Finding My Motivation

We have lived in this house for more than a month and yet there are too many things still unfinished. I know, getting settled in a house takes some time but, when I do have time, it's the motivation I am lacking. I'm the type of person who loves a neat, clean, well organized and well decorated home. But lately, when I see our piles of "I don't know what to do with this" stuff strewn across the living room, I get overwhelmed and walk away. I know that this is just avoiding the problem and it is by no means helping me solve the situation at all. Yet sometimes, I just can't bring myself to do anything about it.

Although, slowly but surely I am finding myself getting things done, little by little. This is how I am motivating myself to accomplish these seemingly overwhelming tasks.

Set a timer. When I look at a room and think about how much time it will take to get this room cleaned up, I definitely don't want to dive right in. I've been setting the timer on my phone for fifteen minutes. If I can take fifteen minutes to organize one drawer, empty one box or sort through one pile of papers I consider that an accomplishment. When my timer goes off I let myself flip through a magazine, read a chapter of a book, or check pinterest (for the millionth time.) BUT I've also found myself setting the timer again for another fifteen minutes. Once I've gotten over the mental hurdle of this is going to take a loooong time I'm on a roll, I get into the groove and I want to continue working and see what else I can accomplish.

Make a list. Yes, I am one of those people who writes out a to-do list with things I've already done just so I can cross them off, but I find that making a list really helps me focus. Once I write my list of all the things I want to get done, I re-write it with the most important thing at the top, the second most important thing after that, etc. This helps me focus on what really needs to get done and keeps me from being distracted. Another list making trick is to break down task into smaller pieces. Instead of "clean up the family room" I write clear clutter from family room, straighten pillows and fold blankets, wipe down windows, dust, vacuum. When I cross something off my list as done, am motivated to keep going because I want to cross off even more. It makes me want to have one of those really productive days. You know those days when you lay your head on the pillow at night and think, wow I made great use of my time today, I got a lot of things done, and I feel good about creating a peaceful home to live in. I love those days.

Play some tunes! I know I'm not the only one who loves to listen to music while they are working on a project, but sometimes I forget to turn it on. Music makes your time working feel like it is going faster, especially if it's music you can sing along to. Sometimes I fall into the trap of "oh I'll just turn on the TV for some background noise" but the TV is not just noise. It's a moving picture that draws me in like moth to a flame. In this scenario TV=bad, radio=good.

Ask someone to help you. My mom, sister, best friend and my husband all help me to get motivated. I find that having someone to bounce ideas off of is really help for when you're tackling an organization project (especially a big one like unpacking a whole house!) My mom came over for just a few hours after we moved in and I was so grateful for her help. Having her there helped me get some big things (moving a bookcase upstairs for example) done, and getting some of the big clutter out of the room helps bring the project down to size.

So that's what I've been up to lately. Cleaning, purging, finding things I forgot we had and realizing we've got some pretty cool stuff. What do you do to stay motivated?