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.

What is your tendency when you encounter something challenging? Your temperament or the circumstance will elicit different responses.

• Do you go it alone?

• Do you procrastinate?

• Do you reach out for help?

Challenges are opportunities. However, they can either motivate you to take action or cause you to be overwhelmed and paralyzed.

One of the things I admire about my virtual organizing clients is their willingness to seek help. They recognize that some challenges can be resolved quickly when they get the needed support. They usually know what result they want but need help figuring out the plan and steps. Or they may know what to do but want accountability and support while taking action.

When to Seek Help

When I have a challenge, I tend to go it alone first. I prefer to fix it myself, so I don’t have to bother anyone. But here’s the thing: I recognize that having agency and being able to ‘fix’ things is valuable. It’s as essential to know when to get support.

Enlist help to:

• Bounce ideas off of someone

• Make a plan

• Rely on someone else’s expertise or experience

• Delegate

• Do things you don’t want to do

• Have accountability

• Get support when you are stuck

You don’t have to do everything yourself. Build your team, your go-to people, who can help you navigate the challenges you face and the goals you seek.

“You don’t have to do everything yourself.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Grateful for Help

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. They’ve included wonderful vacation time and celebrations with family, mixed with many things going sideways. Our home needed help with a water filter replacement project, a new chimney liner, a replacement water pressure valve, a damaged driveway by one of our vendors, and a leaky roof. Oh. The joys of home ownership!

My husband, Steve, and I tagged-teamed the challenges. Steve is handy but time-poor. He handled some of these things by doing the work himself or getting help from a vendor. I assisted Steve with one of the projects (the water filter replacement) and hired vendors to get the other projects done.

Identifying the tasks we could do ourselves, the ones that needed to be done quickly, and those that required an outside vendor was vital.

Project Sprawl

Have you ever noticed how most projects are never as simple as you think? For example, the water filter we’ve used for years stopped selling replacement filters. This should have been a simple purchase and filter replacement, but it turned into a project.

Steve researched replacement options, ordered a new unit, and was ready to install it. Unfortunately, the box didn't include all the connection pieces he needed. After several trips to Home Depot, he was prepared for installation. When I saw the old unit removed from under the kitchen sink, I wanted to replace the liner paper. That involved removing the slide-out garbage can, cleaning the area, and cutting the new liner.

It didn’t stop there. We also decided to repaint under the sink to cover up some rust stains. As I write this, the paint is drying, and everything will soon be back in place.

No Need to Struggle Alone

My point is that getting help is a good thing. Don’t struggle alone. If you can do the thing yourself, great! But if you’re procrastinating, stuck, and overwhelmed, reach out for help.

What area of your life needs support? What have you recently asked for help with? How did that go? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

I'm ready if you need help getting unstuck, making a plan, decluttering, or organizing. Please email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Moving forward is possible, especially with support.

Does this sound familiar? Your list of things to do is growing. It’s getting so large that you feel overwhelmed.

While you want to get things done, you’re having trouble getting started. You’re unclear where to begin, and the overwhelm squashed your motivation.

This is a normal situation. I’ve been there, and so have many of my clients. I experienced it just this week. We returned from part one of a beautiful vacation in the Finger Lakes. Our only goals were to relax, have fun, and not work. Mission accomplished.

The shorter part of the vacation was at home, where we planned to do some work around the house. Talk about many projects to attend to—it’s a never-ending list.

By the third day, it was more challenging to get motivated to start working. I kept thinking about our time away and the joy we had kayaking daily on Song Lake. I wanted to go back.

One Simple Motivating Question

This got me thinking about something the wise coach, Cameron Gott, PCC, once said. When I studied with him during my Coach Approach training, he always asked the best questions. This particular question is excellent for motivation. He asked:

“What’s a quick completion?”

— Cameron Gott, PCC

I love this question because it encourages you to:

• Reframe your overwhelm.

• Get yourself in a doing mode.

• Focus on what can easily be accomplished.

• Feel motivated to do something.

How to Use the Motivating Question

When I asked myself, “What’s a quick completion?” it immediately helped me shift my focus and give attention to something I could easily do. What did I choose? I repotted a few new plants for the greenhouse. Taking action, moving my body, playing with dirt, and caring for the plants energized me.

