How to Stay Motivated While Decluttering & Organizing

1. 1 Introduction: Hi, welcome to how to stay motivated while decluttering and organizing. My name symmetric Christopherson. And I'm going to take you through some great examples of how to keep your motivation going when you're feeling a little bit less than motivated. And one of the reasons why I'm offering this is because since 2012, I've been helping people like you go through the decluttering and organizing process. And I've seen a lot of things that worked and a lot of things that don't work. So that's why this mini crash course is available to you now so that you can keep your motivation uplifted and moving forward while you are going through that difficult challenge. But it's totally doable. And I'm going to show you how 2. 2 What is Motivation: Motivation is pretty tricky. Have you ever felt that feeling like you see a problem, you can quickly identify it and then you're able to take action right away. For example, maybe you are one of the people who sees the messy bed when you get up in the morning and you know exactly how to remedy that problem so that when you crawl into bed at night, it feels really good, like it was made just for you. You see the messy bed, the problem, you know, and feel confident and how to fix it by organizing and pulling up the sheets, making things tight and putting the pillows back. And therefore you can solve that problem. Your motivation is there. It's easy. But sometimes we don't feel that way. Sometimes we see a problem. We know it's a priority and we want to work on it. But we don't exactly know how to get the results that we want. And that can often lead us to feeling a lack of motivation, which is totally normal. It's something that even the most confident people, even the most motivated people, they tend to waiver. They tend to get themselves feeling in a state where they can't do what they said that they wanted to. And that is also completely normal. Even if you are considered the most motivated person in the world, it would be really weird if you didn't feel sometimes like you were able to move forward with what you want it to do. So here we're going to talk just a little bit about what causes a lack of motivation. And a lack of motivation is often a symptom that's associated with depression. Now, don't worry yourself or get too scared. But something that you want to be mindful of is if you've had any change in habits that might be causing that lack of motivation. And this is here to empower you this information, this mindfulness is there to help you try and recognize so that we can work toward solutions, work towards feeling motivated again. So some of those signaling red flags that you might notice are a lack of sleep, insomnia, or maybe even the motivation to want to sleep more, not get out of bed in the morning, having difficult getting out of bed. You could have a lack of appetite or you could have more of an appetite. Are you going to more binge eating or you feeling like you're not hungry at all. You could be irritable, restless. Those are also signs that you could be feeling, feelings of depression or that your motivation is stemming from something deeper. Trouble concentrating is another big sign that you could be having a lack of motivation or a bit of depression. So just be mindful of these things. We don't want you to be jumping into a self-diagnosis tunnel, but we do want you to be mindful if you're here because you've been feeling a lack of motivation or any of those other warning signs coming up. Because if it's true, I know that you can reach out, you can ask for help. We're even here. But if you're ever having depressed, suicidal thoughts, know that there are people who care about you and that you are really important. And we're going to work towards moving forward with better motivation. 3. 3 Questions to help with motivation: So we know now what some of the causes are warning signs of a lack of motivation or depression could be. So how are we going to counterbalance those? How are we going to change that around and flip it on its head so that we feel super motivated. One of the ways we can do it is by asking ourselves some questions are going to help us stay motivated. There's 11 questions in total, and there's an exercise that you can print off or open up on your browser. And it's meant to guide you through these questions if you want to print it and write out the answers, or you can follow along with me in the video now through the questions. And I'm going to talk about some of the things that I suggest or recommend or experienced in the past. So question number 1, how has your clutter stopped you from doing what you want to do? So this is something that's really, really common and often why we're called the clutter is actually preventing the person from moving forward. And it can be something as minimal as not being able to park the car in the garage. Or it can be something as more influencing as not being able to cook in the kitchen because there's too much going on and you're just not feeling safe or motivated to move in that space. And we know that parking the car at sort of the garage, that can be a bit frustrating. But if we're not able to cook and prepare meals for ourselves, That's