As human beings, we can access life’s small things that can bring joy, gratitude, and some normalcy into our lives. And right now, at this moment in time, couldn’t you use a small piece of that? Life feels especially tumultuous with COVID-19 numbers soaring, a presidential election building to a crescendo, countries and regions returning to lockdowns, social, economic, political unrest, a recession, job and housing losses, and an undercurrent of anxiety. We’re resilient humans, but this a lot to live through and process.

A few months ago, my friend shared an article by science journalist Tara Haelle, Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted – It’s Why You Feel Awful. It’s a must-read. One of the questions Tara asked spoke to me. I wrote it down to save for a rainy day, and today is that day. Tara asked,

“How do you adjust to an ever-changing situation where the ‘new normal’ is indefinite uncertainty?”

— Tara Haelle

I love her question! How do we adjust when there are so many unknowns? How do we change when our energy is depleted from being in a chronic state of crisis? While I am confident that you will find your way forward despite the uncertainty, Tara offers many suggestions, which include . . .

• Recognizing you’re experiencing loss

• Accepting now that life is different

• Expecting less from yourself

• Focusing on self-care

• Deepening your relationships

• Nurturing your “resilience bank account”

I’m going to add one more, which is honoring a commitment to yourself or someone else. One of the promises I made to myself during the pandemic was to walk every day. Getting outside in nature has been essential for my well-being, mind, and body. Walking may not seem like a big deal, but it took a pandemic for me to turn this into a daily habit. Here’s the thing. I’m not a fan of rain and cold weather. Our New York spring has morphed into summer and now fall. The weather, feeling more wintry, has become a less desirable condition for my walks.

Yesterday was yucky. Yes. I did just use that word. It was cold, damp, and rainy. It was the afternoon, and I hadn’t yet walked. But I made a commitment, right? I opened the front door to investigate the situation and quickly closed it, announcing to my husband that it didn’t look like a good day for a walk. He asked me a simple question, “Don’t you have your purple rain boots?” He didn’t criticize me or make me feel bad for almost going back on my promise. Instead, he gently reminded me that I had the tools I needed.

Steve knows how much I love my purple rubber rain boots. The thought of wearing them motivated me to venture out. I put them on, added a few extra layers for warmth, a rain jacket, gloves, mask, and umbrella. The two of us headed outside in the rain. I loved the sound as the rain tapped on the umbrella. The rubber boots made my feet feel bouncy with each step on the pavement. I appreciated Steve’s company as we talked, walked, and noticed the changing fall landscape.

At that moment in time, surrounded by the rain, there was a feeling of normalcy, some calm within, and a sense of satisfaction that I kept my commitment with some encouragement from Steve.

From one human to another, when normalcy feels elusive, what helps you? What resources from within can you access? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Have you ever experienced that intense, inner push that propels you towards your desired goal? Or perhaps, you’ve felt the opposite and lacked the energy and motivation to move forward. In Kendra Cherry’s article, What Is Motivation? she explains,

“Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is what causes you to act, whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge.

Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that activate behavior. In everyday usage, the term ‘motivation’ is frequently used to describe why a person does something. It is the driving force behind human actions.”

There are many reasons why we become motivationally challenged, including fear of failure, comparison, and drudgery. In one of my most popular posts, 10 Most Common Motivation Challenges & Easy Solutions, I explore these and other ideas. Since motivation concerns is a topic many of us are currently struggling with, I decided to expand on the original post to give you some other relevant motivation challenges and solutions.

3 Reasons for Lack of Motivation and How to Get Motivated

1. “Fuzzy brain.”

With the hundreds of Zoom calls and conversations I’ve had in these past months, there have been countless times when someone connected feeling unmotivated to “fuzzy brain,” “brain fog,” “bunker brain,” or “COVID brain.” Lack of motivation is understandable since we live with intense uncertainty and stress caused by the pandemic and the current political, social, and economic climate. Neuroscientists Hilke Plassmann and Benjamin Kessler, describe this mentally fuzzy phenomenon. They explain that “the combination of impaired analytical thinking and heightened external sensitivity creates what can be called ‘Covid-19 brain’ – a fragile, frazzled state that keeps our thoughts simultaneously on edge and unfocused.”

Solution:  To heal the brain fog, Plassmann suggests using music to restore your equilibrium, regulate your emotions, and increase your focus. She also suggests engaging in mindfulness meditation, especially breathing focused practices, that regulate brain activity.

2. Emergency, emergency!

As if the pandemic isn’t enough, many of us are also experiencing life emergencies such as loss of loved ones, medical challenges, or loss of jobs, income, or housing. When these events happen, it’s hard enough. But when they occur in this extreme environment, it is even more likely your motivation will get disrupted. When your days are spent putting out the emergency fires, and there are underlying stress and anxiety because of the pandemic, there might not be much oomph remaining to expend energy on your goals.

