SUCCESS & LIFE BY DESIGN

How to declutter your brain (& why)

#15 in my Tonics for Your Creative Spirit email series: David Allen

Welcome to this week’s creativity quote (which I created as a homage to an old favourite app) – and in the spirit of this week’s book recommendation, let’s get straight to it!

The simple genius of this snippet struck a chord with me as my recent work seems to have turned me into List Woman.

Since I discovered the beauty and elegance of list-making apps (such as the one above – Wunderlist, now sadly retired), I have been managing to conquer those twin demons of the creative life;

Procrastination and overwhelm.

In the past, I’ve always resisted too much order and efficiency in my work life – believing that my muse prefers to be free and untethered by such left-brained activities.

But it turns out she loves my new list-lust!

Far from stifling inspiration, the practice of getting vital info out of my head and into a list actually feels like a blissful bout of mental decluttering – freeing up fresh headspace for exciting new ideas.

And this is entirely the point of David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done, which is where I spotted this week’s quote.

David’s whole ethos is that when we organise our thoughts and plan our activities, we find “an immediate sense of freedom, release and inspiration.”

So, if you like the sound of that, I highly recommend David’s book, as well finding as a list app that you love. (My current fav is Notion – tick-box-tastic!!)

Because there’s something very satisfying about ticking off list items.

In fact, it makes your brain feel so proud of itself that it celebrates with a blast of feel-good endorphins.

So list-making is not only a useful tool for your creative goals, it’s good for your health and happiness too.

(Can you spot the convert….? 😉 )

So here’s to creative health and happiness and the pleasure of Getting Things Done.

PS What are your thoughts on The Power of the List?

I’m planning a whole section on its role in the creative process as part of my new ecourse, so I’d love to hear from you if you’re a fellow List-Lover!

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