Motivation Is Overrated: Three Simple Strategies

Ever find yourself waiting for motivation to tackle that mountain of mess or organise your chaotic schedule? You're not alone and you might be focusing on the wrong strategy entirely.

As a someone who helps overwhelmed mums reclaim their homes and sanity, I've discovered something surprising: motivation is highly overrated. The most organised people don't rely on feeling motivated; they've built systems that work regardless of their emotional state. When my own health recently collapsed, leaving me utterly exhausted, I still managed the basics because my routines were so deeply ingrained they required almost no mental energy (it was only the physical energy that let me down).

In this eye-opening episode, I share three strategies that bypass the need for motivation entirely. You'll learn why starting with just two minutes (yes, that's all!) can transform your approach to organising, how automating daily tasks through consistent routines eliminates decision fatigue and why creating a "done list" instead of a to-do list can dramatically shift your perspective on productivity.

The truth is, waiting for motivation keeps you stuck in a cycle of overwhelm. What if you could break free by taking tiny, consistent actions that build momentum naturally? What if you could stop feeling guilty about being "lazy" and recognise the legitimate mental load that's weighing you down? These actionable strategies work even on your most exhausted days, because they focus on action rather than feeling.

Ready to move beyond the motivation myth? Listen now and discover how small changes can create big transformations in your home and life. And if you're ready for personalized support, check out our free She's Organised Hub community or book a complimentary strategy session to create a customised plan for your specific situation.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Beyond Organised
• 2:18 Rethinking Motivation for Organisation
• 6:13 Tips for Building Organisational Habits
• 16:10 Replace To-Do Lists with Done Lists
• 20:14 Resources and Personal Coaching Offer
• 22:17 Episode Closing

Transcript

Mel: 0:18

Welcome to Beyond Organised, the podcast that helps you simplify your life and amplify your purpose. I'm Mel Schenker, life coach, speaker, founder of She's Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and mum of four little kids. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, like you're constantly juggling everything but never quite catching up, this is the place for you. Here we go beyond just the tidying up and creating systems. We're talking about real life strategies that bring order to your life, but also we talk about the things beyond the organising, the things that really matter, like your parenting relationships and so much more. So grab your coffee and let's dive in.

Mel: 0:59

Thank you to everyone who has reached out recently asking how I am. I am doing better, Thank you. I am starting to get my energy levels back, which is good because I'm sort of heading into that next season of my life. Things are starting to ramp up now, more so with my business. I'm taking on more clients and I'm also back to work with my nine to five job in like two weeks. So things are really changing, and also I've got a bit of a road ahead of me with my dad with his health issues and helping with that where I can. So it is important that I get on top of my health and at least it was pretty much fixable. So I am starting to feel better and it'll still take a little while, but I'm so much better than what I was not even two weeks ago. So thank you. Thank you for your concerns. I really do appreciate it. It's nice to know that even complete strangers are listening in now and concerned, so I do appreciate it. So thank you.

Mel: 2:18

Now, with today, I wanted to talk about motivation. So, for those of you that don't know, I have got a community, a coaching community. I call it the She's Organised Hub, so She's Organised in my business and this is a place that I was charging for. I've kind of opened it for free. At the moment. I do apologize if you're listening to this a few months from now or years from now, and it's not free anymore, but as of recording this, it is still free. So I have opened it up and I've had a lot of amazing women coming through already in the last week since doing so, and one of the key things that I'm seeing is motivation or lack thereof Women needing help with getting motivated to organise their homes or get on top of their schedules and things like that.

Mel: 3:17

So I thought I would actually talk about it today, because I kept seeing all of these and I kept thinking, oh, I don't know if I can really talk on that. I straight away went thinking to my health and fitness and all of that and how that's been quite a struggle for me, that's been a weak point for me in my life and motivation has not been there for that, and so that straight away popped into my head and I just thought, well, I'm probably not the best person to be talking about motivation, but then I really kind of stepped back for a second when, well, hang on a second. When it comes to organizing the thing that I'm actually the expert in, when it comes to organizing the thing that I'm actually the expert in, I haven't relied on motivation for years. I have not been motivated for years, but that doesn't mean I haven't got anything done. I just haven't relied on it. I haven't waited for it to happen to then do something.

