7 Easy Ways to Get Excited About Organizing

I hope you’re having a great week! I’ve spent the past couple of days attending a few organizing events here in Virginia. I can’t even tell you how much excitement has been in the air about getting organized! It’s just been so much fun!

In fact, these past couple of days have made me even more excited about organization than I usually am (if that’s even possible!). There’s something about surrounding yourself with like-minded people that just multiplies your positive energy.

Anyway, all of this “excitement” got me thinking about how others can get excited about organization too (without having to attend organizing events!).

After all, when you’re excited about something, it just makes the task at hand so much more enjoyable, doable, and just easier in general.

Having said that, I put together a short list of ways to get yourself more excited about organizing:

• Turn on music to lift your spirits:  I always turn on fun music from the 80s/90s to get pumped to get going. I do this a lot when I’m cleaning or cooking a meal that’s time intensive.

• Get organized alongside others:  Just like it’s easier to workout with a friend, it’s also easier to get organized with others. Having support and accountability from like-minded people who are all working on toward similar goals of clearing clutter is a great way to get motivated and be consistent. You can ask a friend to be your accountability buddy, or join our community, TeamOrganize, that is led by experts and meets virtually.

• Exercise before starting a project to release endorphins and feel energized:  there’s nothing like the feeling the minute you finish working out and you just feel “on top of the world,” ready to conquer anything. For me, I just feel so confident after each workout that my confidence level “transfers” to my next task at hand (even if it’s a hard task I’m not looking forward to accomplishing). Exercise just makes everything better. Here’s how I track my exercise.

• Write down ALL of your tasks:  I talk about this a lot but just writing down everything you have to do, especially the tasks you’re dreading, can help your mind comprehend what it’ll take to accomplish them. Sometimes we get overwhelmed because we build up a task in our minds. Our brain has a hard time processing these “big” tasks. But when you write these tasks down, your mind will be able to process these tasks easier. Plus, once written down, these tasks don’t seem so daunting afterall. And when they don’t seem as daunting, chances are higher they will actually get done. I teach my complete time management process (and include my trackers) in my Power Productivity Program.

• Set a reward for yourself:  Sometimes we have to bribe ourselves to get started doing the tasks we’re dreading. What motivates you? Watching YouTube videos/movies/TV? Playing a game? Having a dessert? Taking a bubble bath? Whatever it may be, write down your “reward” at the bottom of each day on your Daily To-Do List. Once you check off the last task, treat yourself- YOU deserve it!

• Race against the clock:  Set a timer for 20 minutes and see how many tasks you can finish in this amount of time. When you’re finished, check them off your list and reward yourself however you’d like. If you still have energy left over, set the timer for another 20 minutes and repeat. For me, the first 20 minutes usually energizes me enough to easily continue for the next 20 minutes in the second round, third round, etc., etc., etc. Here are my favorite timers.

• Watch YouTube videos:  Sometimes we need to see others in action to get inspired to get started. Or sometimes it helps to understand how to break down large projects down into doable tasks by watching it done on video. Search on YouTube for the same tasks that you have to accomplish and watch others complete them as an example to follow. Sometimes just seeing others doing it gives you that confidence that you can get it done too! You’ll also see that it’s not as difficult as it might “seem” in your head!.

So, if you’re struggling to get yourself “in the organizing mood,” I hope this list helps you get started! I’m a firm believer that when you can make something more “fun,” it’s just easier to do. And when something is easier to do, it’s more likely to get done (or at least get started).

Anyway, these are my thoughts for this week.