What drives you to do something? There are many factors, and motivation is one of the most significant ones. Author and educator Kendra Cherry said, “It [motivation] is the driving force behind human actions.” However, you can’t take this “force” for granted. Motivation needs to be cultivated and encouraged. Even when you’ve clarified your why, using additional strategies to stay motivated can be valuable.

Summer brings longer days and a change of pace. This is an excellent season to attend to organizing and other projects or goals you have on hold. Is a lack of motivation preventing you from achieving your goals? If so, here are three quick strategies to help.

3 Ways to Increase Your Motivation Now

1. Set a Deadline

There’s nothing as powerful as a deadline to light the ‘motivation’ fire under you. One way to accomplish this is to bundle finishing tasks and projects with an event deadline, such as having guests over, leaving for vacation, or working between meetings. That added ‘beat the clock’ incentive creates a motivation boost.

Recently, we went away for vacation. While packing was one of the necessary things I did before departing, I was also incentivized and motivated by the ‘leaving soon’ deadline to finish other projects and tasks. I could go away with a clear mind, fully enjoy my time off, and return home to a calm environment.

2. Create Accountability

The number one reason clients contact me is because they are overwhelmed. When overwhelm is present, it can block the motivation needed to take action. The second reason clients reach out is that they recognize the value of accountability and want an accountability partner. Virtual organizing is a great way to mesh accountability and motivation for achieving your goals.

If you need help getting unstuck, moving forward with your organizing projects, or figuring out what comes next, let me know. I am ready to help. Contact me at linda@ohsoorganized.com or through this form.

“Motivation needs to be cultivated and encouraged.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Pause to Restore

Being overworked and exhausted impairs motivation. Life isn’t only about doing and accomplishing. It would help if you had time to rest and restore. Even a short pause can be an effective way to increase your motivation.

Your pause can be a coffee break, a walk outside, several deep breaths, a mindfulness meditation, a quick nap, a massage, or a conversation with a friend. There is no limit to the types or lengths of pauses you can take.

One of the great pleasures for me is lying in our hammock. It’s a perfect way to pause, relax, rest, and restore. A few weekends ago, my husband and I took the pause together. What a joy! After a good rest, I had the energy and motivation to work on one of my projects.

Do these strategies resonate with you? What helps increase your motivation? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

Time keeps ticking. The sun rises and sets each day. Is it just me, or do the days feel like they are passing at an accelerated speed? Here we are at the start of summer, yet it seems like 2023 just began. The days are packed with things to do, organize, and follow up on. Special days are punctuated by birthdays, graduations, births, weddings, and anniversaries. Especially during this time of year, there are many endings and new beginnings. These celebrations increase the passage of time awareness.

You experience longer pauses each day when you sleep. But often, during the non-sleeping hours, you are going, going, going. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for making the most of each day and being productive. However, there is also tremendous value in taking a timely pause or break from your routine. It’s wonderful if you can build in short daily pauses. Mine include mindfulness meditation, nature walks, or slowly sipping iced coffee. What are your short breaks like?

Long, planned pauses are also beneficial. These extended breaks, like a day off, long weekends, or vacations, nurture your well-being. Routines are helpful to establish, but switching your patterns can be restorative and energizing. It’s easy to forget the importance of not-doing and taking a break, especially when working so much. You will burn out if you get consumed in doing and accomplishing without pausing.

My husband Steve and I just celebrated our 40th anniversary. Talk about time passing quickly! I don’t know where the years have gone. To celebrate, we traveled to Turks & Caicos. We loved it, especially the slower “island time” pace, which was palpable and contagious. Within a few days, the warm air, soft white sand, clear turquoise water, and calm pace worked their magic on us. We leaned into the pause 100%. We woke up without alarms, went to bed when we wanted, and spent hours floating in the beautiful sea each day. We had no plans and allowed each day to unfold with a few exceptions.

Life is about contrasts- night and day, warm and cold, activate and pause. I appreciate working hard but I also know how essential it is to take breaks. Even tiny ones are helpful. But after taking a break for over a week, I also recognize the value of long pauses.

Time keeps ticking. Prioritizing time to play, relax, wander, swim, float, and celebrate with my best friend and husband of 40 years is essential. It’s been a while since we took that much time off, and I’m so happy we did. There are more pauses in my future- some short, some extended. They are essential.

“You will burn out if you become consumed in doing and accomplishing without pausing.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

How do you know when it’s time for a pause? What do your breaks look and feel like? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

Having a long holiday weekend is a wonderful way to temporarily change the pace of life. That extra time allows you to engage in fun activities, recharge, and break from your usual schedule. It also presents an array of opportunities to calm your mind clutter.