Mel: 4:22

So this was actually quite an interesting one, coming around and putting this one together and actually going through the process myself of working out well, what do I do when it comes to this, so then I can actually help you and help those that I'm serving, because I am getting quite a number of you coming through now and quite a few of you that I'll be working one-on-one with that it's important that I actually know how to articulate what it is I'm doing to be able to serve you better. So, with talking about motivation, I wanted to come at it from an angle that is obviously suited more to my audience. With the overwhelmed, exhausted mums, now, it's okay if that isn't your category maybe not a mum or anything like that and that's fine, but these tips that I'm going to talk about in here really can work for anyone. That I'm going to talk about in here really can work for anyone. So the main point I kind of want to get across is motivation is overrated, and I feel like I'm going to walk away from this episode with a lot of takeaways that I can apply for my own health and fitness stuff here, so I find that so many of us we wait for it. It's unreliable, though, especially when it comes to things like being motivated to get on top of our home.

Mel: 6:00

Now, this can be applied to a lot of different areas of organising in a life, but I want to approach it more from a home angle today, just because I know that's kind of where it starts for a lot of people. So when I was breaking it down, I realized I haven't even really written a to-do list like a proper lengthy to-do list in years. Now why is that? It's because I've got routines. I've got rhythms and routines that I fall back on every day, that it's become so ingrained in me that I don't need motivation and, given my recent health crisis where I literally had no energy, I was so, so exhausted and could barely move I still got the most basic things done, like some washing and dishes and things like that. I still got those things done, just because it was such a habit that I almost don't know how to live differently. Now that doesn't mean that I can't go out for a night or away for a weekend here or there, and I'm not like OCD, which I completely respect, can be another whole layer dealing with organizing and I have got some background in so I can help with that too if that's something that you're interested in.

Mel: 7:38

But but having a level of routine to fall back on when the day is just crazy is actually really critical. It's really important. So, when thinking about it, the reason why I think a lot of us wait for motivation is because we kind of get told that's what we need to do, like we see it on Instagram or whatever, and all these people are just this sudden like urge and motivation and they go out there and they just do a big cull or whatever it is, and it's like motivation is kind of a word that's ingrained into our feelings, in that we kind of need it to get going in things. And it's kind of the wrong way around. I believe that motivation follows action. So when we're overwhelmed, when we're exhausted, it keeps us stuck because we don't have the motivation to do anything, and then we think we're lazy. But we're not lazy. We're dealing with a whole bombardment of mental clutter and decision fatigue that you just end up perpetuating this cycle that you just can't break out of.

Mel: 9:06

So I wanted to give three simple tips on things that I've done to help me. So, apart from anchoring things together. So I know after dinner my kids now help with cleaning up a bit and sorting that out. But I stack the dishwasher. I like things stacked a particular way. I'm sure there's plenty of you out there that like that done a certain way too, because I know I can get that thing full and everything will clean in there, whereas my husband has a fantastic gift of being able to fill the dishwasher with three items. It's quite a skill. So I like to stack the dishwasher, but I do that after dinner and I just sort of wipe down the benches and everything. And I get all that done at the time before I sit down and might have a break for myself for the night or get into some more work or anything like that. So doing those kind of things again and again doesn't really require much mental energy because it becomes a habit. So these three things, I find, will help you create a bit more awareness but also start to form a habit that you might be able to sustain long-term.

Mel: 10:28

So the first thing that I want to mention is to start tiny. Now I know you hear a lot of people say do 15 minutes a day with decluttering or something and you'll get on top of it in no time and it becomes manageable and all that, and I completely agree. I think 15 minutes is a good block. But when you are so overwhelmed and you're not motivated and you just want to sit down and watch some TV or something at the end of the day and just kind of check out. 15 minutes is still not reasonable when you're kind of paralyzed. So when I mean start tiny, I mean tiny, tiny, I'm talking two minutes. So set a timer.

