Celebrate your accomplishments enthusiastically.

The Most Neglected Necessary Step to Continued Success

The most neglected, necessary step in learning and success is acknowledgement of your accomplishment. Yes, this is a necessary step for continued learning and success because it solidifies the value of what we have done and builds our motivation. Learning happens in a rising wave, not a straight line. Overall, our depth of learning and achievement go up, but there are dips along the climb. Acknowledgement, even from oneself or perhaps especially from oneself, reinforces our effort and confidence, increasing our motivation to continue learning and doing. We all need a little applause in our lives. Every time you complete something, take a deep breath and consciously appreciate what you have just done.

Reward Yourself …Now

Organizing your time or your space has taken consistent effort and focus. You have accomplished something BIG: changing habits to support your dreams. Notice the change you have made and reward yourself in a very concrete way: take yourself to dinner, go on a hike, or celebrate with a friend. Reward yourself in a way that fits who you are and what you love. Savor your reward and fully experience the contentment and happiness that your accomplishment has brought you.  Admire it. Again. One more time.

Acknowledgement Exercise
1. List the things you did right, anything you did right: kept going, got help, followed the process, made the time.
2. List the qualities about you that helped you to complete this project.
3. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and see someone you admire very much (a mentor, a teacher, Eleanor Roosevelt or  Oprah), walking up to you at a ceremony, handing you an award and telling you how proud he or she is of you for what you have just accomplished. Now really take that in.
4. Put your 2 lists in your computer or file to pull out when you need motivation for another project.

Make it A Habit
Keep using your new system for the next 40 days, every day. Use it, admire it, and enjoy it. This will make your new way a habit. Habits take less and less effort the older they get. Just make sure the ones you keep suit you and your purpose.

This is the last in the 5 part series on how to Think Like an Organizer. These are big picture principles peppered with some practical steps. I hope these have helped you to shift your thinking on your space and your time to take concrete steps toward realizing your goals and dreams.

Check back to Deb’s blog for more discussion and ideas for freeing your energy and keeping your systems just simple enough.