If you’ve been following along with my ‘Clear Mind’ series so far, you are well-rested and have begun to clean out some of the clutter that has crowded you out and bogged you down. Our energy is on the uptick and we have physical space to starting making things happen. Nice work! Let’s take another step together.
We live in an amazing time. In the history of the world, there has never been a time in which we have had such access to information, entertainment, news, and technology. We can learn anything with the click of a button. We can stream videos, read news, play games and entertain our minds every hour of the day. This opens endless opportunities to choose from and not nearly enough time to absorb it all.
Although the potential to add knowledge, learn new skills, and chart new paths is endless, this also creates new problems. How do we choose what to do next? What messages should we be listening to and what distractions are getting in the way?
When was the last time you drove to work in complete silence with no music, podcast, or radio? When was the last time you were truly bored? Do the computer screens, tv’s and cell phones ever turn off when you get home at night? Is there ever a time during the week that you are actually unavailable and disconnected from your phone? Are the notifications and text messages ever turned off? Have you missed or tuned out more important messages and thoughts? Is there any time left in your day to dream, be creative and live thoughtfully?
Our challenge this month is to eliminate the noise. Ruthlessly eliminate the sources of distraction in your life that are sucking your energy and time. Take captive your thought life and create space to listen. Make yourself available to listen to what God is trying to tell you, then write it down in a journal (we’ll come back to your notes next month). Try hard to be bored and do not forget steps one and two by prioritizing rest and operating in well-organized and tidy spaces. This may be the most important step yet, so good luck; and let’s eliminate the noise!