Mel: 11:17

When I first started doing this, I would set a timer for two minutes and see what I could get done in that time. So could I quickly clear the benches in that time, could I focus on one particular messy spot in the corner that I could get on top of, could I plan out my schedule for the next day or anything, set my priorities. Whatever it is, I'll just spend two minutes, just two minutes, on doing something. And then that way I felt like I achieved something and it was quick enough that it didn't drain me. But then that way I had a plan or a task was done, and it's amazing what you can actually get done in two minutes. And especially when you've got a timer, you kind of move a little quicker because you're like, oh, hang on. No, I really want to get this done, I really want to get this done. And sometimes you know the timer goes off and you're like, oh, let me just finish this. And that's fine too. But I find if you can just set two minutes, then that way you actually get something done. And if you need to sit down and if you need to sit down you need to take a break because you've literally been non-stop since you woke up in the morning then that's fine, do that. And this two minutes doesn't have to be at a certain time in the day. You could do it at different times of the day. You could do a two-minute thing one morning because you're like oh actually I've got a few minutes spare. All right, set a timer, I'll get this done. But the next morning you might not have that, but you could do it at night. You find what works for you.

Mel: 12:45

I started off doing things at night. That was easier for me, sort of after dinner time, just being able to get something done, because I would go through the whole day and then I'd be like what have I achieved today? Yes, I went to work or I looked after the kids they're alive, that's great. But what did I achieve today? So I found that nighttime was good because then that way it was still fresh in my mind when I went to bed. Okay, I did something.

Mel: 13:11

And then before long two minutes, I mean I could load the washing machine, I could load the dryer, I could sort out some other washing. I could get a little bit done when it comes to the washing in two minutes. I could sort out some other washing. I could get a little bit done when it comes to the washing in two minutes. I could stack a dishwasher for the most part, most of it in two minutes. You think in your head it's going to take you 15 minutes. It actually doesn't need to take that long. I mean, maybe when you're starting out it takes a little bit longer. But if you're stacking the dishwasher every day and you know what bowl fits where and what cup goes where, it actually doesn't need to take you too long. So all these little things you can start getting done. And you know what, if that timer goes off and you're not done and you do need that break and you need to walk away, then walk away, walk away. And if it still bothers you later on, finish it off later on. But just set two minutes Now.

Mel: 14:10

The second thing is automate where you can. So that might be meal prepping on a Sunday. You know, cooking up a bunch of meals on a Sunday that you freeze and you can pull out during the week so you don't have to be cooking after a long day of work. As an example, there's many different ways you can do meal prep and things like that. Instead of setting laundry days, do like laundry mornings or moments. So automate where you can as such.

Mel: 14:45

That for me, is automatic. Yes, I'm doing it. There's not a robot doing it for me or anything, but it is so normal that when I've got up, get ready in the morning, I've got my baby fed, all of that Before we go out the door, I literally put on the next load of washing. I could go in, put the load on, drop them all off at school. Whatever I need to do, I haven't even thought about it. It is so automatic, just like driving a car or something. For me, it's just what I do. So find a way to automate something, even if it's paying bills, setting up direct debits, all of that those kind of things that remove having to make a decision like, oh, hang on, we're running out of clean clothes or we need to get some more washing done. When you don't have that sort of routine in place, the washing becomes a heavy load, literally. It becomes a heavy load that weighs on you. So it's important to create those routines to help automate things, take things off your mind.

Mel: 15:59

Third one this is probably a bit of a unique thing, but I don't know about you, but when I have had a to-do list like maybe something that isn't quite as regular and I've gone through, I then like get my list and I write down all the stuff I've already done, just so I can tick it off because it feels so good and I feel like I've done something. Well, for the most part, I don't really have a list anymore, so I don't even really do that. But today, for example, before recording this podcast, I had a bunch of stuff I had to get done in the morning and I knew I needed to do this today because the kids are at daycare and at school. I've got this limited time, but I had that feeling, just had that feeling. I was going to get a phone call to pick up, you know, one of my kids any of them because something was going to, you know, and that happened, unfortunately. So before I even got a chance to do this podcast, I had to pick up my baby because he wasn't feeling too well, and that was a bit annoying, to be honest. I'm like I still didn't get it done.