another way that it's going to work against us and our motivation. Because we know that in order to feel motivated, we need to fuel and nourish ourselves with food that we enjoy. And so having a nice kitchen that's clean and ready and kind of motivating you to feel like you're the chef at home. That's really going to help your overall wellness and environment. Question number two, what are the pros and cons of making a change now? So if you were to make those changes, Let's get out a piece of paper. Let's do a quick pro con. Because why not? Let's figure out what are the benefits of moving forward in even though we might feel a lack of motivation, I bet you can still think of some great outcomes of what would happen if we cleared up the kitchen. What are the cons of that? Sometimes the cons, like, for example, the con of getting finished, is that now I actually have to start cooking. That can be really intimidating. That could be frightening. Life is about to change. It's great to have a pro and con list because the pros are going to help motivate you and the cons. Once we are aware of what those problems or challenges might be, we're more likely capable of overcoming them either by inviting other people in to help, help us through some of the challenges that are more difficult. Or even by preparing ourselves mentally, by understanding, I know that this is going to be difficult, but because I already know it exists, I'm going to be able to move through it. Question number three, what do you think would work for you? So think about this in kind of a broad scheme. It doesn't have to be too specific. But what are the things that are going to work better for you with you finish a challenge or if you overcome something that you've been feeling, lack of motivation to exercise, what's going to work better for you to do it all in one, go to space it out over time, to have someone come in and help you to potentially watch a few videos are courses that are going to help give you the steps and guide you to a great results. So think about these things. What system is going to work best for you in order to do it? And you may have tried it before, or maybe you haven't thought of these things yet, but put a little energy into thinking about what is a great way for you to work. Number four, is your lack of motivation short-term, or does it go deeper? And this is something that can often happen that you weren't expecting. And so that's why we really want you to love yourself through this process. That if you're feeling a lack of motivation, but you really wanted to clutter and organized that space. Know that there could be things buried in that that are potentially unknown to you. You could come across items that trigger you to be an emotional state. You could feel that once you solve your decluttering and organizing problem, you don't actually know how to spend the time that you're going to receive once you're finished that project. So there are some times some underlying issues and it's really important to potentially think calmly now, what are some of the things that could arise? Or is it just short-term? Is it because you've been overworked? People are asking a lot of you right now and you just don't have a lot of time for self-care because that's also normal. We go through a lot of different changes in our life and we can sometimes have highs and lows. Number five, are you working in isolation? A lot of us because of the onset of COVID, have switched to working from home or working in spaces where we just don't see people as much anymore. And that could be a good or a bad thing. So reflect, do you work better in isolation? Or is it something that is kind of a little bit more harmful? Which means maybe we need to start scheduling a little bit of social interaction, stopping halfway during the workday to make a phone call to a friend or family member, reaching out by writing a letter, e-mail, posting something on social media, or just making sure that we're conscious of getting some social time in when we know that we've gone for a few days without it, it can make a big difference in your overall satisfaction. Number six, what are the details of your daily tasks that you most enjoy? And how can we incorporate more of those? This is a great exercise, especially if you're sharing a home. But even if you live by yourself, is to write down what are all the tasks that you actually like doing around the house. For example, on my list, I really like to put on some music and vacuum and mop the floor. I know that sounds like it might be crazy for you if that's not something you enjoy. But I loved the satisfaction of the before and after getting all of that, we have a cat and in the summertime it's always really dirty with boots and sand coming in. I love seeing the carpets before and after. So that's something that I really enjoy doing. If you can think now, are there things that you enjoy doing in and around the house or doing in that decluttering and organizing. Maybe you really like the idea of putting things like with like. So, think of those types of things and make a list of them. How do we incorporate more of that kind of activity in your day? Now, number 7 is the opposite of number six. What are the details of your daily