This list is what I call the Ultimate Must-Read Book List for decluttering the mind and overall spiritual growth.
There are some books out there that can alter your entire belief system, opening you to new ideas and possibilities, resonating so deeply that your whole world shifts. It’s as if the books entered your life at just the right time carrying the perfect message for you.
This is that list.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably waiting for the answer to why you hoard information and how you can curb that clutter. You’re in the right place.
If you accept that you’re an infojunkie (or information junkie), then you’re ready for the steps to freedom.
Freedom from overwhelm, from overload, from overthinking.
Ultimately, you want freedom from the burnout that infojunkies face when taking in too much information and not having a system to sort and organize it all. There’s a lot of great stuff out there (books, blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.), but what good does it do you if you can’t remember it, can’t find it, can’t understand it and can’t apply it?
What can you do if you still want to learn and know everything, but be clear-headed enough to use it?
Attention all infojunkies!
(If you’re not sure that means you, read this.)
Are you caught up in the swarm of information? Especially around this time of year, my inbox is full of sale emails, my mailbox is full of coupons, my Kindle gets at least 3 books bigger, my Facebook feed feels like Twitter.
Same for you? Everything vying for your 5-second attention span?
There’s so much information right at our fingertips, the world is just clicks away. It’s no wonder we’re gluttons for the next big news story, the next hottest movie star, the next hit TV show.
Not only are we being entertained by the cyberwebs, we are being informed. We live by Google. We want to know everything, and why not, right? It’s there for the taking. Why shouldn’t we fill every moment with learning something new?
Because information overload is a real thing. Burnout is no joke.
Being bombarded day after day with this and that, trying to keep up with the latest headlines is exhausting.
Yet as an infojunkie, you can’t help but seek out this stimulation.
It comes at a cost, though.
The first step in recovery is acceptance. Let’s see if you’re ready to admit that you’re an infojunkie.
“I can’t focus, my mind’s all over the place!” If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say this to me, I’d be rich. I hear friends say they take on a million tasks at once and they’re onto the next task before finishing the first one—which really means nothing ever gets done.
Our minds move a thousand miles per minute, and with the speed of technology, we’re not slowing down any time soon. The TV’s on, the radio’s blaring, the cell phone’s pinging with every new text, and Facebook’s open 24/7. Information is so readily accessible, it’s easy to get wrapped up in having to know it all. And after knowing it all, we try to do it all. An endless cycle that can go on forever as if we’re running on a hamster wheel.
This state of overthinking, overload and overwhelm is all too common.
We’re split and scattered between past, present and future, juggling roles and responsibilities. We’re caught up in regrets about yesterday and worries about tomorrow. It’s no wonder we struggle to fall asleep at night.
These are the effects of mental clutter. The head fog, the confusion, the chaos, the stress. And this “stuff” affects our environment. It leads to our messy desks, our overstocked cupboards, our overflowing closets and drawers.
I get it. You’re busy.
Too busy for friends and family let alone meditation and yoga. Too busy for a proper meal let alone mindfulness training. Too busy for a shower let alone 8 hours of sleep.
You probably feel like you don’t have enough time for much nowadays.
You don’t even know who’s running your schedule, you or your clients. You or your colleagues. You or your spouse. You or your kids. You or [insert everyone else ever].
Meanwhile, you’re frazzled, scatterbrained, overwhelmed…but still determined to get it all done.
So tell me this, out of all the hours in a day, how many of them are spent nurturing your mind? How many are spent catering to the health of your mind? How many are spent appreciating the miracle that is your mind?
Don’t have time for that, you say?
You don’t have time to not have time for that.
I’m here to tell you that no amount of money, success, accolades or fame will do for you what a clear, strong mind can do.
It’s easy to wake up and just start running around the house like a crazy person making breakfast, checking email, putting dishes away, doing push-ups, rummaging through closet hangers for an outfit and getting the kids out of the house. Ambitiously, in the spirit of “getting it all done.”
Most of us can relate to a morning like that. And how it starts is typically how it ends.
Our days begin to look colorless and feel monotonous, and we can’t see the horizon because we’ve cluttered our view with tasks, obligations, chores and responsibilities. The weight of it all is debilitating.
We have only 24 hours in a day and sometimes that doesn’t feel like enough because we’re cramming too much in.
So much so that it’s confused us, clouded our focus and crippled our peace. Our effort to get it all done is actually counterproductive.
But what if we started a little slower and a little more thoughtfully? How would a peaceful start change our day, its course and momentum? How would our morning affect our focus throughout the day? How would it improve the way we speak to others, what we put in our bodies, and how we feel by the time we return home at night?
How can we use our morning to put us on the good foot? To open us up to receive what comes and to welcome it with open arms, whatever it is? I have an idea how…
Sing. Praise. Love. Share. Vent. Boast. Brag. Breathe.