Perhaps your thoughts aren’t intrusive, and you don’t have unproductive worries and thought loops. However, if you experience these challenges regularly or occasionally, I have some ideas to help.

Reflecting at the end of this long leisurely weekend, I realized how my experiences decreasing mind clutter could be valuable solutions for you.

3 Ways to Calm Your Mind Clutter

1. Observing

One of the things I enjoy doing is taking photographs of nature. I love framing images that capture the larger landscape. I also enjoy taking details, like a bee pollinating a flower. Over the weekend, I felt inspired to take pictures with so many gorgeous flowers in bloom. While these photos only take a moment, intently looking helped me focus like the camera lens I look through. In an instant, I see the vibrant colors nature offers or notice details of leaf veins, flower filaments, or light sparkling on the water’s surface.

And guess what? My mind isn’t racing or cluttered with thoughts when I'm present and observing. Maybe taking photos isn’t your thing. That’s absolutely OK. Activate the skill of observing to calm your mind clutter. What do you see in front of you at this very moment? What details are present?

2. Sensing

I am sensitive to the physicality of how things feel. For instance, I will only wear clothes with smooth, not itchy textures. I love the feel of velvet, velour, and other soft fabrics. I also enjoy the feeling of the sun or a cool, gentle breeze on my skin. If I’m in a store ‘window shopping,’ I like to touch things. It helps me see and interpret them in another way.

This weekend, my husband and I visited Field + Supply’s spring makers' market in Kingston, NY. Our daughter, Allison, had a booth for her Level Up Project with a cohort of eight small businesses. We enjoyed walking around, seeing beautifully crafted pieces, and meeting the makers.

We needed a break from the visual and auditory input at one point, so we sat on the lawn to snack and relax. I took off my sandals, and my feet enjoyed the feeling of the cool grass beneath them. Noticing, touching the grass, and acknowledging that pleasant sensation, helped me be in the moment. My mind clutter disappeared.

What sensations are you experiencing now? When you focus on physical sensations, does it distance you from your thoughts and calm your mind clutter?

“Activate the skill of observing to calm your mind clutter. ”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Watering

I’m not talking about watering plants or hydrating yourself. Instead, I use ‘watering’ about being near or in the water. I love doing anything water-related, and kayaking is one of my favorites. There is something so grounding about being on the water, sitting low, and in a boat. I can float and drift or actively paddle to locomote from one part of the river to the next. All the while, I’m surrounded by the ambient nature sounds- water whooshing, birds singing, and the breeze blowing.

Paddling through the water becomes a kind of mindfulness meditation. At the same time, it makes me feel strong and calm. My arms pulling the paddle through the river brings me to the present. My thoughts are focused on precisely what I’m doing. There’s no mind clutter, no mind wandering, just pure enjoyment in the kayak on the water.

Does water have a mind-decluttering effect on you? Maybe kayaking isn’t your thing. How about swimming, jumping waves in the ocean, or taking a bubble bath? Can you use water to calm your mind clutter?

There are many ways to reduce your mental clutter. What resonates with you? Are there other strategies you prefer? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

On this beautiful spring day, I am grateful to all the amazing moms who have mentored, raised, and taught me how to love and be loved, be a parent, caretaker, and friend. Motherhood isn’t all smooth sailing, as every parent will admit. It’s messy, confusing, and at times, clutter-filled. However, being a parent is also joy-inducing. Helping our kids to grow, explore, and become has been and continues to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

I learned about motherhood from the best- my mom and her two sisters, Aunt Bert and Aunt Ruthy. These incredible women who exuded love and encouragement are now gone. I miss our soulful conversations, giggle sessions, shared meals, hugs, and quiet times together. While they are no longer here, their love remains.

They helped guide me when I became a mom 33 years ago. My heart expanded and grew again when, two years later, our second child was born. I never understood how fiercely my mom loved me until I became a parent. I adore our daughters, Allison and Cassie. I can’t imagine life without their loving presence. Seeing them blossom into incredible people inspires me and makes me hopeful for our future.

I am filled with gratitude, love, and sadness on this Mother’s Day. I’m grateful to the moms who raised me, my daughters, who continue to teach me, and my husband, Steve, an amazing parenting partner. These relationships fill my heart with so much love.

I’m sad because my mom and aunts are gone. Aunt Bert, the last of the “Simon Sisters,” died suddenly last week. I’m still wrapping my head around this profound loss. 

“I am grateful to all the amazing moms who taught me how to love and be loved.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Whether you are a mom or know a wonderful mom, I hope you will take the time to celebrate a beautiful mom in your life. Wishing all the moms, aunts, and grandmothers a happy, love-filled Mother’s Day!

Is there a special mom you’d like to tell us about? Do you have any mom stories you’d like to share? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.