Motivating Yourself: Get Organized

Some of you may be asking how being organized can be a self-motivator. It is actually a very powerful tool in moving you forward and fueling the drive to get things done. Being organized is more than having files filed and the paper clips in their little holder. Organization includes the ability to break down a major project into bite-sized tasks. Organization means not only having a system in place for dealing with responsibilities, but also having the right habits and routines in place for implementing it. Having the most sophisticated online organizer in the world installed on your computer won’t do you any good if you never use it.

            There are many benefits to being organized—increased productivity, increased focus and efficiency being the most important. Being organized allows you to become more flexible. You can have more energy to pursue other tasks or even to enjoy recreation time. Without any physical or mental clutter, it becomes far easier thinking—and focusing—on the results you want. All this means less stress in life—and isn’t that something we’d all want to experience?

            So, how do you get organized? Beyond physically clearing away clutter, this means setting a system in place so each day you do a tiny bit of organizing. This beats the crazy, overwhelming overhaul that most of us experience when we let things or tasks pile up. Here are a few suggestions:

·        Choose your tool. There is a plethora of applications, lists, gadgets, and whatnot all promising to organize your life. Find a tool that will allow you to quickly jot down things as you remember them. For some, a simple pad of paper and pen is enough. For others, it may be something that can sync with their phone or some other mobile device. Whichever it is, pick just one. Having too many organization tools can actually end up derailing you from organizing.

·        Don’t be afraid to purge. Part of organizing means getting rid of unnecessary items. If the idea of throwing away stuff makes you hyperventilate, remember that physically and mentally letting go of what you don’t need opens up the mind and heart to receiving new ideas as well. This is a powerful motivator.

·        Delegate when necessary. Do you often find yourself inundated with dozens of tiny tasks that eat up a lot of time but not a lot of brain power? Try delegating some things or tasks to others. This is great practice in letting go of a need to control everything. The reality is—we cannot control everything. This frees you up to focus on the tasks that need your attention, and it also allows you to receive support people probably are willing to give you.

Motivating Yourself: Focus

Has this happened to you? You start with a goal in mind—say, lose that extra 10 pounds—full of enthusiasm and drive. You draft an exercise and diet plan. While you’re at it, you realize you’d like to tackle organizing your mess of a desk. While filing papers together you find a random one that details plans of a get-together with some friends and think it would be nice to touch base. You pick up the phone/get online and get in touch with said friends to pin down a date. At the end of the day, you feel even more unsettled than when you first started.

            It’s an exaggerated example, but it clearly underlines the need for focus when running after a particular goal. Focus is immeasurably more challenging in this day and age of social media and instant gratification. Think of focus like a high-energy laser fueled by our passion, and fired with pinpoint accuracy right where it’s needed. Focus allows us to be more efficient in doing tasks to hit our goals. Focus allows us to think in and around challenges to the desired result.

There are two important things to remember in using focus:

One, focus on what you want. Focus on the desired result. It sounds simple enough, but it’s too easy to derail your thoughts instead to the obstacles surrounding the goal or what you don’t want. Think about your goal and keep your attention there.

Two, see in your mind’s eye the result you want. If you have a weight goal for yourself, see yourself doing your exercise and diet plan, then weighing yourself and hitting your target weight. Keep your thoughts positive and encouraging.

Focus is a learned skill, but there are many ways to cultivate it. Here are some suggestions:

·        As with any new skill, start small. Do a single task first. Or pick something from your to-do list and do it. Gradually you can build up to doing larger, more complicated tasks—but for the moment, take that baby step.

·        Once you’re done, take a break. Give yourself permission to do anything you like—stretch, check your email, etc. Set a timer so you have one to two minutes of doing whatever you want before getting back to work.

·        Minimize distractions. On your desk, remove anything that can derail you from your task. Plug in headphones with soothing music to drown out any ambient noise. If you work on a computer, turn off your social media or even your browser in the duration it takes you to finish a task.  

Motivating Yourself: Just Do It

That famous catch phrase from a Nike ad campaign had it right, especially when it comes to motivating yourself. Just do it. Three tiny words that can have a powerful impact on whether or not to stay in stasis, or to move forward.

