Every once in awhile I fall into an organizational slump where I lack the motivation to keep up with things in my house. Does this ever happen to you? I feel like many of us share this experience, especially when we’re working through things in our personal lives. How you feel emotionally most definitely affects how well you function. Usually I am easily motivated to stay on top of things, but lately I’ve been letting things slide in my house as I haven’t felt the usual spark that ignites my desire to organize. In fact, you might have noticed I haven’t posted on OLJ in a few weeks even though in my last video I talked about all of my spring projects on the horizon. Those projects are still there, just uncompleted. This week I decided enough is enough. I really want to get back on track so I turned to my usual strategy when I need a little (or a lot!) of help in the motivation department. I start with one or two very small, short projects and see how they make me feel. I set a timer for about 20 minutes or so and tackle something I am pretty certain I can complete in that amount of time.
I decided to dive into my pile of bills and filing that I’ve let accumulate on my desk for far too long now. I set the timer on my phone for 25 minutes. Before I knew it the timer was buzzing and I was 90% through the stack! I spent another 5 minutes finishing up and the result was paid bills, filed paperwork, and a clean desktop. It felt so good to have that done! What felt stressful before only took a short amount of time and it was literally a breeze to get through. Now I am feeling recharged and ready to tackle the rest of my office, which unfortunately has borne the brunt of my lack of motivation lately with piles accumulating here and there. If I take it in small sections I can have my office spick and span in no time at all! I am also concurrently finishing up my springtime closet clean-out which I put on hold for a few weeks. I find going through my clothes in 15 to 20 minute increments is an effective way to weed through my entire wardrobe, which I am currently doing for a major overhaul (and yes, I will be filming this process and sharing it soon!).
If you, too, find yourself in a rut, perhaps you might consider trying this technique out. Pick a small, manageable project that you are pretty sure you can easily complete in a short about of time (anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes is a good place to start). Some of my favorites include my kitchen junk drawer, my car, and my desktop. Set a timer and hop to it! It’s easier to jump into something if you know it’s only going to last a short while. When the timer buzzes, take note of how much you accomplished and how it’s made you feel. Chances are it might be just the spark you need to ignite your organization motivation. I find that the biggest motivation for me to organize and keep on top of things is seeing a completed project. I don’t recommend rushing into a large-scale time-consuming project until you feel really ready and inspired to take it on. I personally like to break large projects up into smaller bits anyway so that I can experience that sense of accomplishment that comes with completing something before moving onto the next task. This helps me to continually feel motivated by my successes rather than getting overwhelmed by trying to grapple with too much at once.
I share more about my process in this video if you’re interested:
Let me know if you decide to try this out. I’d love to hear about what project you chose, how it went, and how it made you feel if you don’t mind sharing. Here’s to a productive and organized spring!
