Have you experienced that feeling of overwhelm when trying to figure out your next step? If so, you’re not alone. Choosing what to do next can be a challenge. Why is that? There can be many reasons, including:

• Finding decision-making difficult

• Being unclear about the next step in a process

• Having difficulty prioritizing

• Feeling fearful of choosing the ‘wrong’ option

• Making the next step too big

• Finding it difficult to estimate how much time something will take

• Having too many options

• Thinking aspirationally rather than realistically

Since you might be feeling overwhelmed right now, I’m going to focus on a single idea. A while back, I saw a graphic by Liz Fosslien. She has a talent for making the complex immediately understandable. When I saw this image (see below), I thought about how it applied to next steps, especially regarding scope and what’s actually doable.

Often, when you’re thinking about what to do next, you consider everything you need to do instead of what you can realistically accomplish today. Aspirational thinking can derail your next step because your focus is too broad. You believe you can do it all right now. However, it’s only possible to accomplish a few things in a day.

How to Give Your Next Step a Reality Check

One of the best places to start when you’re trying to figure out what to do next is to acknowledge that only a small portion of what you want or need to do can happen today. That’s being realistic.

Next, select a few things you want to make progress on today. Review those options and choose one small, doable task to start with. Once that task is complete enough, move on to the next item on your list.

There’s nothing wrong with listing everything you want to do this week, month, year, or in life. However, when you want to get unstuck and take immediate action, it’s helpful to be more specific and realistic. Progress comes from narrowing your focus and managing your available time.

“Only a small portion of what you want or need to do can happen today.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

What’s Next for You?

Figuring out your next step can feel elusive at times. However, by narrowing the scope and being realistic about your available time, you can move forward with more ease. What helps you figure out what’s next? 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 feel overwhelmed or disorganized? Do you want to take your next step but feel stuck? I’m here to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Moving forward and getting organized are possible, especially with support.

Fall brings changing colors, cooler weather, and hope for what can be. The new season offers many possibilities. There are countless options for activities to try, goals to pursue, information to gather, relationships to develop, stuff to declutter, and paths to explore. So many possibilities may seem endless, intimidating, or overwhelming.

What happens when you have too many choices? Does it prevent you from moving forward? Do you get stuck and struggle to make meaningful progress?

Judith Kolberg, an organizing industry thought leader, author, and friend, said, “We live in the Era of Endless, confronted by infinite information, incessant interruptions, constant distractions, unending work, and boundless stuff. All this endlessness butts up against the one thing that remains intractably finite: time.”

Possibilities are limitless, but our time is not. Knowing this, how can you move forward anyway? There are several strategies, such as narrowing the focus, facing the fear, and redefining the problem, that can help.

Narrow the Focus

I don’t know about you, but when I face too many choices, my brain begins to shut down. Sorting through multiple options and weighing their pros and cons can be overwhelming.

Narrowing your options can help you get unstuck. The ideal number might be evaluating three choices at a time. However, if that feels like too many, try two.

Let’s say you’re decluttering your closet. You have twenty pairs of pants, but you want to have only ten. First, organize them by color or category. Gather each group, such as black, navy, casual, or dress pants. Hold up two at a time from a group. Once that group is complete, move on to the next group.

Ask questions like:

• Do I like this pair more than the other one?

• Which pair fits or feels best?

• Is it worn out, repairable, or worth repairing?

• Are the pants the same?

• Do I need both?

These types of questions will help you:

• Narrow your options

• Get unstuck

• Reduce or eliminate overwhelm

• Help you reach your objective of having fewer pants

Modify and use this strategy when your focus is too broad. Break choices into several categories to place boundaries around possibilities and decision-making options.

Face the Fear

Endless possibilities can also bring up fear. When fear is present, it can be paralyzing, causing you to do nothing.

Reflect on these questions to see if fear is holding you back:

• When exploring new possibilities, is fear an obstacle?

• Is it about fear of choosing the wrong option?

• Is it about fear of making a mistake?

