Last March I started a new healthy eating program called the Flat Belly Diet (which I blogged about here.) As you might expect, several weeks of stepping on my bathroom scale (and reading increasingly larger numbers each time!) helped prompt this change in eating habits.

As I changed my eating habits, the scale started to go the other direction, and as you may guess, this was very motivating. But then, a funny thing happened. Someone else who uses my scale was also seeing numbers shrink. And yet, this person felt their waistline was growing. Suddenly, the tool I was using to track my progress was questionable. Even though I was feeling better and could see visible results other than just a number on the scale, when my tracking tool went by the wayside, so did my resolve to fully embrace my new eating plan.

The moral of the story is this:  There is tremendous power in tracking your progress, especially when you’re working toward a large or long term goal. Tracking your progress helps you see results that may not be easily visible to the naked eye, and this can give you a huge boost of motivation midstream.

Before setting out on your next organizing project, set up a system to track your progress and see for yourself how it helps you stay motivated. Here are some simple ideas:

Track your time. Keep a running log of how much time you spend decluttering and organizing your home on a daily basis. Then, see how big that number becomes by the end of the month. Each minute spent decluttering will repay you with even more time and energy for other activities you love.

Track days spent making progress. In my online classes, I encourage students to make progress on their organizing projects for at least fifteen minutes a day. Tracking the number of days you invest in your fifteen minute organizing goals won’t just motivate you to keep going, you’ll also find you’re creating a powerful habit that will help you stay organized, too!

Track your donation bags. Create an ongoing list of how many bags of items you haul off to your favorite charity. Not only will this help you see your organizing progress, you’ll also feel really good about the goodwill and generosity you’re sharing with others.

Take before and after photos. Before, during and after photos are terrific ways to visually track your organizing progress! Don’t shy away from using this very motivating technique.

Create a list. Before starting your organizing project, break down the spaces you’ll be organizing into small sub-spaces. For example, my kitchen could be broken down into five upper cabinets, four lower cabinets, four cabinet drawers, five shelves in the pantry, the refrigerator inside, the refrigerator outside (top), and freezer. In essence, my kitchen could be viewed as twenty one micro projects, which I could list on a piece of paper. Then, as each cabinet drawer or shelf is completed, I can check off or use a highlighter to note my progress.

Count empty containers. Empty storage bins are a sign of organizing progress because every empty container represents clutter that has been removed from your home! These now-empty bins used to contain unused and unloved items. Keep an ongoing tally of containers you empty, knowing that each empty container signifies steps in the direction of a more organized home and life.

Embrace the midstream mess. The most overwhelming part of the organizing process is when the space is empty and the former contents are strewn elsewhere in your home. This midstream chaos often feels overwhelming, unless you recognize it as the progress that it is! Each time you see this midstream mess, take note of it and say “This is progress! I’m on my way.”

How do you track your progress? Does it help you stay motivated? I’d love to hear!