Have you ever struggled to get motivated and take action? Many of my virtual organizing clients have encountered periods of low motivation and activation. It’s a common human experience to have lulls.

Reduced motivation can happen for many reasons, including:

• Feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of what you want to accomplish.

• Being uncertain about what to do next.

• Desiring rest rather than active engagement.

• Feeling sad or depressed.

• Resenting the project you need to work on.

• Being unclear about your why.

• Wanting to play instead of working on a project.

The Backstory

Sunday is usually the day I write and post my blog. After almost a week of summer vacation fun, I found it hard to get motivated to write. While I planned to write, I struggled to get started.

However, despite feeling unmotivated today, I managed to turn things around. I’ll share the strategies I used to boost my motivation and get going. The next time you’re stuck, I hope one of these ideas helps you.

The irony isn’t lost on me that I was struggling with motivation, and it’s also the topic I’ll be writing about all month.

Four Ways to Get Motivated and Take Action When You Don’t Feel Like It

1. Move the Body

After a week of joyfully kayaking, exploring, and walking, the thought of sitting at my desk for hours to write wasn’t appealing. I wanted to be more physically active.

Instead of writing immediately, my husband and I took a walk along the Hudson River before it got too hot. Well, that was the idea at least. Even though we got outside early, it was already pretty warm. We walked, but shortened our route.

Moving my body first made me feel motivated and less restless about sitting inside to write.

2. Clear the Noise

Especially after being off for a while, some life management things needed my attention. Could they have waited a day or so? Yes. However, the mind clutter they caused made it hard for me to focus on anything else.

It was worth taking the one or two hours to handle those things, so that my thoughts would be clearer to write this post.

Cluttered thoughts or spaces can negatively impact motivation. Doing a simple clearing is significant enough to increase motivation for the task or project you are avoiding.  

“Doing a simple clearing is significant enough to increase motivation for the task or project you are avoiding”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

 3. Set the Stage

When I write, I like to have a hot or cold beverage to sip on. Preparing and keeping it nearby signals that it’s time for me to work. After setting up my drink, I take several additional steps to cue myself to write. These include:

• Create a new blank Word document.

• Choose the exact topic. These are either from materials in my blog ideas binder or current thoughts that are on my mind.

• Write the title.

• Add the title to my Blog Plan document.

Once those elements are in place, I’m ready to start writing. No more procrastinating, questioning whether I need to write, or searching for motivation. Just setting up initiates the process.

4. Find the Joy

As I mentioned, part of setting up involves choosing a specific topic I will write about. I reviewed my blog ideas and found something that could work. I wasn’t excited, but I thought it would be a helpful concept to explore.

Then, just before I committed to that plan, I had another idea. What if I shared my experience of lacking motivation instead? I jotted down a few ideas, including the Find the Joy part.

What is the joy part? This is about identifying the element that makes you happy to work on the project you’re doing. The joy factor you include becomes one of the motivating elements.

For me, this meant capturing happy memories of our vacation by making a video, which I included below.

How to Get Motivated?

Motivation isn’t something that is present 100% of the time. Experiencing a dip in motivation is a normal part of life. When you want to take action, yet feel stuck, there are many ways to move forward. What helps you boost your motivation in these situations? Which ideas resonate 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 organizing, getting motivated, or activating? 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.

When you think about change, which emotions bubble up? As someone who has observed, experienced, and helped others make changes, I’ve noticed many reactions. When anticipating change, we can experience mixed emotions, including fear, frustration, anxiety, doubt, overwhelm, sadness, ambivalence, excitement, relief, and hope.

Emotions are powerful. They can paralyze or propel us, depending on which ones are in play.

• What if you could stack the deck in your favor?

• What if you could shift your perspective to encourage a more joyful experience for your desired changes?

• How would that alter your journey?

When you think about making a change, it can feel enormous, confusing, and unreachable. For example, let’s say you feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the clutter and disorganization in your life. You want things to change but don’t know what to do or how to begin. As a result, you do nothing.

A common organizing philosophy encourages breaking down large projects or goals into small, doable parts or tasks. Using this strategy is an effective path forward. You keep the larger goal in mind while focusing your effort on tiny, baby steps. This process reduces overwhelm and facilitates forward movement.

Encourage Change by Shifting Your Perspective

During a recent meditation and writing retreat led by my friend and colleague, Yota Schneider, she shared an insightful question. We considered it in a particular context around focusing.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I recognized how you could use the question to encourage change through a lens of positive expectations.

The question Yota shared was from neuropsychologist and author Dr. Rick Hanson. He asked,

“What will I be glad I did today?”

I appreciate the question’s simplicity and graciousness. What will I be glad I did today? The question has several fascinating effects.

• Contemplate – It invites you to consider joy, happiness, gratification, or satisfaction as the driving force. In other words, you are taking action inspired by this positive perspective.