Two weeks ago, my 91-year old mom, who has dementia, broke her hip. She ended up in the hospital, had surgery, and is now in rehab. As if that weren't enough, she had two additional emergencies and ER visits during this time. Talk about being on high alert! Let’s just say that while I have been doing my best to work on my goals and stay motivated, there were moments when I felt like I was walking through molasses, as in slow in going.  One of my weekly goals is writing my blog post. While I am motivated to write, with the mom stuff happening, it has been challenging to focus. So when I sat to write what was going to be a ten-point post, I gave myself some slack and reduced it to three.

“When life’s emergencies occur in this extreme environment, it is even more likely your motivation will get disrupted.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®

Solution: Life emergencies are the time to be especially kind to you. Acknowledge how your high alert state is depleting your reserves. The crisis will eventually pass. Make sure that you increase your self-care with enough sleep, hydration, nutrition, and movement. Minimize your self-expectations. What can you let go of? Focus on what’s most important now. Reach out to your friends and family for support. As your emergency passes, you will have more energy and motivation to work on your goals.

3. Can’t take the heat.

Yes. I know it is summer. And with this season comes hot weather. I don’t know about you, but it’s harder for me to activate when it’s hot. I remember the many summer vacations spent with our daughters in The Outer Banks. It was sweltering in North Carolina. The heat was tolerable when we were at the beach or in the air conditioning. However, when we explored the local towns, it felt like we were walking in an oven. Our energy and motivation to do anything were compromised. It seemed like a significant achievement just to choose and eat an ice cream cone. Even though New York (where I live) isn’t North Carolina hot, the temperature can still affect my motivation. Are you climate-sensitive?

Solution:  If you are affected by the warm weather, notice and acknowledge that. Consider some workarounds that will help increase your motivation. Things as simple as changing your clothing to lighter fabrics and colors, adding a fan to your workspace, or taking your brisk walk in the early morning or late evening, can help. Remember to hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate some more. Plan projects like garage or attic organizing for the colder weather. 

Take a moment to recognize that motivation can wane. It doesn’t mean it will be gone forever. It does mean you might need to experiment and make a few adjustments in behavior or perspective to nurture its return. What motivation challenges are you experiencing? What helps you get motivated when you are struggling? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!

Another week has passed as we navigate and adjust to the rapidly changing COVID-19 world crisis. More schools, local stores, restaurants, and industries have shut down, and additional closures are coming. We’re learning how to stay in place as we manage the new realities of family, health, work, or the lack thereof. Each one of us will be touched if we haven’t already, by loss of loved ones, income, and life as we knew it. People have described the “brain fog” and a general sense of anxiety they’re feeling. Others have shared how essential their need to stay connected to “community” is, especially at this time.

Each day brings a new awareness about how to cope with next, given all the uncertainty. I continue to learn and be inspired by you and the ways you are facing each day of unknowns with grace, compassion, and humor. None of us know how long this pandemic will last or in what ways our lives will be changed. We only have today. It is what we do today that matters.

Several things happened this week that helped me cope with next. I hope some of these will help you in the weeks ahead.

7 Uplifting Discoveries That Will Help You Cope With Next

1. Be Compassionate

Extending compassion to others comes in many forms, from offering a listening ear to sharing a smile with a stranger, to bringing groceries to someone who is homebound. One of my girlfriends told me about her friend that just started the initiative, Million Gallons. Their goal is to provide food security for restaurant, hospitality, and other workers that have been displaced by the coronavirus in Westchester County and New York City. A Million Gallons hopes to make and distribute one million gallons of soup. I am in awe of how quickly they mobilized with compassion and purpose to help those in need. To learn more about their compassion-driven cause, watch the video. What act of kindness have you experienced?

2. Identify Feelings

You might be feeling all kinds of emotions. Some of them you can easily name, while others are harder to identify. One of the feelings that surfaced in several conversations this past week was grief. On a Zoom call with my organizing colleagues, after listening to them share how they were feeling, it was clear that a few were experiencing grief. Their grief was not over the loss of a loved one. Instead, it was from their loss of purpose, of working, and of helping their clients. Later in the week, both my yoga teacher and Rabbi referenced the Harvard Business Review article, That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief. In the article, David Kessler, the preeminent grief expert, explored how to acknowledge, manage, and find meaning in the pandemic-induced grief you could be experiencing. It’s an insightful piece that helped me feel gentler towards others and myself. What are you feeling right now?

