It is easy to accumulate stuff, like unfiled papers and half-read books or unfinished projects. If left unattended, they can pile up and can spiral out of control. At some point, you can get fed up and tidy up, and then the cycle starts anew.

Unsorted papers and books are as proble...

There is a way to re-organize your unresolved thoughts and separate the important from the messy mental pile. In the quiet of the day, you sit down with a pencil and paper and ask yourself three questions.

• What am I anxious about?
• What am I upset about, and with wh...

When you ask what you're anxious about, you may not have a clear answer. You may have fragments of responses that may not make much sense by itself. For example, "I am anxious about floorboards. Book mess."

Record these answers as they will give a hint about the main sore points i...

Once you've collected your fragments of responses, pass it through a second tier of questions that is more pointed to find out what lies behind the initial associations and impressions. If you're upset with someone, ask, "What part of myself feels danger here?"

This process will t...