tasks that you hate doing? And how can we do less of those? So for example, something that I really, really dislike doing, pulling hair out of the bathtub drain. We have long hair in our house. Hair comes out of our bodies as we're Washington shampooing and it can get caught in the bottom of the filter dream. And so one of the things that I don't like doing, I still do it, but I don't like doing is every month making sure that I clean that drain out. I try and do it less often. Maybe for some people you might think you grows only once a month. But that's my compromise. I get it done so that it doesn't build up and because they become a problem or a clog in our dream. But I don't do it so often that I'm putting myself in kind of that torture IS activity on a regular basis. You can explore this. What are the things that you hate and think about and reason? What are some of the solutions to them? Is it something like being able to have a service that brings you pre-made meals because you don't really enjoy cooking. Is it something simpler like asking your partner to clean their hair out of the dream? Who knows? It could come up with a lot of different things, but how do we do less of what we hate? Number eight, can you end each day by envisioning the positive outcome of your work and the successes, even the smallest ones. So it could be at the end of your day or the beginning of your day. But can you actually visualize and feel how it will be when you are successful in overcoming your challenges. Sometimes it's hard to visualize when you're need deep and boxes and unpacking that it's ever going to end. But the truth is it will small steps accomplished, great journeys. So try and keep your mind focused. Deep breaths. And what does the future look like? What does that ideal space feel like? Because that's really going to help keep you motivated to pick up and start off the next day. Number 9, do you surround yourself with uplifting people? This is something that can sometimes be a really great reminder. It reminds us of all the wonderful people we have in our life, our friends or family who make us laugh, or just make us think about things in a different way. And sometimes it can really make us think, wow, You know, every time I talk with this person on the phone, I tend to feel pretty depressed or my outlook on life has become a little bit darker. So think about those things. It doesn't mean you have to eliminate those friendships or it's quite impossible sometimes to eliminate family members. But it is something to be mindful of. Maybe it's not something I want to do as often as I am. Maybe I need to limit those conversations to fewer times during my week or my day. So think about that. Our other people, you're surrounding yourself uplifting. Number 10. Do you practice good self-care techniques? If you haven't, I highly recommend watching Amelia's crash course on how to create a simple self-care list. Because self-care is really about making sure you are feeling well. It's only the care that you can provide to yourself, by yourself. And so it's really important to understand what are the things that you do during the data make you feel well. I, for example, always like to make sure I start my day by writing in my gratitude journal. After many, many years, I have found that it has been one of the most proven strategies for helping keeping me in a positive frame of mind. So that is the number one thing that I do every day for myself to make sure that I'm setting myself up for success. So have a think now, are you practicing some good self-care? And number 11, our last question. Are you doing something each day that moves you towards your goal? It doesn't have to be big. It doesn't have to be small. But is it something that's getting you closer to what it is? It could be about making that one phone call to make sure that you're setting up a contractor on time. It could be as big as moving all of the boxes from the closet downstairs into the basement storage area. It could be making sure you take the recycling out so that you have room when you start your project. You have room in those cycles space that you have in your house. It could be a lot of different things. But are you making sure that you're making small steps towards it on a daily basis. Sometimes it's even just the visualization that makes a big difference. So I hope that these questions have helped year due to understanding maybe the things that you're doing that are preventing you from feeling motivated and also recognizing the stuff that helps increase your motivation. So stay tuned for the next video. 4. 