Decluttering My Mind

Journal prompts for mental spaciousness → {Summer Simplicity Challenge☀️}

Megan Moran

Jun 09, 2025

∙ Paid

View all the journal prompts inside the Simplicity Challenge here

Yesterday I had a choice:

Get a bunch of house projects done
Or lay in the backyard and read Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

I chose the latter and found myself not just resting… but falling asleep!?

I’m not a napper but we’ve been doing a lot lately… so when my body kept prompting me to sleep:

I was at first *shocked*
And then decided to lean into it.
1. Not only for myself but for my kids to see that modeled too.

Rest vs. Productivity

We always hear that rest is necessary…. + that there’s different types of rest we need:

Physical – Sleep, naps, stillness
Mental – Time without decision-making or thinking ahead
Emotional – Spaces where you can be real, not perform
Sensory – Disconnecting from stimulation (like silence or nature)
Creative – Letting your mind wander, consuming beauty or stories

But just because:

I need it
and am slowing down
and getting intentional about my life and time

…. doesn’t mean my mind lets me do this easily.

I’m often battling thoughts like:

When this happens then I can do that
Or perfecting things (… a sneaky way to “be productive”)
Or (I’ve been working hard to stop this one) letting a ‘should’ sneak into my brain and dictate my next move

Ultimately- I’ve been letting mental clutter and a list of unaligned to do’s eat into the spacious life I’ve been craving…. the one that’s right in front of me.

So in today’s Simplicity Excavation- I’m going to share the journal prompts that helped me mentally declutter and simplify my day.

Join the journaling inside the↓

In this second prompt I’ll be answering the question: What would it feel like to be still AND not “behind”?
Quieting the mental to-do list + productivity narratives with 4 journal prompts and one action prompt to move forward.

The Summer Simplicity Challenge✨ is an invitation to pause, reflect and take aligned steps toward a more intentional life in community.

Join our creative co-op and receive access to this series along with exclusive articles and deeper discussions- as we declutter and simplify our worlds together.

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