Leadership Lessons from a Serial Overthinker...

So, here I am, ready to “declutter my mind” in the name of leadership effectiveness in today’s fast-paced digital circus. I’ve read the articles, I’ve seen the TED talks. Apparently, decluttering your mind is the new Holy Grail of productivity. But let’s be real: a few “deep breaths” aren’t going to clear the inbox of random tasks, last year’s tax receipts I swore I’d file, and every brilliant idea that comes to me at 3 a.m. So, here's my actual, practical, slightly sarcastic approach to decluttering for the modern leader.

Step 1: Accept That You’re Not a Zen Monk (and You Don’t Need to Be)

Look, I’ve tried meditating. I sit, I breathe, I even throw in an om or two for good measure. And guess what? Five minutes in, I’m mentally assembling the world’s longest to-do list. I’ve got spreadsheets to sort, Slack notifications to dodge, and I need to pick up almond milk because, for some reason, regular milk is no longer acceptable. So, let’s start by not pretending that I’m going to achieve a state of mental nirvana. I’m here for realistic decluttering, not spiritual enlightenment.

Step 2: The Ruthless Inbox Purge

This is where we go savage on our inboxes, folks. First, we divide it all into two categories: “Stuff I need to keep” and “Stuff I could delete right now, and no one would know or care.” Turns out, 90% falls into the second category. If it’s an email about a webinar on maximizing core competencies in the post-synergy era, delete it with pride.

Then, unsubscribe from everything you haven’t read in six months. Your inbox shouldn’t look like the guest list at a college reunion—filled with people you haven’t seen or thought about in ages. Digital clutter is just another excuse to procrastinate, so let’s make it easier to find the gems by tossing out the junk.

Step 3: Give Your Brain a Time-Out

I recently discovered that “breaks” are not just for schoolchildren and people who work in snack-based industries. You know, the good old-fashioned “step away from the screen” kind of break. So, I’ve started scheduling 15-minute time-outs in my day. Not to stare at another screen, mind you. Nope, this is strictly for wandering aimlessly, like a dog who forgot what it was chasing. These little pockets of nothingness are shockingly helpful. They give me time to mentally file all the loose, flying thoughts until the next wave of tasks inevitably hits.

And here’s a wild concept: during these breaks, I don’t check my phone. Radical, right?

Step 4: The Ruthless Priority List

Now, here’s where I start acting like an actual adult: I pick three things each day to focus on. Not thirty, not thirteen—three. This way, I’m not deluding myself into thinking I’ll magically conquer an Everest of tasks before 5 p.m. By prioritizing just a few meaningful actions, I actually feel accomplished instead of “overwhelmed but impressively busy,” which is a useless state, trust me.

Pro-tip: If a task isn’t making a noticeable difference in a week, it might just be “mental clutter.” Delegate, delay, or ditch it.

Step 5: Embrace the Art of Selective Memory Loss

There’s a wonderful phrase called “strategic forgetfulness.” We leaders can’t remember everything; in fact, we shouldn’t. Not only does it keep us humble, but it also keeps us sane. So, every week, I mentally toss out a few non-essential details. That random request from Karam in accounting to submit my invoices? Gone. The exact date of my third quarterly check-in with the marketing team or is it the doctor? Probably in the calendar somewhere. I selectively choose not to care, and it’s freeing.

Step 6: Recognize Your “Digital Diet” is Like Your Real Diet

Ever noticed how the day feels heavier when you’ve mindlessly scrolled through twenty articles on celebrity home décor? It’s digital junk food! So, I’ve put myself on a strict digital diet: no doom-scrolling, no clickbait, no “10 Steps to Master the Mindset of the Elite Billionaire” articles. If it’s not actionable or laugh-out-loud funny, it’s not worth my mental space.

To survive the endless pings, tweets, and alerts, I’ve taken drastic action and only check social media once a day. That’s right: I spend my evenings thinking about all the things I didn’t do on social media that day, and it’s gloriously refreshing.

Step 7: Commit to Decluttering as a Continuous Practice

Let’s face it: life in the digital age is a constant attempt to close loops that open faster than you can say “multitasking.” Every time I declutter, I know I’ll have to do it again in a week or two. But instead of feeling defeated, I see it as maintenance for my mental “hard drive.” Because ultimately, a clutter-free mind isn’t a destination; it’s a regular ritual, like flossing or finding new ways to pretend I didn’t see that email.

Wrap Up

So, here’s my conclusion: decluttering my mind hasn’t made me a perfect leader. I’m still not a zen monk. I still have random moments of complete chaos. But it has made me a slightly more focused, occasionally more effective leader with a much emptier inbox—and in today’s world, that’s as close to “enlightenment” as I’m aiming for.