• Is it about fear of what others might think about your decision?

There are no guarantees in life. When you’re unsure, it’s natural to feel apprehensive. But don’t let that stop you. Instead of focusing on fear, reframe the ‘adventure’ as an experiment. This mindset will encourage you to try things with less pressure. Experimenting is about curiosity, learning, and growth, not punishment or black-and-white thinking.

As a reminder, I keep a sign on my desk. It says, “Overcome the fear of doing it wrong.”

“Possibilities are limitless, but our time is not.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Redefine the Problem

When possibilities appear endless, it can cause confusion about goals and progress.

In the book Daily Creative, by author, creative, and podcast host Todd Henry, he said, “At times, the feeling of ‘stuck-ness’ is really nothing more than a lack of clarity about what meaningful progress truly is. Simply redefining the problem can provide a quick jolt of forward momentum.”

He continued and said, “Consider a project you’re struggling to make progress on. What are you really trying to do?” That’s such a powerful question! Clarifying can help you cut through the noise from competing factors, options, and possibilities. The strategy encourages you to revisit the challenge and then define what you need and want to do at that moment.

Working with Endless Possibilities

In an age of information and choice overload, it’s no wonder you get stuck. It’s no surprise that you’re struggling to make progress. However, now you have three strategies that can help with focus, fear, and problems. What helps you navigate limitless possibilities? Which idea resonates most with you? 

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

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized? I’m here to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized and making progress 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.

Are there times when figuring out your next step is challenging? Maybe you need more information, fear making mistakes, or feel overwhelmed with decision-making.

If the next step is a one-and-done task, it can seem more manageable. However, the next step can feel elusive and unclear when working on a long-term project or making a significant life change.

There are many ways to approach finding next, which I’ve written a lot about. Some of these ideas to get unstuck and determine what’s next included:

• Releasing your negative list

• Making time to regroup

• Focusing on “small awe”

• Working The Progress Cycle

• Taking small steps

• Engaging in mindfulness

Recently, I discovered an inspired question, which approaches next in a refreshing way.

Making Next Transformational

In James Clear’s “3-2-1 Thursday” newsletter, he posed this thought-provoking question:

“What single habit if implemented consistently for the rest of this year, would transform your life the most?”

I love this question for three reasons:

Reason 1. The query focuses your attention to developing just one new habit. Most of us tend to take on too much at once, making it difficult to make progress on anything.

Reason 2. The question encourages you to consider which habit change would have the most impact. You are investing your time in doing something different. Selecting the habit that will be most transformative will give you the most for your efforts.

Reason 3. The ask supports consistent, small efforts that will result in monumental, positive change over a specific, doable time frame, “rest of this year.”

“What single habit if implemented consistently for the rest of this year, would transform your life the most?”

— James Clear

What Will You Invite In?

Let’s remember and imagine.

Remember - Think about a time you successfully developed a new habit. What did you learn from that experience? Is it a habit you still engage in? What positive affect resulted?

Imagine - Future think to the end of this year. What positive change happened as a result of your consistent habit? Which area of your life did it affect? Was it related to your relationships, finances, health, work, home, personal development, or another category?

As you consider what new habit to adopt, remember that your future self will thank you.

One Significant Habit Change

I’ve changed many habits in my life, including my reading habits. I love reading and typically do so at night before bed. However, that’s also when I’m most tired. When I’m sleepy, I read more slowly, read fewer pages because I drift off, and don’t retain the material as well.

One morning, after meditating, I changed things up and read before getting out of bed. I was motivated to finish the book, which I had almost completed the night before. Reading while fully awake was such an uplifting experience that I integrated this new habit into my morning routine.

It’s been amazing! Not only am I enjoying and assimilating what I’m reading even more, but I’m also reading twice as many books. This habit supports my thirst for learning and understanding, which I highly value.

What area of your life would you like to change? What new habit can enhance your life? What will be next for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support organizing, developing new habits, or figuring out your next step? 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. Change is possible, especially with support.