3. Find Humor

In this time of social distancing and isolation, we are finding different ways of being engaged with the world. I’ve become more aware of how institutions such as museums, aquariums, and zoos are keeping us connected through video. One segment I saw this past week made me smile from ear to ear. Two penguins from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago were allowed to run loose as they wandered around and toured the exhibits. It was so much fun to watch! What added humor to your day?

4. Notice Indicators

Being that I live in New York, which is one of the current COVID-19 outbreak hotbeds, my husband and I have been staying put. We only go out to get groceries, pick-up food from local restaurants, go on walks, take a drive to nowhere, or do yard work. When I’m out, I notice changes, especially at the grocery store. Several weeks ago, I saw shortages of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes. As the weeks continued, additional items came into short supply like hand soap, dish soap, paper towels, tissues, cleaning supplies, ice cream, eggs, Tylenol, chicken broth, and chicken. And this week, when I went to the market, the chicken and ice cream had been replenished, but the entire supply of chocolate chip morsels had been ravaged. Those shelves were completely empty. I realized that one of the home activities parents were doing with their kids was baking cookies. A happy feeling ran through me, as I was flooded with love-filled memories of baking with our daughters. What indicators are you noticing?

5. Get Creative

It’s been fascinating to watch how companies and individuals are using the pause to get creative with projects, how they do business or infuse creativity in their days. Baked By Susan, one of our local bakeries, put together “decorate your own cupcake” kits. One of my friends is busy knitting a complicated cardigan. I’ve been testing out some new recipes, writing, taking photos, and creating organizing videos. One of the recent recipes I tried from the Yotam Ottolenghi’s Simple cookbook that my daughter, Allison, gave me was mashed sweet potato with lime salsa. It was so delicious and easy to make. If you’d like the recipe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll share it with you. What creative outlets are catching your attention?

6. Seek Connections

You might be isolating, but you are not alone. There are different ways that we connected with people before the pandemic. And temporarily, many of those intentional and casual points of contact have now been cut off. But we are social beings. We need one another. One of the things that have kept me sane is finding new ways to connect and “be with” the various communities and people in my life. Zoom has been a positive and satisfying way of staying connected with family, friends, colleagues, yoga, organizing, and spiritual communities. I recognize that not everyone feels connected to a community. If you are struggling, feeling alone and isolated, the COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline is 844-863-9314. What way has connecting changed for you during this time?

7. Explore Nature

We experience many positive benefits for our wellbeing when we spend time in nature. Can you recall a recent time when you walked in the woods, felt the fresh air and sun on your skin, or dipped your toes in the sea? Being surrounded by nature can be restorative for our minds and bodies. Lately, I’ve mostly been walking in the woods since the path is less crowded than other local spots. But this week, I walked along the Hudson River path. I loved being by the water, hearing the birds sing, and seeing the spring foliage just beginning to bloom. I know that not everyone has access to or the desire to be outdoors. One of the other discoveries I made this week was from the New York Botanical Garden. Like many institutions, they too have temporarily closed. However, you can take a virtual tour of their magnificent orchid exhibit. So if you love seeing, but not being in nature, try a remote viewing. In what way does nature improve your wellbeing?

When we are experiencing grief and other strong emotions, it’s hard to think about next. In this time, next might need to be a big dose of self-compassion. Or, perhaps it will be you reaching out to someone else that is hurting. Regardless, there are ways to cope and simultaneously uplift yourself and others. What have you discovered? What has inspired you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to leave a comment and join our conversation.

Have you ever felt challenged when making a big or small change in your life? If so, did you encounter periods of doubt, stress, frustration, or overwhelm? Many experiences around change include discomfort at some point in the journey. After all, if we’re lucky, growth and insight happen along the change path. And usually, those don’t occur without some struggle.

In the latter part of last year, I embarked on a new project to combine and redesign my two websites into one. It wasn’t the first time I had done this type of project, so I knew it was accomplishable. In the end, while I am thrilled with how the new ohsoorganized.com site looks and feels, going through the change process had its challenges.  Now that I’m on the other side of it and have had time to reflect, I thought it seemed like a good time to share what I learned about going through change. Maybe you are making a change in your life. If so, I hope that something here will resonate and be helpful to you.

7 Lessons Learned About how to Navigate Change

1. Gather Your Team

You can make changes on our own, but I learned that creating a support team enhanced my experience. When you seek something different, you can significantly benefit from the expertise and wisdom of others. For the website project, I worked with the talented web designer, Tanya Moushi, who specializes in creating Squarespace websites. She clarified the project phases, explained what was or wasn't viable, and led me through the design phase to the launch of the new site. A while back, I hired the marvelous Word Press web designer, Janet Barclay, to evaluate my websites. While Janet didn’t directly work on my redesign project since she only does Word Press sites, the evaluations Janet did were useful guides as I considered the changes I wanted for my new website. Just as essential to my team were family, friends, clients, and colleagues. They helped me notice the things I overlooked, provided sanity checks, and gave me moral support during times of doubt.