Once that was done, I no longer felt overwhelmed. I was motivated to do more, so I:

• Created my six-month blog calendar

• Updated my Calendly scheduler

• Emptied the dishwasher

• Wrote this post

All items were easy to accomplish and quick to complete, except for the blog post, which took more time to write, edit, and format. However, once I engaged in doing and completing simpler tasks, I was ready to do something requiring more time and deeper concentration.

Reframe Completion

The other aspect to consider is redefining completion. Specific projects require many steps, and finishing them takes time. Instead, reframe completion as accomplishing one aspect, one single step, or any progress made.

Use Cam’s question to jumpstart motivation. It will help you to:

• Get unstuck.

• Experience the satisfaction of accomplishing something.

• Motivate you to do more.

What helps you get motivated to take action? Is there a question that encourages you to start? How can the “quick completion” question work for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

If you want to increase motivation, activate, or get organized, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Getting unstuck is possible, especially with support.

What pace are you traveling as you transition seasons and greet the summer? Are you slowing down and taking time off for vacation? Or are you quickly filling your days to the point of exhaustion and overwhelm? Your pace directly correlates to how well you manage your time and enjoy life.

Whether or not you’re on vacation, you can integrate regular pauses during your week. Without breaks or stops, you become less efficient and productive. With moments to restore and refresh, the quality of your decisions improves. Pacing matters, especially if you want to let go of the extraneous and become more organized. Give yourself the best chance for success. Activate the power of lingering.

How can lingering increase happiness and make you a better time manager? While it may sound counterintuitive, lingering presents an opportunity for a mindful break while focusing on something enjoyable and restorative. Lingering lets you pause, appreciate, and slow down moments. You can then return to your day with a renewed focus on what you’re doing next.

Monthly Meditation and Writing Retreat

Most months, I participate in an inspiring virtual retreat led by my wonderful friend and Clarity Coach, Yota Schneider. She creates a safe, supportive space for women to gather, meditate, write, and share.

Several months ago, the retreat’s theme was “linger.” After our meditation, I wrote this passage during our free-write. It illustrates several ways lingering has had a positive effect on my life.

Thoughts About Lingering

Wet paws, conversations, and gelato. Those probably aren’t the first things that come to mind when you think of linger. However, as I calmed myself in the darkness, the faint sounds of train horns blowing juxtaposed with coyotes howling and the clock ticking. Wet paws, conversations, and gelato lingered in my mind.

Lingering is about time – the stretching, expanding, and slowing down of moments. While lingering can be thought of positively and negatively, happy stories and memories surfaced for me tonight.

Wet Paws

First, the wet paws. Our beautiful black lab, Norton, now long gone, loved going on forest walks with us. We often walked (the five of us – Steve, me, the girls, and Norton) down our block to the path in the woods that led to the Croton River. We’d go to this one spot where we climbed on the big flat rocks – each taking a seat.  We’d sit barefoot with feet dangling in the water as we watched the river flow and heard its thunderous sound. Sun rays coming through the canopy of trees warmed us.

Norton, like us, picked his rock and submerged his front paws in the river. We lingered – each enjoying this beautiful time with no agenda and nowhere to go as if time stood still. And then, for unknown reasons, Norton would get up and decide it was time to leave. So we did. The lingering was over.

Conversations

Second – conversations.  I’ve been missing my mom and two aunts (my mom’s younger sisters) a lot lately. We talked often. Our conversations meandered. Time felt like taffy – stretching and unending. We talked about love, family, and matters of the heart. We laughed, cried, and enjoyed our time together as we lingered leisurely and easily in free-flowing conversations.

The conversations with these three amazing women have ended—at least the out-loud ones have, as they are all gone.

“Lingering has restorative powers when you focus energy on positive moments.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Gelato

Lastly, gelato. I recently had a gelato ice cream cone experience that I didn’t want to end. I tried to linger as long as possible while eating it. But you know how gelato goes—it melts, so my lingering time was limited.

But as I ate this delicious mocha gelato in a cone drenched in freshly dipped warm dark chocolate, I stretched out the enjoyment for as long as possible.

Linger. To linger. Lingering. The precious moments time offers. The beautiful moments I allow myself to savor.

Wet paws, conversations, and gelato.

Lingering has restorative powers when you focus energy on positive moments. Do you linger? If so, have you noticed helpful effects on your well-being or time management? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

If you want help letting go, organizing, or managing your time better so you can enjoy life more, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call.  Change is possible, especially with support.