4 Meditation and Visulization tour through your home: So now I'm going to take you through a meditation that is going to be a visualization of a tour through your own home. So if you can sit or lie in a comfortable position, eyes gently closed if that feels right for you. And breathe. Begin to focus inward, allowing the outside noises, stresses to gently fade away. And focus on your breath. Feel your weight. Drop down and feel your feet on the ground. Reaching down into the center of the Earth. Think of that Earth. Energy rising up through your body, into your torso, up along your back, and to the top of your head. Be aware of your breath coming in and going out. Filling you up with a sense of peace and stillness. Find your breath again. Sit tall, reaching up to the heavens and sky. And feel that beautiful sky energy coming into your body. You feel calm, centered, grounded. If you feel any discomfort whatsoever, adjust yourself now, but try and stay as still as possible as we go through this exercise. Take a deep breath in and let it go. Imagine your ideal living space. What does it look like? What is the vision for your home, your family, your life? How do you feel when you come home at the end of the day, as you open the door and walk into your space, do you feel a sense of calm and serenity? And as you walk through the door, do you feel stress and anxiety? When you think about what needs to be done? Are you overwhelmed by the clutter? Let's just take a tour now through your home. Imagine yourself walking in your front door. What do you see? Are there any smells there? And if you smell something, is it pleasant, unpleasant. What does this space tell you about your home? About yourself? Does it feel welcoming, comforting? How does it make you feel? Is this the space where you want to spend time alone, with family or perhaps with friends. Is this a positive and pleasant space? Let's keep moving on into the living room. Imagine yourself standing in the space. What do you see? Do you have piles of stuff in corners and you don't even know what's underneath them. What else do you see? How does it make you feel? Think now, what activities do you like to do in this room? Maybe you like to watch movies with your family. Or maybe you like to read, right? Maybe do crafts. How do you make this space for yourself and those activities? How would you like this space to feel? How would you like it to look? If we continue on into the kitchen? What do you see here? How does it feel to be in this room? What kind of smells are here? Are there great food smells wafting from the room? What's inside of your cupboards? Your fridge. Do you have expired or rotting food or your counter so full that there is no space to prepare food so that you have to eat out most evenings. What does this say about you and your family? What kind of food do you put into your body and how well do you care for yourself? Do you like to cook? Do you like to eat healthy food? Do you eat at your counter? In front of the TV or while you're on the computer? Do you take time to eat at a table? How would you like your kitchen to look? What activities do you see yourself doing in your kitchen? Would you like to entertain more? Maybe eat healthier foods? How well do you nourish yourself? Let's keep going and move on into the bedroom. What is your bedroom like? Do you walk in and feel instant comfort? Is it an inviting space? Are there some great smells here? Is this a place for rest and relaxation? After a long day? Do you climb in your bed and say, Oh sweet, but do you have great sleeps here and wake up feeling refreshed, ready to take on the day. This is a sacred space for you. Is there beauty and love here? What are the activities you would like to be doing in here that you are not doing. What do you want to make space for in your life? Take another deep breath in and let it out. Through the gathering of this visualization. You've experienced different spaces in your home. What they feel like, and what you want them to feel like. You know, the smells that come from them. The ones that you like and the ones that you don't like. You can see now the spaces and how you want them to be, and the activities that you want to do in them. And with this positive visualization of how you want to see, feel, and be in your home. I want to encourage you to come back now into your body. Feeling the weight of your feet on the floor. Connected down into the earth. Still sitting up tall along your torso and back, feeling the energy coming down into your head. Relax your breathing here. Just normal. You can bow your head slowly and open your eyes. Raise your head up. You have completed your meditation. 5. 5 Wrapping up tips to stay motivated: Thank you so much for participating in this course on how to stay motivated. We're going to wrap up with some ways that we can easily incorporate motivation and motivation techniques into our day. I hope you enjoyed the meditation and some of the questions that are going to help you think deeper into why there might be a lack of motivation. But for now, let's have some fun with just some examples of how we can incorporate motivation into our day. And easy and visual way to keep ourselves motivated as to have a picture hung up. So whatever you're working on, whether it's declaring and organizing project or maybe it's just fine tuning a system that you'd already organized. Having a picture of the ideal setup. Sometimes this can be a cut-off from a magazine. Sometimes it's just a search on screenshot and put on our backdrop of our phone or computer. But having a picture that visual for me, I like to have that up on the fridge. And again, for me, I like to have a nice before and after. So if you can and you haven't started your project yet, taken pitcher the space that you're going to work on, whether it be a drawer or as big as the garage. Take that before because when you get to the