Do you ever struggle to differentiate between your work life and home life? Maybe you find yourself thinking about work when you're at home and vice versa. Making a distinction helps maintain flow and a healthy mind, yet it's sometimes difficult to separate the two. When this happens, you'll often find yourself with a cluttered mind.

The good news is that mental clarity is within reach. Writer Jacklyn Janeksela says when you remove mental clutter, you achieve a much more enjoyable quality of life. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share Janeksela's tips for removing the mental clutter that's holding you back.

1. Set boundaries. Janeksela encourages professionals, especially those who work with family members, to set clear boundaries regarding conversation topics at home and work-and stick to them. Talking about deadlines, clients, colleagues and meetings should not be dinner table conversation. Nor should the boardroom be used to reveal your private life. Of course, you can share stories of work with family and home life with colleagues, but there should be limitations. Don't let these be the only conversations. Instead, open up, branch out and let other conversations be born in those spaces.

2. Keep a journal. Writing is one way to cleanse your mind. Janeksela suggests having a journal for both work and home that allows you to vent frustrations in order to maintain clear boundaries. Mental exhaustion and frustration usually occur when our brains and bodies feel overwhelmed. By removing those feelings from inside and placing them into the outside world, your mental health automatically improves. We enrich our lives when we cleanse our mental spaces. We also open space for more activity, sharper thoughts and creativity.

3. Stay mindful. Be mindful in all activities. If you are working, keep the mind there. If you are playing, don't think about work. Mindfulness promotes a clear mind. A mind that concentrates is a healthy mind. The distracted, overcharged, highly emotional brain reacts. What we seek is serenity, for in those spaces we really learn to let go and clear minds of that which no longer serves us.

4. Be unattached. Thoughts can often arise without warning, but the best thing to do is just notice them and watch them disappear rather than give them attention. Imagine each thought form like a cloud. Watch it enter your headspace, then allow it to fade away. Let the clouds float up or down, left or right, but know that each time a cloud enters your brain, it must also leave. Janeksela recommends that professionals remember that thoughts and feelings are temporary. This removes attachment and alleviates the pressure of a mind full of unnecessary thoughts and feelings.

5. Create compartments. Organize for increased productivity. A space that feels and looks clean will facilitate a more balanced lifestyle. An organized house or office indicates an organized mind. Start cleaning up the clutter, ensuring the brain will soon follow suit. If nothing else, it's easier to work in an organized place and will save time by not looking for things you've lost. And as you increase focus, you'll increase productivity.

Don't let your mind stay entangled. Commit to removing mental clutter to be stronger professionally and personally.

Source: Jacklyn Janeksela, MFA, is a freelance writer and poet. She works for Culture Designers, Thrillist and Honey Colony, among others.