Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport (2016)

I’ve always struggled with mental clutter, especially over the past few years—and digital media doesn’t help. In fact, without knowing the right terms for everything, I’ve even written articles on this topic:

• “Information Hoarder” — An article from 2022 about how I can’t seem to delete anything in good conscience.
• “Distractions: What Keeps You from Living a Full Life?” — An article from 2025 about ways to stay focused.

It’s no surprise then that a book titled Declutter Your Mind jumped out at me when I saw it!

Note: this post includes Amazon affiliate links.

Brief Summary of Declutter Your Mind

The authors focus on four key areas of life that need decluttering: Thoughts, Life Obligations, Relationships, and Surroundings. I found the sections on thoughts and surroundings most useful, but I’ll summarize each section briefly.

• Mental decluttering habits include focused breathing, meditation, and reframing.
• Strategies for decluttering life obligations include identifying core values, clarifying priorities, and connecting S.M.A.R.T. goals to your own passions.
• Relationship decluttering includes being more present, leaving the past in the past, and cutting wrong ties.
• Physical decluttering focuses on the home, the digital world, activities, distractions, and actions.

Portions of The Book I Found Most Helpful

While I highlighted bunch of information in this book, I won’t rewrite the thing for you. Still, some quotes are in order. In the Introduction, for examples, the authors name a key problem:

Your constant inner dialog distracts you from what is happening around you, right here and now. It causes you to miss valuable experiences and sabotages the joy of the present moment. (Introduction)

That inner dialogue often leans negative, and when it does, we feel cluttered and unproductive:

Critical thinking gives us the ability to solve problems quickly and effectively. Creative thinking allows us to develop original, diverse, and elaborate ideas and connections. But it’s the uninvited negative thinking that clutters our minds and often drains our enthusiasm for life. (Part I)

I also appreciated their section on connecting my goals to my passions, though their 14-step process seemed to go a bit overboard! I think this process of turning my passions into my calling could be simplified into these seven simpler steps:

• Step 1: Write a vision.
• Step 2: Start reading.
• Step 3: Find a mentor.
• Step 4: Brainstorm and write.
• Step 5: Consider other people
• Step 6: Save money.
• Step 7: Stay motivated with action. (Part II)

Finally, I really appreciated their section on cleaning up the digital clutter in my life. These lines caught my eye:

Digital “stuff” has an insidious way of occupying your time with nonessential activities—and just like physical clutter in your home, digital clutter creates feelings of anxiety, agitation, and overwhelm… If your devices are bursting at the seams, you feel the weight of that excess whether or not you’re aware of it. If you take 10 minutes a day to begin chipping away at the clutter, you’ll begin to feel increasingly lighter and unfettered. (Part IV)

Portions of the Book I Found Mildly Concerning

Of course, as a Christian, I read this book from a biblical worldview. That being said, some of the authors’ recommendations sounded distinctly Buddhist to me. Most standout in this regard were, of course, the breathing, meditation, and mindfulness sections. In fact, the “Simplify Your Actions” section in Part IV comes straight from the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Controlled Breathing

This doesn’t mean I’d toss the baby, but for me at least, it means I need to adjust how I read and apply their recommendations. I believe in the calming benefits of controlled breathing and use them often to calm down before sleep or when I need a break in the middle of a hard day. No huge problem there, but its ties to Eastern Meditation can’t be ignored.

Meditation

Meditation that avoids life’s problems (at least temporarily) seems counter-productive to me. While “clearing my head” might alleviate pressure momentarily, and while it might prepare me to tackle problems from a calmer position afterwards, it does nothing to solve my problems—though promises of “empowering” are always present.

This is why Christians have such a problem with so-called “Eastern Meditation”: it’s ultimately a self-focused ritual that rejects the need for God, because (supposedly) with enough effort and focus, I can accomplish anything—which is obviously just not true.

I’d so much rather pursue the biblical meditation that the David promotes in Psalm 1:1-2

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Or how about this from Psalm 119:11

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Or this from Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

It’s not nihilistic to say that I can’t do anything I put my mind to. It’s honest. This honesty is so freeing, because it allows acknowledges my innate inability so that I can look elsewhere—to God specifically—for strength and help, and He gives it! I can “cast all my anxieties on Him [who] cares for me” (1Peter 5:7), and He also gives me this extraordinary promise in Isaiah 26:3 of mental/emotional peace based on Godly trust:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Mindfulness

Meditation with the “mindfulness” bent can also be productive, but only when used cautiously. Yes, it’s good and healthy to be present when you’re talking with others and to employ all your senses when eating a meal or walking through the woods. No problem there.

But again, the negative aspects of an almost self-worship creep in when taken too far—as if the highest joy in life can only be attained when I am most in tune with my own brain. Aren’t we aware enough yet the we need be in our own heads less not more? Take a look at Genesis 6:5 and what God saw in humans in Noah’s day:

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

I would much rather have God dissect my thoughts than me. As Creator, He’s got dibs—and He’s far better at it than I would ever be. Still, He wants me in on the process, so I can be grateful He gave me His Word for this very thing, as Hebrews 4:12 says:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Conclusion

While I needed to read this book with a grain of theological salt, I appreciated its message and approach, because I understand and experience the problem at hand: a cluttered brain! While I’m not about to sit barefoot, lotus-style in the woods, I think these recommendations for simplifying life and clearing my mind are important to consider.

My perspective will always remain biblical, but I do think there are things we can learn from bloggers and gurus like this. Their recommendations for cleaning up physical, digital, and even mental clutter in 10-minute increments throughout the day are wise, and I’ll be trying them out. If mental clutter is an issue for you, maybe you can as well.

©2026 E.T.

Want more reviews like this? Get Elliot’s Weekly Digest.