Lest you find yourself lacking the motivation for organizing, I’ve compiled a few helpful suggestions to propel you to action.

1. Invite houseguests or visitors.

The prospect of hosting guests or visitors can act as motivation for people who might otherwise procrastinate on organizing.

While you may be resigned to living amidst clutter, yourself, the realization that an outsider will be privy to your space leads you to newly consider how it appears. This evaluation can inspire action, as you’ll attempt to avoid the probable embarrassment or discomfort you’ll feel if you fail to organize before your guests arrive.

Give yourself sufficient amount of time so that you’re not scrounging (although you may still, if you leave it until the last minute), and consider the date of their visit to be your deadline.

Who you invite over makes a difference. People who care deeply about what their close family and friends think of them must invite over said family and friends. People who are happy to let it all hang out with family and friends but can’t stand the thought of strangers or acquaintances seeing their clutter must invite over said strangers or acquaintances.  

2. Get inspired

Scour the interwebs and magazines for inspiring interiors. Keep the ones you especially love in plain sight.

3. Side by side

Photograph your house in its current state. Compare those pictures to your inspiration photos. Yes, it might bum you out momentarily if your house looks markedly different from the ideal, but it might also be the harsh dose of reality you need to get your buns in gear.

4. The list doesn’t lie

– Keep a running list throughout the week or month of all the things you want and swear you own but can’t find.

– Make a list of all the things you can recall that you’ve purchased replacements of because you weren’t able to locate the items you already owned (and then later recovered).

5. Get horrified

Watch an episode of hoarders. Just one will, all in likelihood, do the trick.

This extreme example of clutter tendencies can be enough to jolt you out of the fog and into action–the picture of where you’re inevitably headed appearing as frightening as it does.

6. Research

Research the statistics of how much Americans waste annually.

Or, how many local charitable organizations are in your area that need exactly what you’ve got.

Or, how people around the world are living with little possessions and a lot of happiness.

7. A dab’ll do ya

Start with just one project. If it’s a closet, great. If it’s one shelf, so be it.

Set a timer for 15-30 minutes and work. Hopefully, you’ll realize how liberating it feels to do so, and you’ll gain momentum to tackle bigger and longer projects.

Now it’s your turn…

How are you going to motivate yourself to organize? Let me know in the comments below.