Have you ever lacked motivation and wondered how to activate? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, this is a normal part of the being human. Would you like to discover some wonderful strategies for getting motivated, especially when you’re in a slump? I was curious about the ways my colleagues’ handled their motivation challenges, so I reached out to this generous group – Sarah Soboleski, Diane Quintana, Jill Robson, Autumn Leopold, Ingrid Jansen, Deb Lee, and Seana Turner. I asked them,“What is the one thing you do to get motivated when you’re in a slump?” Their responses are personal, intelligent, and inspiring. My deepest gratitude goes to each of them for sharing their wisdom with us.

What is the one thing you do to get motivated when you’re in a slump? . . .

Motivation From Playing

“When I’m in a rut I think it’s helpful to play! I’m a mother to a 4-year-old little boy so it’s easy for me to take a break and connect with my playful side when I’m in a slump. I love reading a silly book, coloring a picture, or squishing some play-doh with him. These are all great ways to give my brain a rest, remember not to take things too seriously and get back to basics. When I tap into my inner child I see things through a different lens and am better able to refocus my efforts. Play jumpstarts my productivity!” 

Sarah Soboleski, LCSW –Professional Organizer, Speaker & Blogger

Motivation From Envisioning

“When I need to get motivated to begin a project I start by envisioning the result. Then I make a master list of everything that must be done to bring this project to a successful conclusion. I take the time to create a timeline, scheduling steps to take into my calendar. Then I focus on the end result. Knowing that each small incremental step brings me closer to finishing my project helps keep me motivated.”

Diane N. Quintana – Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization, Author & Speaker 

Motivation From Doing Mundane Tasks

“I take a step back, sometimes a BIG step back when I am lacking motivation. Nothing is worse than trying to flog a dead horse; the ideas will not come no matter how much you will them to. I always get the best ideas and flow of inspiration when I am doing the mundane, things that are rote, procedures done by muscle memory allowing the inactive parts of your mind to reboot themselves.”

Jill Robson – Professional Home Organizer & Blogger

Motivation From Brainstorming 

"When I'm in a slump I have to disconnect. I have to let go of whatever I have been working on and get out of my element. Whether that means take a few days off and work on a home project, or take a week off and go on an RV trip with my family. I love to brainstorm creative ideas with my peers! A brainstorming weekend in the mountains goes a long way for your soul! Sometimes switching around my normal routine can shake things up and as well." 

Autumn Leopold – Professional Organizer & Blogger

Motivation From List Making

“The one thing I do to get into action is to start making a LIST of what needs to be done. People get in a slump because the task at hand seems too big or too hard to do. Creating a list and breaking up the project in small chunks helps me to get an overview of the task and also to decide what needs to be done first to make a start. Also getting some extra sleep helps to get more energy to tackle the project you have in mind!”

Ingrid Jansen – Professional Organizer 

Motivation From Talking

“I talk to myself. Yes, this is a real conversation about how AMAZING I will feel when I follow through on a goal or habit. That feeling is ridiculously wonderful and gives me a huge boost. So, the short, but serious talks with myself work like a charm. I sometimes experience the real feeling of just by visualizing.” 

Deb Lee, CPO® – Digital Business Coach, Productivity Consultant, Speaker & Appaholic

Motivation From Disconnecting

“Motivation frequently comes in spurts. Sometimes it appears as a gift, while other times it burrows like hidden treasure. For me, the best solution to a slump is to disconnect completely from the pressure to perform. This can be as simple as taking a day off to sit on the beach, or as significant as suspending an activity for a month to work on something else. Redirecting my focus awakens my brain to a new challenge while replenishing those parts of my mind and spirit that have run dry.”

Seana Turner – Professional Organizer, Blogger & Speaker

Getting motivated, especially when you’re in a slump is possible. With the creative ideas that my colleagues shared, you now have some new strategies to experiment with. Whether you choose to play, disconnect, brainstorm or make lists, renewed motivation is possible for you. For me, when my motivation has waned, I will often force myself to get going anyway. If that doesn’t work, I’ll give myself a self-care break. That can include getting some fresh air, taking a walk by the river, running an errand, having a snack break, or getting some sleep and restarting the next day. 

