We all have that one space where we walk into the room, and immediately want to walk out again.  I promise, we ALL have that space, even me!  Many clients I work with speak to feelings of overwhelm, exhaustion, and just general unhappiness when being in that space.  All those feelings can cause us to give up before we have even started.  Today I wanted to share with you my 7 best tips for getting (and staying!) motivated when, well, you just aren’t feeling it!

1.       Take a Breath

While I’m not a yoga teacher, or a mental health professional, I do know that taking a deep breath allows your body to relax.  In order to feel energized to do anything, first you can’t let the (insert crappy emotion here) take over.  Take a deep breath and center yourself.  This space that is overwhelming you, these THINGS that are overwhelming you, are just that; THINGS.  Things you have let into your life, and allowed to maybe take over a bit, but at the end of the day, still just things.  Remember, this is not life and death.  Not one of these extra boxes, or pieces of furniture can jump up and stab you with a knife.  You have got this!  You don’t need to be perfect, pretty or rich to solve this problem.  You are capable, just as you are in this moment.  It starts with small actions.  Even getting rid of one item a day will make a difference over a month’s time.  That’s 30 items you will have put away, donated, or trashed!  30 less items than you had 30 days ago!  Go you!  Now, take a deep breath, and get to work.

2.       Dream

Sometimes, the reason clutter collected in the first place, is that we never took time to dream about the space and what it could be for us, and our family.  While dreaming about a space doesn’t get you the immediate results of a good purge, I would argue it may be even more important.  Channel your inner 90’s pre-teen self and make a vision board with magazine cut outs, use Pinterest or Instagram and save pictures of rooms you love, find spaces that inspire you locally or while you’re traveling, and think outside the box about what your overwhelming space COULD be.  A seldom used dining room could become a library or family game room, a formal and unused living room could become an art studio, or a room for all your plants, or both!  The sky is the limit, it’s YOUR space.  Once you start approaching the space like it’s your dream space, some of that feeling of overwhelm will go away.  It will start to feel achievable.  It’s much easier to work on something when we are working towards our dreams.  When we are working towards something that will enhance a hobby or make space to spend time doing things we love, with people we love. You will feel motivated to make your dream into reality.  No matter how corny it sounds, it works!  Don’t be afraid to use your imagination and dream.

3.       Reward Yourself

 Still not feeling inspired?  That’s okay.  Sometimes the act of decluttering or organizing a space isn’t enough.  Not everyone feels immense satisfaction because the clear acrylic containers they bought perfectly fit snack sized bags of chips and cookies, and the alignment of all those containers on a pantry wall make you feel like you climbed Mt. Everest (just me?).  Sometimes we get those feelings from other things, only you know yourself best.  Set up some time to do the work you least want to, and then set aside the same amount of time (if not more) to do something you love but have neglected.  Maybe it’s meeting up with old friends, maybe it’s getting your nails done, maybe it’s a weekend getaway you’ve been wanting to go on, but haven’t planned; having some extra cash in your pocket from selling some clutter may feel good as you head out on a road trip!  Whatever it is, set aside some time for yourself once you’ve finished your put off project.  At least you can visualize that new pair of shoes while you sort pictures from 20 years ago!

4.       Follow Through

 One of the most common things I see are projects that have been started, and not finished.  This leads to more negative emotions around a space you may be spending time in every, single, day.  I don’t think I have to tell you what that can do to your mental health.  Many people feel like a failure, or like a task is impossible and so instead of focusing on the task in front of them, they get wrapped up in a negativity vortex about all the things they “haven’t” done.  If this sounds like you, then you probably have a bag or box of donation items from 3 months ago rattling around in the back of your car.  If you can’t find any motivation at all, promise you do this one thing today; follow through on motivation you had 2 months ago.  It will be like fulfilling a promise to yourself, and you know what happens then?  You gain self-confidence.  You gain, MOTIVATION.  You think, okay, I did it.  I can do this.  I can do this one trash bag of donation items at a time.  If you don’t feel like you’re on top of the world after throwing a whole bag of stuff into the donation pile, please let me know!  But for the rest of us, that feels like winning.  And winning, is follow through.

5.       Set a Timer

 This next tip is based on pure science.  Newton’s first law to be precise “An object in motion, will stay in motion”.  This is an amazing concept when applied to things in our life we do not have any motivation to do, and this tip of setting a timer will get you “in motion”.  This tip also works for people of all ages (especially kids), and even if you find it difficult to stay focused on one task at a time.  I personally use the timer trick all of the time.  When I have just walked in from a hectic day, or at the end of a long week and have absolutely NO motivation to do anything, I walk over to my microwave and set a timer for 15 minutes.  You can do almost anything for 15 minutes (except maybe wall sits…and if you can I am REALLY impressed), I promise.  I tell myself, when the timer goes off, I can stop.  I don’t even have to finish everything I have put on my long cleaning list.  I just have to do the (insert cleaning or organizing task) for 15 minutes, and nothing else.  Now, usually, after about 5 minutes, the most amazing thing will happen.  I start to really enjoy the task.  Why, you may ask? Easy. “An object in motion, stays in motion”. The timer will go off, but I will continue to work until the task is complete and feel really good about finishing it.  Even if I don’t completely finish, it’s 15 minutes less that I will have to spend the next day doing that same task.  I just bought my future-self 15 minutes.  And we can all use more time in our lives.  

6.       Just Start

 Nike may have gotten it right with their slogan, “Just do it”.  If you take nothing else away from this article, I hope you take the idea that any step, even a small one, will help you gain the confidence to finally get this project done.  It’s not worth the energy that you spend disliking the space, or beating yourself up on how it got this way to let it continue any longer.  Just start.  Take the first step; take the first 20 steps!   Any type of progress is progress in organizing, and eventually you will get there.  I know that you can do this, whether on your own or with help.  Organizing isn’t complicated, life is complicated, and it’s okay.  Be willing to give yourself grace in the knowledge that this is something everyone struggles with.  That this is something seasonal, not permanent, in your life.  There will be seasons in your life where everything is put away, and going well, and you don’t feel overwhelmed; but there will also be seasons where things get a little out of control and maybe go sideways.  This is normal.  So normal, that I have built a business around helping people in those difficult seasons get their spaces back under control, and to have peace of mind once again.  So, take today, and just start.

7.       Ask for help

If you have gotten this far in the post and have either tried all of these things with no results or are still not feeling motivated, you may just need the help of a professional.  There are more and more people moving into the professional organizing space all of the time.  With popularity of the Marie Kondo method, and shows on Netflix like The Home Edit, home organizers are in most markets in the United States.  I would encourage you to ask for help if you are just completely overwhelmed with your space.  There is no shame in identifying that you need help, and it’s certainly better than hating a space you must be in every single day.  With so many options for organizers now, you can find someone in your area with the expertise and personality to help you.  Always make sure you find someone who fits your style and will listen to your needs.  You can typically conduct a phone or physical consultation before deciding to hire them.  If you liked this post please feel free to subscribe or follow me on Instagram or Facebook @thetidygypsy!
Please let me know if this was helpful in the comments below!