Mel: 17:05

And by this stage it was afternoon and I said to myself out loud I'm like, oh, but I got nothing done. But then as I was driving there, I sort of ran through that list in my head and went well, actually, I showered for starters, which has been a bit hard to do the last few days with the kids and that hanging off me. I reset the whole house, which also had been a little bit more difficult the last few days with the kids around. I got on a client call. I also did the church-based course. I jumped on that call this morning. That was an hour. I did that. I actually got a lot done this morning, plus the washing, dishwasher, all that kind of stuff. All of that got done this morning. And yet in my mind I thought I got nothing done because I didn't do the podcast.

Mel: 18:00

So sometimes we can get so fixated on that one thing that we really wanted to do and it just didn't quite happen that priority, you know but then when we actually look back on all the other things that we did get done, then you can actually go. Well, hang on a second. That's not true, like that's actually a lie really, that I'm telling myself that I got nothing done, when actually I got a lot done. Unfortunately, none of them were the main priority, and I do talk about sort of having your main priorities for the day. All these other things were kind of that little filling tasks, but they needed to get done too. I mean, I had to shower. I really had to shower. I wasn't going to be able to function properly and get all this done if I didn't shower. So it's necessary, but it wasn't necessarily the priority that I had planned.

Mel: 18:55

Sometimes that happens and life happens and we don't get the things done. We want to get done, but when you can actually take note or write down the things that you did actually achieve, sometimes we can rewrite the lies we tell ourselves. So three things, two minutes, set a timer, automate where you can. So what things in your life can be made into routines and make a list of the things you have done. Don't do a to-do list Well, you can if you want, but do a done list and then you can actually see and that might help motivate you to go. Actually, I do achieve a lot in my day, even though it felt like I did nothing. It's just because that wasn't at the forefront of my focus. So do those three things and you might actually start to see a little bit of a shift in your mindset as well. It can help build a little bit of motivation, but it also kind of overrides it in some ways and creates things that are a bit more action-based and just systematic rather than feeling-based. So that's sort of it.

Mel: 20:14

Now. I did mention before that she's organized Hub. Now if you're listening to this, within a week or two perhaps of this coming out, then I have got it for free at the moment and you're more than welcome to join. I've got group coaching in there. I've got mini courses, templates, resources. It's got a community of other women that are also on a journey to get more organized. It's a great space that I normally charge for. So if you want in, you can head to the beyondorganizedcom slash toolkit and the details are in there.

Mel: 20:58

But also for some of you you really just want to have a little bit more one-on-one time. You're actually like Mel. This is something that I need. I've been relying on motivation too much, not getting anywhere. I need a little bit more help in creating some of these routines and systems. That is just right for me.

Mel: 21:21

If that's you, then in the description I'll pop in a link where you can actually hop on a call with me for 60 minutes completely free. I've got a life organizing strategy session where we'll create a plan to get you started and actually moving forward and not relying on the motivation get you unstuck. So if that's you, head to the description Link will be in there. Just fill out the form with some details and background to really maximize the time that we have together and then we'll jump on a call and get you going Now.

Mel: 21:58

It is possible my calendar might fill up pretty quick because I have got quite a number of clients coming on board now and so I am getting quite full. But if there's availability I'd be more than happy to get you going as soon as possible. But if not, please be patient and I will get you in as soon as I possibly can. But if you've got questions for me that you want to have answered and you're not inside the hub or anything, you're more than welcome to have it answered on the podcast. So just head to beyondorganised. com and all the details are on there to be able to get your questions answered and, yeah, I look forward to talking to you and connecting with you next time. Have a great week. If you loved this episode, don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you want to continue the conversation, you can connect with me on Instagram @shes. organised, or, for some free resources, head over to beyondorganised. com toolkit. Remember, organising is a tool to live the purposeful life beyond it. See you next time.