Is it really the middle of July?

It’s feeling more like the dog days of August. It can be hard to bring yourself to do much of anything when the sun is as blazing hot as it is today.

Unfortunately the heat is going to stay around for a while so how do you keep yourself motivated to do the important things? It’s easier than you think.

You commit to short bursts of productivity. If you are willing to spend 15 minutes wisely every day, you will be very surprised by how much you accomplish.

Just 15 minutes a day will convert into a powerful 91 hours a year!

That’s a massive chunk of time that you can use to get things done. Everyone can find 15 minutes in their day if they make their mind up to it. (Wake up 15 minutes earlier, steal 15 minutes from lunch or make it right after work— the choice is yours.)

You will only experience the benefit when you make it a consistent part of your daily routine. The key is your commitment to creating a new habit that will improve your life.

A great place to start is cleaning and organizing your surroundings. In 15 minutes you can clear your desktop, file your papers, clean out your email, organize your closet (give away anything you haven’t worn in a year), vacuum your house, clean the bathroom or tidy the kitchen. Just know that your 15 minutes are dedicated to some form of cleaning.

Think it can’t be done?

It may require that you spend more than one day on a project but if you remain focused and consistent, you will accomplish your goal. The trick is to set a timer (there’s one on your phone). Work uninterrupted and when the timer goes off, you must stop whether the task is complete or not. That can be very hard to do but it will keep you from getting caught-up, overwhelmed and never doing it again.

You will be surprised and delighted to see how much lighter and more focused you become as you as each day you work toward decluttering your surroundings.

Give it a try and let me know what you accomplished. You might even want to take some before and after pictures to remind yourself of your proud achievement. Post them on my Facebook page to show the world what you can do!

Stay cool and drink lots of water. I am sending thoughts of cool, gentle breezes.