Recently I spoke with someone who was having a difficult time getting motivated to declutter and organize her home. We all need motivation to begin projects at times. As we were talking, I asked her what her biggest problem area was in her home. When she answered her kitchen counter I asked her to do something. I asked her to set a timer for 20 minutes and to go to work on her counter. At the end of the 20 minutes she was to call me back to tell me what she had accomplished. What a success story! My phone rang after 20 minutes and her voice and her outlook were completely different! She had tackled that whole problem area and seemed inspired to continue. When I talked with her a couple of weeks later, she said it worked! She continued to declutter from room to room! I was so impressed with her change of attitude with just a phone call!

So, what can you do in 20 minutes? If you have a hard time getting motivated to do a job that you know you should get to, try setting your timer for 20 minutes to see how much you can accomplish. You will be amazed that in 20 minutes you can actually make a dent in a project.

Confession, I sometimes find it hard to motivate myself to clean up the kitchen after making a meal and sitting down to eat. After relaxing, I find it difficult to get up and finish cleaning up. So, sometimes I set a timer for how long I think it will take me to clean everything up. It changes my attitude because now I am in a race with myself to get the job done. It works for me.

What do you need to accomplish that you are ignoring? How about that pile of mail? In 20 minutes you could at least pull out all the junk that you don’t even need to read. Or in 20 minutes you could pay several bills you have on a stack (one of my next jobs). How about writing a note to a friend or family member? You will be surprised to find that it doesn’t take as long as you think it will to finish some projects. Sometimes the hardest part is getting started.

How about just straightening up your living spaces? If you set a timer for 20 minutes you will be amazed at what you can do. Just think, if you got one other person to help you, you could get 40 minutes of work done in 20 minutes! You might just take something like a clothes basket and put everything that is out of place into the basket, leaving enough time to distribute it to the right areas.

If you need motivation, try the 20 minute experiment. I’d love to hear your success stories. Email me at organizealpena@gmail.com. Incidentally, I was trying to write this article in 20 minutes but I didn’t quite make it.

Doris Puls, of D & O Decluttering and Organizing, is a professional organizer whose mission is to make a difference in the lives of the people she works with in homes and businesses. Reach her at organizealpena@gmail.com or at 989-356-9545.