Feeling stuck is a common experience. Do you wait to feel motivated before starting a project or task? You might think you need to be in a good mood, have the right energy, or be completely clear about your plan before beginning. However, like with organizing and in life, waiting can keep you stuck. The reality is that motivation doesn’t always come first. More frequently, it follows the act of starting.

When you take that first tiny step, whether it’s decluttering one surface, recycling some papers, or making a short to-do list, you build momentum. Beginning helps you to":

• Break through mental clutter.

• Build confidence.

• Turn what’s overwhelming into something manageable.

Just starting reinforces that progress doesn’t begin with having everything figured out. Getting unstuck starts with taking one small step.

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time, I encourage you to let go of perfection and take action today. The smallest effort can spark the motivation you’ve been missing.

As James Clear said, “Whenever you are stuck searching for the optimal plan, remember: Getting started changes everything.”

With these ideas in mind, what can help you change everything?

27 Ways to Get Started: A Motivation-Boosting Organizing Checklist

Nike’s iconic motto is “Just Do It.” Similarly, but with a twist, the suggestions in this checklist encourage you to just start with small actions that will help build significant momentum.

Use this checklist when you’re feeling stuck. Completing even one small task can boost the motivation needed to keep going.

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THE MOTIVATION-BOOSTING ORGANIZING CHECKLIST

Home Clutter

• Make your bed.

• Declutter one corner of your desk.

• Organize just one category, like shoes, coffee mugs, or bathing suits.

• Empty and edit the contents of a tote bag or bin.

• Declutter five items from any drawer.

• Take out the recycling.

• Place a donation bag somewhere visible.

• Put five items into the donation bag.

• Declutter one shelf or surface.

• Recycle ten old magazines, papers, or receipts.

Digital Clutter

• Delete or archive ten emails from your inbox.

• Clear your desktop of old files.

• Remove five phone apps you don’t use.

• Unsubscribe from three newsletters you never read.

• Turn off dings, pop-ups, and alerts.

Time-Induced Starts

• Set a 10-minute timer to declutter anything.

• Schedule 15 minutes this week to start your next project.

• Take five minutes to decide on the “maybe” items.

• Spend five minutes reviewing your to-do list and pick the top three tasks you want to accomplish today.

Quick Wins

• Toss all the non-working pens in your pencil cup.

• Clear the kitchen sink.

• Put dirty laundry in the hamper.

• Follow up on one item from your ‘pending’ pile.

• Label one shelf, bin, or folder.

• File or shred a small group of papers.

• Clean out your purse.

• Remove the trash from your car.

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What Small Actions Help You Get Started?

Don’t underestimate the positive impact taking small steps has on motivation. Relief and progress are within your reach. How does starting influence what happens next? Which items from the getting started checklist resonate most with you? What additional items would you like to add to your checklist?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

“The smallest effort can spark the motivation you’ve been missing.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

How Can I Help?

Would you like some support with motivation, activation, or organization? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. You can:

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Organizing and sustaining motivation is possible, especially with support.

Motivation isn’t always there before you start what you want to do. It might be, but more often it shows up after you begin taking action. The mind can play tricks on itself and psych you out. It dwells on reasons why you can’t start or reach your goal. 

When that happens, motivation disappears, progress is elusive, and you feel stuck. You’re at an impasse. You can remain in this limbo, negative state, or you can turn things around.

If you’re ready to change the dynamics, I have some ideas to help. There are many ways to get unstuck, boost your motivation, and act on what matters most. I compiled three approaches related to focus, fear, and perspective.

3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Motivation and Get Unstuck

1. Motivation and Focus

“Focus on the seeds, not the trees. What seeds are you planting today?”

— James Clear

A common reason for a lack of motivation is feeling overwhelmed. It’s important to understand your overall goal or objective. However, focusing too far in the future on what it will take to reach that goal can be demotivating.

Instead, narrow your focus and stay present. This will help boost motivation. Invest in small actions that support your larger goal. Keep your attention on the now and your next step, while remembering your ‘why’.

Eventually, the seeds you plant will grow into the trees you desire.

REMEMBER: “Focus on the seeds, not the trees. What seeds are you planting today?” – James Clear

2. Motivation and Fear

“Any next action.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

A few months ago, Kara Cutruzzula, a writer, playwright, lyricist, and friend, wrote a piece on Substack called “Hop to the other side of fear.” She shared how being unprepared and scared can get in the way of progress, yet these are fixable challenges.

In response, I commented that fear, indecision, and uncertainty can be paralyzing and demotivating. However, taking any next action can help break that cycle.

• What fears are holding you back?

• What decision are you struggling to make?

• How can you get ready to take the next small step?

• How is uncertainty preventing you from moving ahead?

Taking action holds undeniable power. It encourages further progress, boosts motivation, quiets fears, and helps you move forward.

REMEMBER: “Any next action.” – Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Motivation and Perspective

“Make your what-if questions positive, not negative.”

— Todd Henry

Someone once suggested to me that it’s unhelpful to ask ‘what-if’ questions. Honestly, that has never prevented me from pondering them. How you phrase the ‘what-ifs’ is essential.

Especially when you’re feeling stuck and lacking motivation, it’s more helpful to reframe your ‘what if’ questions from an optimistic perspective.

Instead of dwelling on:

• What if I never get my home organized?

