How To Get Motivated to Organize

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What does it take to get motivated to organize? I’ve done a lot of research on this, reading several different books with different insights. One of those books was Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies. It’s an interesting insight into how people react to inner and outer expectations.

Of the Four Tendencies, most people fall under the Obliger Tendency —the ability to meet outer expectations but not inner expectations.

This is where I fall myself. Knowing this allows me to trick myself into making certain expectations outer expectations rather than inner.

But this isn’t all that counts in getting motivated to work on a task. I’ve learned other tricks that get me into “game mode” when I really need to focus and get the job done.

In this post, you’ll learn 4 tricks to get motivated to organize (or do anything you need the motivation to do!).

Make it the first thing you do

Science has shown we’re more alert and happier in the morning. Schedule the task you need motivation for as one of the first things you do.

If I don’t schedule exercise as one of my first activities of the day, I’ll never do it. Most mornings I have the energy and motivation to do it. But that doesn’t stop me from dragging my feet some days. So I follow the next steps for motivation.

Depending on your season of life or work situation, you may only have one morning per week to organize. That works, too. Many clients schedule a session once per week or once every two weeks. They’re still making progress.

Create a daily ritual

James Clear talks about using a “pre-game” ritual to automate and build up to the task you’re doing. (I talked about this in this post about making time to organize.)

Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps’ pre-race ritual is part of his ability to focus and win the race. Writer Maya Angelou’s daily ritual allowed her to write autobiographies, poetry, and more.

In my own life, my morning ritual sets the tone for my day. The chain of events puts me into the right frame of mind to do the next task on my list, no matter if I’m motivated or not.

The key to this is doing it consistently. It can’t become a ritual or chain of events if it’s not something you do all the time.

A pre-game ritual is included in the Where To Start Decluttering Guide, if you’re looking for ideas.

Measure your progress

In order to stay consistent, it’s important to track your progress. Many of us crave instant gratification, and measuring progress can do that.

For some, checking off a box is instantly gratifying. For example, the app I use for exercise shows a checkmark on each day of exercise completed. It’s so satisfying to open the app and see the checkmarks!

If you’re working on decluttering or organizing, you’ll see your progress by having more space in your home or by the bags of clothing to be donated. You’ll be instantly gratified to see your newly organized space. As Gretchen Rubin wrote in The Happiness Project, “What in life gives immediate gratification equal to cleaning out a medicine cabinet? Nothing!”

Be accountable

Measuring progress by checking a box works really well for some people. But for others, having to be accountable to an actual person sets the bar higher.

Clients schedule organizing sessions with me because it makes them accountable for showing up and doing the work. It’s like hiring a personal trainer so you actually show up to work out.

Doing the work as a duty for someone else also builds accountability. Thinking of it as a benefit for other people rather than yourself works as an outer expectation. For example, if I don’t carry out my homeschooling plans I’ll feel like I failed my daughter for her future!

When it comes to chores I don’t want to do, I often think of my future self and how I’ll feel later on once I’ve completed X, Y, and Z.

In summary, getting motivated to organize doesn’t depend on willpower —it’s about scheduling, consistency, progress, and accountability. Stay on track by:

Prioritizing it as the first thing you do,
Setting a consistent pattern to lead up to organizing,
Measuring your progress, and
Make yourself accountable for completing the task.

How To Get Motivated to Organize