• Strengthen – It offers a nonjudgmental inquiry while strengthening activation confidence. You imagine this positive change or task as if you have already accomplished it. The question boosts agency.

• Reduce – While it doesn’t overtly state this, the question implies a narrower, singular focus. Dialing down the possibilities to something smaller can reduce or eliminate overwhelm.

• Imagine – It merges present action with positive, immediate future results. You are doing something now that you will be happy you did later today.

• Build – Using this question to navigate change gently promotes a repeat-and-build pattern versus a one-and-done method.

• Act – The question is non-confrontational. It’s even kind of fun. You’re focusing on how good you’ll feel or “glad” you are when you do that thing today. 

“Encourage change through a lens of positive expectations.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Work the Present and the Future

Once you gear your mind toward a “glad I did today” focus, you will experience many positive changes that connect with your larger goals. Here are several of the positives I’ve experienced recently and the change categories they influenced. I am glad I:

Relationships – Nurture and Strengthen

• Celebrated my husband’s birthday

• Cooked with my daughter

• Sent packages and notes to our kiddos in advance of Valentine’s Day

• Had assorted conversations with friends, family, and colleagues, including a friend I hadn’t spoken with in way too many years

Professional – Lead and Learn

• Completed the edits and returned my chapter for a new ICD book on chronic disorganization

• Led a planning meeting for my organizing colleagues for NAPO Westchester

• Had virtual organizing sessions with my clients

• Wrote my blog

Finances – Manage and Build

• Gave our accountant a preliminary tax summary

• Paid bills

• Reconciled accounts

Household – Maintain and Edit

• Cleared out the 2024 files and set up the 2025 files

• Did laundry

• Added a few clothing items to the donation bag

Well-Being – Calm and Care

• Scheduled vaccines

• Didn’t eat that extra piece of cake

• Took a walk along the river even though it was cold

• Slept later than usual

• Went to yoga class

• Meditated

It’s Your Turn to Invite Change

Which categories in your life are you looking to change? What is one thing you can do today that will bring you closer to that goal? With this in mind, what will you be glad you did today? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support organizing, planning, or inviting positive change? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – local feel with a global reach.

Please email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Change is possible, especially with support.

Combining chocolate, motivation, and organizing into one concept might seem like a giant leap. Hang in there. I will share how this connection came to be and how it can help you get motivated to accomplish your goals. The idea began with several disconnected thoughts:

• Ideas for date night

• Passion for chocolate

• Challenges around motivation

• Goal to get organized

I realize that not everyone loves chocolate, lacks motivation, or wants to get organized. However, the motivation concept I will share applies to many situations.

Where Did My Motivation Concept Come From?

One of the gifts I gave my husband, Steve, for our anniversary was a ‘choose your date night’ certificate. Truthfully, it was meant to be more of a daytime date, but you get the idea. I gave him a list of ten possible options to choose from. He could pick one or combine a few into a single adventure.

One of the choices on the list is visiting The Chocolate Room in Brooklyn, New York. Someone described it as a “playground for grown-up chocoholics.” Did I mention how much Steve and I love chocolate?

While reviewing the date options, Steve looked at all the websites. He found this amazing video on The Chocolate Room site, which you can watch below.

Warning: This might put you over the edge if you love chocolate.

How Did The Chocolate Room Video Make You Feel?

I don’t know about you, but after watching the video, I wanted to eat chocolate immediately. Some drool might have been involved, too. In fact, not only did I want to eat chocolate, but Steve and I were ready to hop in the car right then and drive an hour and a half to The Chocolate Room.

The way they described their chocolate experience was so compelling that my motivation to go there and taste everything on their menu was through the roof.

What effect did the video have on you?

What Is Compelling Motivation?

Let’s connect the dots with chocolate, motivation, and getting organized. The main takeaway from watching the video was this: What makes something so compelling it motivates you to do it now?

These are The Chocolate Room video elements I noticed:

• Luscious photography: Used visuals for the desired goal

• Sense activation: Detailed auditory descriptions of what the ‘goal’ feels/tastes like

• Team effort: Showed passionate professionals in support of the goal

• Essential ingredients: Described a positive environment and supplies needed to realize the goal

• Commitment: Dedicated time to achieve the goal

“What makes something so compelling it motivates you to do it now?”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

5 Essential Motivation Elements

How can you integrate the above elements when you need motivation to reach your goal? Consider these ideas:

• Create a vision board or select images of what the completed goal will look like.

• Write a description or record an audio clip about what the completed goal will feel like.

• Hire your team (professional organizer, coach, or therapist) to provide support.

• Gather tools and supplies needed.

• Plan time and designate time blocks to accomplish your goal.

Collect the combination of ingredients to supercharge your motivation and achieve your goal. Which ingredients make motivation compelling for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

If you need help with motivation and getting organized, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Reaching your goals is possible, especially with support.