2. Expect Some Mess 

During a conversation with Tanya in the early design phase, I expressed some frustration with how that process was going. I wasn’t happy with the initial color and mood board. She gently said that the “Creative process is very messy.” I loved that reminder because while I knew it was accurate, I had forgotten it at that moment. This is similar to what my organizing clients experience. When we are organizing a space, it often looks worse before it improves. If they feel discouraged, I remind them that things get messier before they get better. And clearly, that goes for redesigning websites too. I remembered other design projects I’ve done, like designing my book, creating previous websites, or redesigning my logo. There was always trial and error. These are not one and done processes. What I appreciated about Tanya was that she hung in there and experimented with me until we got the colors, images, fonts, layouts, and functionality working as I wanted. And yes. It was messy. But from the experimentation and chaos, we created something beautiful and functional.

3. Adjust Expectations

Projects won’t always go as planned. When I received the initial proposal for the website redesign, the timeline showed slightly less than a one-month turnaround from design to final launch. The schedule included three phases. There was technical (like transferring domain name and importing files,) design (such as gathering design inspiration and building a preview site,) and quality assurance (as in back end training and going live.) The phases took longer than anticipated. The elapsed time was over four months. Like most projects, unexpected things came up. So as the deadlines changed, Tanya and I discussed them, course-corrected, and readjusted the expectations. This was critical. In the end, the timing worked out great because I launched the site as the year and decade changed. So even though that hadn’t been the original plan, it ended up being a terrific outcome timing-wise.

4. Work Those Lists

It helped me to have several lists for a redesign project of this magnitude. There were the updated password lists, things to discuss with Tanya lists, design comments and idea lists, site review lists, how to work the back end lists, and, ultimately, the final punch list. The lists kept me on track and also provided places to record thoughts and ideas in an organized way. It was Tanya’s idea to upload the punch list to Google docs so that we could discuss and cross off items as completed. It was a collaborative way of communicating, which worked out beautifully. I remember when that last item was crossed off. It indicated to me that things were completed and it was time to embrace the change fully.

5. Be Patient With Learning

One of the issues that had prevented me from redesigning sooner was knowing that I needed time to invest in learning a new platform. I migrated my sites from Squarespace 5, which I knew how to navigate, to Squarespace 7, which has an entirely different back end. I had confidence that I could learn it, but I didn’t know how much time it would take me. Tanya did several walkthroughs with me and also created a few how-to videos for making edits and creating blog posts. Also, Squarespace has excellent tutorials and customer support. It was awkward at first but got more comfortable with each edit. The upside is that I love learning. Having to add a new set of skills to my toolbox has been one of the fun surprises of this process.

6. Acknowledge Loss

While the website redesign was needed and desired, I was surprised by some feelings of loss that I experienced. The othersideoforganized.com site, which no longer exists, was created when I wrote my book ten years ago. I started blogging on that site and enjoyed many wonderful conversations with my readers. It was a familiar and happy place to visit and converse. The previous ohsoorganized.com site was redesigned in 2011 from the original site that launched in 2001. Even though with the website change, I was gaining many positives like being mobile-friendly, moving to the updated Squarespace 7 platform, and having a more modern design, I liked what I had. It worked. However, due to technical issues and an old platform, it was time to change. I knew that. Even so, part of me wanted to hold on to what was comfortable and familiar. During the process, even though I was pushing myself to be open to new possibilities, I also recognized that I was digging in and trying to hold on to what I had. Acknowledging and noticing these feelings of loss during growth and change was helpful. I could see, feel, and appreciate them. And then I let go so that I could embrace the new.

7. Appreciate the Blooms

The big website change has happened, and I am thankful. After months of designing, technical maneuvering, and collaborating, the new ohsoorganized.com launched at the beginning of the year. Below you can view the welcome-to-the-new-site video. It took a combined effort to get the website to this stage. I’m so happy with the look, feel, and content. But more importantly, it is getting the results I hoped for. People are engaging, taking action, and feeling inspired. Within 24 hours of the launch, a new client hired me because of how the site made her feel- welcomed and understood. After watching one of my videos and reading a few of my posts, another new client was inspired to take action. She organized a corner of a room that had been bothering her for a long time. Feedback has been positive from colleagues, clients, family, friends, and strangers. The theothersideoforganized.com blog community quickly found their new home at ohsoorganized.com/blog. The group continues to thrive as they generously share and engage in our wonderful conversations about organizing, life balance, mindfulness, letting go, motivation, change, and more. I am grateful for what was, what is, and what will be.

What has helped you navigate change? What change is currently engaging your time? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment and join the conversation!