Clutterbug - Real-Life Hacks and Tips to Declutter, Organize and Clean your Home Fast - How to get MOTIVATED with 5 easy tips | Clutterbug Podcast # 92

Episode Date: May 31, 2020

In today's podcast, I share my top 5 tips for getting motivated fast!        You can find more Clutterbug content here: Website: http://www.clutterbug.me YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clutterbug TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clutterbug_me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clutterbug_me/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clutterbug.Me/   #clutterbug #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I kind of feel like a hypocrite talking about this podcast about motivation because I'm going to totally be honest for a second. I suck at getting motivated. I am, ah, I'm the biggest procrastinator. And I am not definitely great at motivation. But I do have some tips. I feel like my shortcomings when it comes to motivation has taught me some really foolproof ways when I need to get things done. I pull these out, these tools out of my toolbox. And, and, and, get moving and get motivated. So I'm going to share those mojo inducing magic tricks with you right now. Hey guys, welcome back to the Clutterbug Podcast. Today we're talking about five tips to get motivated fast. And these are things that I constantly use when I'm feeling not motivated. Sometimes I, I mean,

I don't always use these. There are days when I do nothing. But when I, I'm really just so, sick of myself when I'm like cast get your crap together be an adult pull yourself together these are the tried and true things that I do to get myself up off the couch or out of bed or whatever it is no matter how I'm feeling to actually get to work and if you're like me and you're working from home maybe your kids are home too if you have kids uh your your spouse whatever it's it's insane times Corona time, not fun. I'm tired of it. I'm ready for it to end now. And so I feel like I'm just even struggling more than ever to get motivated. I don't have a boss. I don't have anyone to be accountable to except myself. And that is so hard for me to get moving and to get working.

Even though I know I have to, I don't want to. So I have to parent myself and I have to motivate myself. And so let's talk about the tips that I do to get motivated right now. This is my disclaimer though. I just have to say this. I'm not a very motivated person. There, I said it. I feel, I feel guilty making this podcast because the truth is, um, I could be doing a lot better. But if I didn't have these tricks, I would probably never do anything ever. So let's just jump right in. Number one, I borrow motivation from other people. I'm just not a person that's filled. I'm not a go getter. I'm not a morning person. I don't spring at a with like a zest for life and this wanton drive to do things i don't i don't want to jog for pleasure i don't drink kale smoothies i don't do yoga when the sun rises up and you know i see people like this on instagram or whatever i'm just like how and why and where does this come from it is not me and so i have to borrow those people's motivation that's the truth i need to steal some of their motivation and just like rub it all over myself. And I do that by watching YouTube videos. When

my house needs to be cleaned, I watch like clean with me videos or hoarders on YouTube. Or if I'm really feeling like, oh, I don't want a business today. Like I don't want to be a girl boss and run a business today. I'm not feeling productive. I don't know where to start. I don't know how to prioritize. I watch TED Talks or I listen to a podcast or I flip through, you know, some of my favorite go-to self-help books like Tony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within. That thing is so full of post-it notes. I just need to flip to one of those post-it notes and read like a couple of quotes. And I'm like, yeah, man, I'm going to seize my day. I'm going to like light a fire under my butt and stuff. That isn't my motivation. I'm stealing that. I'm, well, I'm borrowing that from other people.

But honestly, it totally, totally works. And it's something you can do from the couch or in bed. So, I mean, that's a win-win, right? You're just like laying around. You're like, oh, I'm such a loser. I should totally do something with my life. Instead of keep scrolling through Facebook, like, stop doing that. And open up YouTube and look at like get motivated video or clean with me or a TED talk or watch some Tony Robbins. And boom, you're going to feel motivated.

I'd like to take a second to thank BetterHelp for sponsoring this podcast. Is there something that's interfering with your. happiness. What is preventing you from really achieving your goals? I think for me for a really long time, it was imposter syndrome. I just felt like how could I possibly run a business teaching other people how to organize when I'm a hot mess myself? And I had to sort of get that confidence. I had to figure out why I had these core beliefs about myself that I was lazy, that I wasn't good at stuff. And talking to counselors really helped me. And BetterHelp is a place where you can have private online communication. It isn't self-help. It's real professional counseling.

Anytime you can send them a message if you just want to send them a quick chat. It's someone to listen and to help you. Best of all, it's really affordable. I want you to start living a happier life today. So as a listener, you're going to get 10% off your first month. Visit betterhelp.com slash clutterbug. Join over 800,000 people taking charge of their mental health again that's better help help.com slash clutterbug the second thing i do all the time that really works to get motivated is i play dress up now bear with me here okay when i want to exercise which is never they never want to exercise when i feel like i should exercise and i don't want to if I dress up like somebody who exercises, if I put on yoga pants, it can't just be yoga pants

because I can't stop there. And I put on running shoes. Man, I'm in the mindset. I'm dressed and I'm going to probably do something. It might only be 10 minutes of a something. But just playing dress up, it totally puts me in that mind frame. And I do this with cleaning my house too. So recently I've been wearing aprons and I know before you're like that's so anti-feminist 1950 cast what the heck are you doing I bought a bunch of new clothes because I lost weight and I was wrecking them anytime I was cleaning or something I'd like get goo all over them and suddenly I cared about my clothes because I only had a little bit right I only have like 10 shirts and so oh I don't have like an old shirt I could throw on unless I'm swimming in it and I don't want to always wear it like change to clean the house blah