Which ideas resonate with you? How do you get motivated when you’re in a slump? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

Recently, one of my friends used a term I’d never heard before which caused me to think about our unique sources of motivation. While driving together and seeing a dumpster in one of the neighbor’s driveways, she exclaimed, “I have dumpster envy!” I’d never heard that expression before so I asked her to explain what she meant.

My friend shared that when she sees dumpsters, she becomes envious of the organizing and editing work other people are actively doing. It makes her think about her own projects she’d like to be tackling, like emptying the attic. This increases her desire to move forward too.

While I don’t have “dumpster envy,” I have experienced similar situations. When I see renovations going on or clients working hard on their organizing goals, I feel inspired and motivated to do more too. Have you experienced this?

The dumpster is a strong visual. It’s a huge container that gets filled with things that no longer are needed. Filling the container means that areas inside the home are emptying and getting lighter. The dumpster becomes the container for letting go.

Seeing the dumpster not only represented action, but it represented the hope of what action and letting go can bring. For you, maybe it’s not a dumpster, but another object. What will inspire or motivate you to take action with the clutter that's weighing you down in your life?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

You know what happens when you go, go, go? You get burned out, out, out. So I’d say that my motivation to slow down is pretty darn high right now because I’ve been on the go for a long stretch…a very long stretch.

Here’s the good news. I’ve planned some time off to slow my motor. Yet, as I write this in advance of our mini vacation so that it will post while I’m off the grid, I’m still in the go, go, go mode. As a matter of fact, after I write this post I need to write my pack list and pack. And before I wrote this I had a client that needed organizing help, an interview to finish writing, bills to pay, errands to run, emails to respond to, and a rental car to return. I bet this sounds all too familiar, right?

I won’t tell you what time it is, but let’s just say, it’s late. I’ve had a bit too much caffeine today. That in combination with the adrenaline pumping will give me enough energy to sprint some more. Then I can shift into low gear. I’m looking forward to changing my pace.

The point is that I am highly motivated to slow down. I’ve been pushing and doing and doing some more. It’s time for a break. It’s time to not do. It’s time to enjoy our family and suspend all agendas and to do lists.

I’m looking forward to our road trip to the mountains where we’ll meet up with our daughters. By the time you read this, I will have had days of unwinding, decompressing, relaxing, and unplugging. I might be unrecognizable. Let’s hope so. What will relaxed look and feel like?

How about you? Will you take off time this summer? What motivates you to change your pace? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

What happens when you lose your groove? Do you know what I mean? You’ve established a habit. You’ve committed to a habit and then life gets in the way. How do you come back? How do you re-motivate yourself to return to that thing, that habit that you know and love?

As I sat to write my weekly post, I realized that this is exactly what I’ve experienced. It’s been three weeks since my last post. In the past five plus years, I’ve written one blog post per week with a few exceptions. It’s a habit I enjoy, find creative and have been committed to.

However, I’ve faced some challenges in these recent weeks that forced me to let go of certain commitments (as in writing the weekly blog post and engaging as actively on social media) so that I could handle others. Yes there was guilt. Yes there was disappointment. But it was also necessary to let go to make room for some emergencies and out of the ordinary challenges.

Here are some reminders I gave myself about motivation:

• I can come back at any time.

• I need to be flexible because there are only 24 hours in a day.

• Some of those 24 hours are needed for sleep, which is essential for recharging.

• If I’m exhausted, I won’t have the energy or motivation to do anything.

• Return to your source for centering. Water and sun restore me.

• If I’ve gotten way off track, take one tiny step towards that “project” or habit and it will feed my motivation.

• Practice self-compassion.

• Listen to your cheerleaders.

• Just start.

• Let go of perfect.

Needless to say, I’ve missed all of you. I’ve missed our conversations. I’m glad to be back after taking a break to tend to some family and professional challenges. I get that I expect a lot from myself. Does this sound familiar? I get that there’s a balance between doing and not doing. I’m working on that.

What about you? Does any of this resonate? Has life ever gotten in the way and thrown you off course? It’s temporary. What do you do to re-motivate? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.