            More often than not it is fear that can paralyze us in indecision. (A short side note: we may think it is indecision when in reality by not deciding we are choosing not to do anything. Being aware of it is important. When people say “I couldn’t. I had no choice,” that was a choice.) By not making a choice or taking action, by delaying, by giving excuses, by rationalizing, we are only becoming an obstacle to motivating ourselves. We are giving in to the fear.

            Once we are aware of this—and even better, aware of what exactly it is we are afraid of—it becomes so much easier to just do whatever it takes to get our goal. Other times it pays to simply stop pontificating or analyzing and to simply take a step forward, however small it may seem. Thought and deliberation have their place; however, it pays much more to realize when you are deliberating, and when you are simply delaying what needs to be done. Forget about how you need the perfect ambiance before you write; throw away the conception that you need to be inspired before you work out. Instead of agonizing how to start an article, just write a sentence. Any sentence. But start. The same can be said for daily workouts, for getting up early, for doing any dreaded task. Just do it. Because we can only drive ourselves crazy just thinking about doing it.

            At the end of whatever task that needed to be done, we can regard ourselves with a sense of accomplishment. And that can generate some of the best kind of motivational energy there is.

Motivating Yourself: Find Your Passion

 If you’re clueless as to how exactly to motivate yourself, first you have to inject a little passion into your life. What does it mean to find your passion? It’s not merely a preference for a particular item or activity: it’s something that gives you true joy; if time, bodily functions, or other obligations weren’t a factor, it’s an activity that you could happily devote much of your life on. To have a passion for something sends electricity running through your veins. There’s an extra spring in your step and sparkle in your eye. Often, to experience your passion requires zero effort on motivating yourself, because the simple act of doing your passion is plenty motivation enough.

            Finding your passion is important when chasing after motivation—because it’s easy enough to find the things that have to be done. Most people are buried under such a mountain of obligations that the idea of motivating themselves is laughable.

            So how does one find their passion? It requires a little self-awareness and a dash of introspection. Try sitting down in a quiet place, either in meditation or not. With paper and a pen, list down anything that answers these questions:

·        Is there anything from your past that you really enjoyed doing?

·        Is there anything that you currently enjoy doing—either at work or for recreation?

·        Was there anything you always wanted to try, but time/your parents/money/circumstances prevented it?

·        Is there anything—no matter how small—that you feel you do well?

·        Say you won millions in the lottery—what would be the first thing you’d do?

Pay attention to what you’re feeling as you’re doing your list—does thinking about a particular activity get you excited, happy, nervous? It’s important not to judge where your thoughts and emotions will take you here. Just keep penning down what you like doing. Try to get at least 20 items down on the page.

Next—go forth and do these activities! Impossible! you may think. If you have something like “scuba-dive off the coast of the Caribbean,” how about practicing at your local pool with goggles and flippers? If “learning how to play the guitar” is one, try searching online for tutorials. The point is to take baby steps towards what interests you. Start with researching about what you like. Then go do it! Once you figure out what you’re passionate about, it can lead you closer to a goal you want for yourself and lend you motivation to run after it.

Why Motivate yourself?

What drives you? quips a car commercial. The same can be said for any one walking, running, or skipping forward to wherever their lives lead them. To ask what motivates you is to be certain of the meaning of all you do. There is purpose in every act. Executives within large corporations know that productivity is integral to how motivated their people are.

            Self-motivation, however, is key. Why motivate yourself? If you desire to make the most of your life, to contribute in some way, or to run after a particular goal for yourself, self-motivation is one of the most important tools you can use. Motivating yourself enables you to focus on where you want to go—literally and metaphorically. It is the fuel that allows you to go after a goal, reach that goal, and then set new ones.

            Each human being is motivated by a variety of factors. Many are motivated by faith in a Higher Power. There are those motivated by a desire to create wealth for themselves and their families. Still, there are others motivated by fear or an innate desire to stay alive. Whatever the motivation, how to cultivate it in yourself is integral to living your life and to giving it purpose. Without this, you simply exist—a physical body with internal processes going about life mechanically.

            It is self-motivation that will get you excited and enthusiastic about getting up from bed. It is self-motivation that will propel you out your front door. It is self-motivation that will allow you to run into a challenge head-on, confident that you can overcome it. And if you fail, it isn’t really a failure—because self-motivation will let you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and take the next step towards becoming your better self. Boost your confidence, your self-respect, and your energy by learning how to motivate yourself. That makes getting your goal all the sweeter because your effort was baptized by you motivating yourself.