Spring is here and time to do a little housekeeping.  Feeling overwhelmed because you are procrastinating on a project?  Clear out the mental cobwebs and get yourself motivated to take action!   What will happen if you don’t move forward?  Time may make the issue at hand bigger or more complex.  On the other hand, how are you going feel when your languishing action item is finally completed?  That answer is enough to get you going.  Hone in on the positive benefits and feelings you’ll create and write them down.

Pinpoint your goal.  What exactly do you want to accomplish and why?  Do you want to better organize your contact list or clean out your entire database?  Determine the actual the scope and how committed you are to getting it done.  Goals should be achievable.

Start small.  Tackling daunting tasks is energizing as you mentally release yourself from inertia and take a step towards results.  Rome wasn’t built in a day and 10,000 digital photos can’t be organized in a night.  Break your project down into smaller, more manageable parts and execute one at a time.  Or time yourself.  Spending a mere 30 minutes uncovering your desk is less intimidating than trying to organize the whole office.  A mountain climber never reaches the top by constantly eying the peak.  Instead, she focuses on each step and hand placed.  The immediate results will be motivating and propel you to the next steps until your project is completed.

Assess Resources.  What do you need to get the job done?  Have the proper tools to make your work easier or to complete the project itself.  Make a list of list of what you need and purchase if necessary.

Enlist the support of others.  Perhaps you can pay your teen for filing those huge piles of documents that accumulated on your office floor over the winter.  Or ask your spouse to take the kids on a Saturday to free up some time.  Let others know your goal.  It’s surprising the help you can get if you simply ask for it.

Make the process fun! Come up with creative ways to enjoy the time spent like listening to music or rewarding yourself at milestones.  Finding even small ways to appreciate the experience will ensure you stay on track to completion.

Ridding yourself of tolerations is liberating and energy producing.  There’s no better time than spring to clean house — acting upon that which will ultimately enhance your life or work.  A well-defined goal broken into easy to digest pieces and done with a positive outlook towards completion will go a long way in creating momentum to get that nagging job done!