laziness laziness so I ordered some Amazon cheap white um aprons and i kid you not i put on an apron and this magical thing happens and i'm like yeah it's go time and i bake or i clean or i make dinner and i feel like just by having that apron on that somehow magically i'm more motivated to do the things that you're supposed to do while wearing an apron so you got to give it a try also when i got to work and i don't want to work and i'm like it's just in my basement. I don't have to go anywhere. I have to go downstairs, edit video, film, whatever it is. Just work on a website. It's all crap I don't want to do. Let's be honest. But if I get dressed like I'm going to a business meeting, like like I'm going to work, I'm like, yeah, I'm in

business zone. I'm in business mode. And I'm way more likely to actually get some work done. So playing dress up, it totally works. It works. Dress for success and all that jazz. Just it's something that works. Okay, the next thing that I do when I need to motivate myself and I'm not feeling motivated is I get really bossy. Now some of you this might not work for, but for me, I'm just like, I'm a little mean to myself. I'm like, I'm like mean parent to myself. I'm like, get your freaking crap together. Like get up. I got to be tough. Put down the tablet. You're grounded from freaking Facebook or whatever it is you're doing. No more Netflix until you get some of your chores done, missy? It's like, get yourself together. You're supposed to be an example to your children.

You're supposed to be, you know, a breadwinner for this family. What are you doing with your life? Get moving. And sometimes like beating yourself up, I mean, I don't recommend this if that's going to really bring you in a low place. But for me, sometimes I need a stern talking to. Sometimes I really need somebody to just be like, yo, get up, stop being a loser. Do something cool with your life, even if it's only for 10 minutes. Get up. Be productive. Come on. You can do it. Get moving. And I talk to myself like that. And honestly, it usually kind of works. I'm like, oh man, fine mother. You're so mean. And I drag my butt off and do things that I know I should do. But I have to parent myself like I would my kids. If I didn't parent my kids sometimes and bring the mean mommy out, let's be honest.

those little buggers would watch YouTube or play Fortnite or Minecraft all day long and I am just like them they're like my mini-mees so I have to be like no you're putting your tablet down you're cleaning your room and you're going outside and you're doing some chores and you're doing your homework end of story and I have to talk to myself the same way okay so the fourth thing that I do to get motivated I call this the nag technique I've totally coined this how clever am I it's and N-A-G. Number one is set a note because I write like a to-do list. Like I write it and I put it on the fridge somewhere that I'm going to see it because sometimes I just literally forget. I'm like, I know I should do things, but if I don't write it down, then I'll just like not think about it

and I could literally just crush an entire season of Netflix in one day. And then I'm always surprised like I didn't get anything done. Like it's shocking. And I put it on the fridge because usually when I'm in that mindset, the only thing I'm doing is having snacks. So I'm like, oh yeah, I'm supposed to be doing this today. So that's the end. Write a note. The A is set an alarm because the note sometimes is just like, whatever, I'm not listening. Okay, cool, cool, cool, yeah, yeah, I'll do it later.

I got you. I see you note and I don't really care. So I have the note, which is important. But then I set an alarm in my phone. And it's like setting a date with myself. You know, like at one o'clock, I'm going to do a podcast. And my alarm goes off, do your podcast, bum, get up and do the podcast. And then, so the alarm's off.

And those two things combined are way more likely to actually get me up and record a podcast and not be a bum. And the G part of the nag technique. So you write a note, you set an alarm, and then you gift yourself. So you tell yourself, hey man, if you record that podcast, you can totally. totally have a brownie maybe not a brownie if you're wanting to not eat all the quarantine snacks maybe you go in a hot tub maybe you can watch that show that you want to watch maybe you can i don't know give yourself some sort of reward like you would a child um you know when you're done this then you can have that and so i use that nag technique a lot to motivate myself write a note set an alarm and bribe myself with a gift if i do it and last but not

least the thing that really motivates me is accountability because I've taken I don't know if you've read the four tendencies by Gretchen Rubin I really recommend this book it really helps with sort of motivation with with having that self-awareness about what actually motivates you and for me I'm an obligor or an obligator I don't really know I have problem with some words but I think it's an obligor it means that even though I can't really be accountable to myself like if I'm like cash you're going to do this thing tomorrow. You're going to do it, Cass. I know you are. Do this by this day. I'll lie to myself. I won't do it. Let's be totally honest. And so when I am accountable to somebody else, if I'm like, I call my friend and I'm like, okay, I'm going to be there for you tomorrow. I'm going to

help you with this tomorrow. I'll actually show up. But I don't show up all the time for myself. And so being accountable to somebody is such a way to get motivated. So have a friend, join a Facebook group, even setting a date on your calendar, like I'm going to declutter my bedroom. I'm going to start on noon on Saturday and write it in your calendar and make a plan and be accountable to yourself that way is so much better than just like this weekend. I'm going to declutter the bedroom. when you have a really broad thing like that there is no accountability it's like this weekend could be

any time so you haven't really set a date and then tell your friend like this weekend at noon on Saturday I'm going to declutter my bedroom let's check in on Sunday and I'll tell you how well I've done and you're probably going to put it off but knowing you have that appointment with your friend is going to hold you accountable or join a Facebook group and post like a before picture and say I'm going to have this done by the weekend. And now you're accountable to all those strangers you don't want to disappoint. I'm telling you, guys, these techniques totally work. So thanks so much for listening. I hope you're feeling motivated to tackle something on your to-do list and I'll see you guys next time.