I hate clutter, including the clutter that often exists between my own two ears. A house full of clutter is distracting to me. There are many examples of my clutter-phobia. For instance, I cannot cook if the kitchen is not spotless before I begin. Just having dirty dishes laying around makes the experience of cooking one more of disgust than delight. And I do love to cook…..albeit, in a clean kitchen. I marvel at those who can get any work done with a desk that is piled to the ceiling with papers that probably should have been tossed years before. I just find it much more liberating to work via a clean desk with only essential items thereupon. Maybe I am weird that way, but I don’t like clutter.

Having set that stage, I must go on to say that my life is full of clutter. Maybe that is why I often feel extremely anxious. The clutter I am now speaking of isn’t the kind that exists on a desk, or in a kitchen (those magnets of clutter are easy enough to clean out). I am talking about the clutter of the past. Those consequences of past poor decisions that linger on. Problems that you wish would go away but never do. I made a list of those the other day and I will have to say, cleaning out that clutter is gonna take some doing. It won’t be easy, but I believe it is essential for me to be free from the constraints of clutter.

Because clutter really does constrain. It creates noise. And to borrow a phrase from the wise folks at 37signals (and their blog, Signal Vs. Noise), it is very hard to detect the signal in the noise. What signal you ask? Well I guess I mean those insights that sometimes lead to great leaps forward. The more clutter you have around you in your physical world, as well as internal mental state, the less likely you are to perceive those insights. One habit that I am trying to develop to clear the clutter is meditation. Now I am not one of those who believe mediation is the path of enlightenment and salvation. I don’t take it that seriously. But it is a great practice that once you get the hang of (and believe me it takes some practice), can help you detect those signals drowned out in the noise of past and present existence.

The more clutter you have around you in your physical world, as well as internal mental state, the less likely you are to perceive those insights.

If you’re gonna try it here is my advice (or, what works for me).

1. Do it early in the morning when the sounds that are most prevalent are only those of nature. Nature doesn’t seem to present noise, as does everything else. Even though here in Costa Rica every morning nature presents a veritable symphony of sound, there is something calming and focusing about it. At least for me.

2. Do it sitting in an upright position on something soft and comfortable, but don’t get too comfortable, or you will fall asleep (and sleeping doesn’t count). I use the lotus sitting pose, but it certainly is not some sort of spiritual requisite.

3. Breath uniformly and deeply. Just the very fact of breathing this way has health benefits and can get the day started right for you.

4. Keep the eyes closed and focus on your breath. I like to pause at the top of each breath (the inhale) for a moment and then at the bottom (the exhale). Just the mere fact of consciously doing that helps keep the mind on the breath and not wandering about aimlessly.

5. However, your mind will wander. And when it does, don’t judge yourself (and don’t quit). Just gently bring it back to the breath every time it drifts off. Getting good at focusing the mind on the breadth is the hardest part, but the one with the most benefits.

6. Use an interval timer. Many can be downloaded to IPhones or IPads (just Google “meditation timer”).

7. Start out with a reasonable amount of time. Maybe 15 minutes. You can increase as you feel comfortable.

8. Do it every day. That is essential to making it a habit and getting the most out of it. Also, it helps instill the habit of rising early because without a doubt that is the best time of the day to do it.

I have tried various meditation techniques over the years, such as guided meditation and visualization. However, I believe the simple technique described above works best. Try it and maybe those signals will start coming through the noise of your life a little clearer.

photo credit: Dmitry Rostovtsev via Compfight cc