• What if I don’t complete this decluttering project?

• What if I can’t change my unhelpful habits?

Instead try:

• What if I make my home organized enough so that our family feels calmer and less stressed?

• What if I finish this decluttering project so I can downsize to my new home?

• What if I change my bad habits to feel healthier and more energetic?

‘What if’ questions can motivate and encourage action when they are framed to highlight positive outcomes.

REMEMBER: “Make your what-if questions positive, not negative.” – Todd Henry

What Motivation Strategies Are Most Effective?

If “action precedes motivation,” as Julie Bestry, my friend and colleague, says, what helps you take that next step? Do you have motivational challenges? Which of these strategies resonates most with you?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you need support with motivation, activation, or organization? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. You can:

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Organizing and sustaining motivation is possible, especially with support.

The decisions you make relate to different points in time: the past, present, and future. Although you may not always view your choices this way, considering these time parameters can help reduce decision fatigue and create clarity surrounding decision-making.

Making thoughtful decisions can be challenging. Some common decision-making obstacles include:

• Having too many choices

• Lacking clarity

• Feeling rushed

• Asking unhelpful questions

• Deciding when you’re exhausted

• Being afraid to make the wrong choice

Any of these challenges can cause overwhelm, procrastination, or paralysis. However, when you ask questions based on time, it can cut through the noise, clarify your options, and motivate action.

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1. Question to Let Go of the Past

“What’s weighing down your backpack that needs to be released?”

— James Clear

In a recent edition of James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter, he explained how “unfinished tasks” carried in your “invisible backpack” weigh you down. Many of these tasks are ones you will think you “should do,” but will probably never get around to.

Clear suggests two strategies. To “lighten the load: finish the task or let it go.” Applying a past timeframe to your decision about completing or releasing a task can help.

Consider these questions:

• How long have you been worrying about and carrying these tasks with you?

• Are past goals or commitments holding you back?

• Which ones are no longer relevant, important, or necessary?
  
  
  
  

2. Question to Improve the Present

“What small change could you make to your surroundings that would steer you toward good habits and away from distractions?”

— James Clear

In another 3-2-1 newsletter, Clear encourages making tiny tweaks to your environment to support building better habits and reducing distractions. Only you know which habits you want to strengthen and which distractions are getting in your way.

Using the present timeframe idea to make proactive choices can be effective here. To do this, think about a current habit you want to build or improve. For example, let’s say you often run late to appointments. This is a source of stress for you and the people in your life. You want to be more punctual, yet find it challenging to get out of the house on time. Let’s say chronic lateness is caused by disorganization at home or your tendency to hyperfocus, which interrupts your sense of time.

Making a slight change in your environment to mitigate distractions and support a better habit could include things like:

• Gather everything you need the night before

• Wake up earlier to prepare

• Use labeled timers to help with transitions and activation

3. Question to Imagine the Future

“What will my future-self thank me for doing now?”

— Stephanie Sarkis, PhD

In Ari Tuckman’s book The ADHD Productivity Manual, he shares one of his favorite questions posed by Stephanie Sarkis, PhD. She asks, “What will my future-self thank me for doing now?”

Let’s apply the future timeframe lens to this inquiry. While the question asks you to do something in the present, it’s in service of your future self.

Think about a goal you want to achieve. Maybe it’s organizing your legal and end-of-life papers, downsizing, or eating healthier. None of these will be realized in the future without taking action now.

Embrace the future construct. Visualize what ‘done’ will look and feel like. This will motivate you now to take action and accomplish the future results you desire.

How to Make More Thoughtful Choices?

Making wise decisions begins with asking good questions. Including a time perspective can clarify your choices. Do you consider the past, present, and future when making decisions? How does using a time construct affect you?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you need support with organizing, letting go, or managing your time? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. You can:

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Organizing your time and space is possible, especially with support.

Life requires energy. How much effort do you spend on aspects of your life you have little or no control over? Are distractions and worry preventing you from moving forward?

Focusing your energy and choosing productive actions within your control will guide you toward more fruitful next steps. You may wonder how you can do that.

One option is to do an informal personal energy audit. This evaluation will help you understand where your time and energy go. Once completed, prioritizing next will become more evident.

What is a Personal Energy Audit?

In James Clear’s recent 3-2-1 Thursday newsletter, his idea influenced my thoughts about creating a personal energy audit. To do this, notice where you spend your time and mental energy on a typical day.

Once you have made a quick assessment, you’ll be able to:

• let go of energy drainers

• gather excess energy

• focus energy gains on productive actions

Clear says,

“Take all the energy you spend on…

• worrying about the past

• worrying about the future

• worrying about what others think

• worrying about if you might fail

…and channel that energy into one useful action within your control.”

What a fantastic and powerful call to action!

“Notice where you spend your time and mental energy on a typical day.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

What Will Be Your Essential Next Step?

Clear encourages harnessing those energy gains into just “one useful action.” Select one next small, doable step “within your control” that will result in a positive outcome. Doing that will help reduce overwhelm and increase laser focus.

What will your “useful action” be?

Is Your Energy Aligned with Useful Action?

You will expend energy each day. It is vital to notice where that energy is going. Do you focus on those things that aren’t in your control? Or are you aligning your energy with positive action?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support organizing, editing, planning, or focusing energy on useful next steps? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Focusing on what’s next is possible, especially with support.