Get Motivated!

The hardest part of getting organized, especially if you have a long ways to go, is becoming motivated to get started. I completely understand why people procrastinate and keep putting off their organizational overhaul. Sometimes the best motivation is reaching out to family and friends and asking them if they can help you get started so you don't feel so overwhelmed. Even positive encouragement from friends can make all the difference in the world. Get your kids and spouse involved and delegate responsibilities to them and any other helpful helpers you are lucky to have.

If there is something that I am dreading doing, this can be anything, I like to create a list of what needs to be accomplished. This helps me see an outline of what I have to do, then I can make notes about when I will get it done and what needs to be done first. A list like this can be anything from organizing the junk drawer to a complete home organization kick. I like to plan ahead for these kinds of things so I have at least a day or two to get in the right frame of mind about what I am about to conquer. Consider even putting this on your calendar. I marked March 20th for my spring cleaning start date.

If you can afford to, think about going to an organizational store and purchasing some fun new storage containers, file storage items, or a new set of shelves to give you a fresh new look in the space you are organizing. If that is not in your budget consider moving some things in your house around (or look at my post about free & inexpensive organization). Look at your various storage units and shelves and see what you can switch around to create a new change. Or, if you have lots of scrap wood or other materials that you can use to construct a storage container - have at it!

Instead of dwelling about how much darn work it's going to be, consider what the new change will be and how that will positively impact your life.

Here's a story that will hopefully provide some inspiration. I have a hoarder in my family. Her home was in such bad shape that it was to be condemned. My family stepped in to go help her clean it out and remove her messy buildup and dangerous clutter. It took seven to ten of us a full day - at least 12 hours - to remove half of the piles. But, the point is that she could have never done that herself in even a week's time, so we had to get over there and help her. Sometime's that's what it takes. If you have a friend or family member like this, he will probably not reach out to you for help. It's likely that this person doesn't even see this as a problem. So, take the initiative and go over there armed with a box of trash bags and a mask and a really good attitude.