noise is all around us in our world, our home, and our minds. We close the door to shut out the noise of the world, and we turn down the volume and use “inside voices” to reduce the noise in our homes. But how do we reduce the noise in our minds? We experience over input in our lives and often it arrives at our invitation.
Our brains are remarkable organs that are capable of taking in vast amounts of information. In contrast, our minds reach a saturation point and refuse to take in any more. Everything starts to sound like the parents in the Peanuts cartoons! Is your mind there yet? Mine is.
Between multiple email accounts, text messages, app updates, and social media notifications, the interruptions seem endless. They annoy and distract from creativity and living life. I am reading “The Next Right Thing” by Emily P. Freeman, and she repeatedly states that space is needed for creativity. For years, I have craved that space and felt stifled creatively because it was so hard to find.
I found space for creativity and sharing life with a greater audience when I was laid off a few weeks back. I will be honest in that it did create a bit of financial concern but I have peace knowing that God has provided for us in the past and will continue to provide for us now and in the future. However, that peace would have been short-lived if I didn’t make some changes.
I realized this week that I could have had more space even before being laid off it I had silenced the many voices competing for my mind and attention. I found five steps to creating more space so my mind and heart can be more creative.
1. Prioritize who gets your ear.
I sat at my desk and made a list of the people and organizations that I wanted to give priority in my life. Each individual and organization received a priority level designation. I remember my training as a Mary Kay consultant and the constant reminder that my priority system needed to be God, my family, and then business. I now have a list of family and friends that get immediate and unlimited access and a list of those that I will respond to quickly but don’t necessarily have access 24/7.
When it comes to ministry and business, we all know that there too many good resources out there for just about anything you want to do and learn. But if you listen to them all, it just becomes a confusing cacophony of noise in your mind. Choose a limited number of “experts” in the fields that hold genuine interest for you and let the rest go. Find clarity by turning down the volume on the constant input. Elizabeth George in her books often uses the phrase “good, better, best…” Choose what is best and let the rest go.
2. Clean out your inbox.
Clean out your inbox. Don’t just delete the emails that you don’t want to read but unsubscribe to sales notices and email newsletters that create noise rather than knowledge and direction. I allowed extra time this week to check my email. Each morning, I didn’t just delete emails I didn’t have time to read but I unsubscribed from mailing lists that didn’t specifically address a priority in my life. I don’t need emails from ten different sources about bullet journal layouts and planners. I can get the same information on my time table by searching Pinterest and pinning the ideas I like to my boards.
3. Turn off the notifications on your phone.
I can’t resist looking at my phone when it beeps or clicks at me, so I turned off the notifications. My phone is normally close by so I can see if the green light indicating a text message has come in. I also know that if it is a real emergency, I will get a call not a text message.
You can choose what apps on your phone are allowed to give notifications. Start turning off the ones that aren’t essential to your life, family, and ministry/business. Your world will not likely fall apart if you miss a Facebook or Instagram post.
4. Set a timer.
When you choose to spend time on social media or you are battling distractions, set a timer to limit your time. Time disappears too quickly when you are checking Facebook and Instagram or browsing on Pinterest. Nothing is inherently wrong with any of those sites but when they become a tool of avoidance or procrastination, you have to put them in their place.
5. Choose phone-free time zones.
Make a deliberate choice to have phone-free time zones. Don’t apologize when you disallow phones at your dinner table or designate that phones are to be used for cameras only during a family gathering. Guard carefully those times of human interaction. The hugs, laughter, and time together make tomorrow’s memories. Don’t mar those memories by being distracted with distractions 0by technology and social media.
Am I preaching to the choir? I doubt that I am the only one that struggles with distractions that pull me away from the people and activities that are my first love and calling. I must make a daily commitment to put the first things first and reduce the noise. Every day I need to choose the best over the good and the better.
It’s time to take charge and reduce the noise that clutters your mind. Find a quiet space for creativity to flow. Live your life with intention and make deliberate choices. Stop letting outside noise and input steal your time and your focus.
Thank you for letting me share my heart!
