Powerful Technique to Clarity

Confused

Confused, indecisive, procrastinate? Sometimes we just cant make sense of things and because we cant make sense of things we don't take action. Of course, nothing is more important than action but when life overwhelms us with choices, information, chores, sometimes it becomes difficult to look past the immediate and take a birds eye view of the grand perspective.

There are many such instances where we can simply not think right, ranging from small everyday things, starnge annoyances, all the way to big life decisions eg

1-Buying a new smart phone? --we can be confused about specs, pricing, plans etc

2-Eating out, where to go?-- what to eat, why to go there?


3-Do my classmates hate me? --why do they laugh at me? why do I have so few friends?
3-Which university to go to? --what will it cost, what will be the return, how far will it be from home? etc etc etc

Once we convince ourselves that there is a path forward, we can break through all the clutter and clear our heads and minds and take action.

Write! Doodle!
That really is it. Write down what you are thinking. Once you start writing and reading your thoughts, you will start gaining clarity. It will give you a third person perspective on your thoughts and you can then easily make a decision or change negative thought patterns.

Does it Work?
Well, look. This is not a pill. It is a technique, A tool, that can work in many [not every] situations, but it does not mean that this is the holy grail of helping yourself make decisions or deal with confusing thoughts. However it is an important skill to learn and like any skill, it gets better the more experience you have of using it. Try it..it might just work.

When I say write, I do not mean you have to write a novel. It can be squiggles, doodles, writing down what you are thinking in points format, or if it helps, make a diagram!!! whatever it is, once you act, put it down and lay it out, things can start rolling.

Examples:

School work-Let us say you have been given an assignment and you are not starting it. Not only is the assignment complicated, but you just cant bring yourself to writing it. you open a notebook and write the first thing that comes to your mind. 'You can do it'..that is what you write down. 'You can do it, just relax and it will come to you'. As you write this down, you realize that it is not just that the assignment is complex, but you have a tight dead line. With this  thought you start writing a schedule down. by 'Wednesday I will do this many words, by Friday, this many words' and so on. Before you know it, you have a schedule and you decide to follow this schedule and let the rest take care of itself.

Eating out-What to eat when you go out with your mom. You have your own dietary requirements and your mom her own. However you also want to take her to a good place. Before you decide that you cannot make the decision, you take out your smart phone and start typing away on the notepad app. ''I want vegan food but she wants something nice. However I want a comfortable place and she may want someplace quite.  Also, I do not go out alot so I also want to have fun''. You decide therefore that you will convince your mother to go to a vegan place you know and ensure she has fun. You decide you will make sure they enjoy it by you helping her out on the 'vegan adventure' and ensuring you keep her busy with light talk

Stress-Something is bothering you but you do not know what. You take out a paper and pencil and start writing down your feelings. You write ''What is this pain in the neck? what is causing this? is it because I slept late? that probably is but I feel there is also something else. Is it the fight I had with my boss yesterday. I think that is it, I have to talk to him otherwise this anxiety will kill me!!!


Conclusion:
Practice, practice, practice. I believe it is a super powerful tool that can take us  along way. Remember, there is no wrong way to do it. You can use a notebook, your smartphone, anything. You can write, doodle, whatever. You can write what you feel, or any questions you have, whatever comes to mind. Start writing and see your thoughts getting organized!