after, you're gonna love having the comparison and you're going to have this visual time marker of all the work that you were able to do. See you in affirmation before you go to bed. And affirmation is a sentence that you say to yourself with full trust and full belief that it is possible. It starts with something like I am, I'm grateful I can anything like that that's going to help you kind of reaffirm to yourself that you are capable of doing this work, of doing this decluttering and organizing 3, tell someone to check in. So if you're going to be starting on this and you're feeling a little bit of lack of motivation. Who's that fun, uplifting person that's going to keep you accountable. It could be your calendar with an alert update maybe for seven days from now to check in and see if you've been moving forward towards your goal. Or maybe it's that friend who you know is always a sunny face and is willing to give you a call after a couple of days to check in and see how you're doing. You want to set a deadline. It's definitely something that's a little bit easier if you know when you have to have it done by. But oftentimes this is where we tend to set ourselves up for success or failure. If you don't give yourself enough time and aren't really realistic about how long things can take. I highly recommend that you always give yourself more. For example, I started doing a yoga teacher training and it's 200 hours long. I thought I'm going to have this done in a couple of months. I was really, really underestimating how much energy and time that I needed to spend and dedicate to that course. And in the end, from a two month goal, it ended up being closer to seven months. So really be fair with yourself, give yourself some time and say, Hey, buy next Christmas. I want to be able to have this project done. Or if it's something smaller, like organizing a closet, cupboard drawer, maybe Haidt by two weeks from now, I'm going to have this finished. So give yourself a deadline, a plan, a big reward for the end. So this is something that can be really exciting. Maybe it's, it's probably during COVID times not going to be a trip or anything like that. But maybe it's a treatment for a massage or maybe it's a nice dinner into a restaurant that you've been wanting to do take out for, for a long time. Maybe it's taking a half-day off of work and spending it outside, going for a walk, whatever it is, plan something really great for your software. When you finish your goal. Make sure that you schedule some motivational quotes into your time. So this can be done with a calendar update or sending yourself a future e-mail. But it's really great to have some motivational quotes. If you have a journal that you're working with, you can always flip a had a couple of weeks and write in something that you know is going to inspire you. Most likely you will have forgotten that you did it. So when you flip to that day, it's going to be great for, oh yeah, this feels really good. Gandhi had it right? Be the change you want to be in the world. Watch content that uplifts you. So stay away from a lot of news consumption or potentially mindless scrolling and social media. Something that's really great. There's some great TED Talks and really wonderful videos of people sharing their decluttering and organizing process. For example, you could even just jump over to Kw professional organizers and watch an incomplete mini-series of a woman who did cutter and organized for entire apartment. That's called judy story. Watch stuff that makes you feel motivated. Try to stay away from the stuff that feeds into those feelings like you're not capable or something that was going to touch a little bit too much sadness for you. Try and watch something a little bit happy. You can make a playlist as you're going through. So nothing is kind of a bitter cue for you that music that motivates you. We always recommend music that doesn't have lyrics so that you don't get distracted while you're in the decluttering and organizing process. So if there's some Chopin or Mozart that you really love, build out a playlist there, or do some of your favorites that you can sing along to. It's really going to help keep you going while you're need deep into the declutter and organize and envision the ideal state. You definitely want to always keep that. Go ahead if you want to repeat that meditation exercise so that you can get back into that feeling of what does it feel like, smell like, look like what activities I'm doing. Go ahead and repeat that meditation as often as you want. Try and visualize the end. Try and visualize the positivity. When I'm done, getting dressed in the morning is not going to be difficult. That closet is just beautiful. Being able to cook a meal in the kitchen isn't a problem anymore because my counters are clear. Parking the car in the garage. It's like butter. And when winter comes, if you're like us in Canada, you won't have to worry about scraping off the snow. So I hope that these tips are going to help encourage you to keep that motivation a little high. Be gentle on yourself when you do run out of motivation is totally normal, but there are ways that you can bring yourself back a little bit faster. So happy organizing, and we'll see you soon.