The Power of Momentum (& Making It Work for You)

A Power That’s Been There All Along

What does the power of momentum feel like? Well, let me put it this way…

Most likely, you don’t *always* read my blogs. The hardest part is making the decision to click through to this page here and read the first sentence, because that requires deciding to do this thing over a thousand other things you could be doing instead.

But now that you’ve read a few lines, are you still with me? Probably so. And why? Because your mind has gained some momentum now.

An object in motion wants to stay in motion. An object at rest wants to stay at rest.

The power of momentum means that once you start something, it only gets easier and easier as you go.

A Real-Life Story

During these past few months, I’ve been helping a friend who we’ll call Laura with some organization in her home. (Please note that while I enjoy helping friends get organized from time to time I am in no way a professional organizer!).

A serial piler, Laura’s home is filled with stacks of papers, and a lot of clutter in general. Together we picked out a filing cabinet, went through all her papers (recycling about 98% as it were), and went through many of her belongings as well, deciding what to keep and what to donate. This was all very fun for me, and certainly a big relief for Laura.

But the surprise (and point of this story) came about a week after our first session. I received a call from Laura, who jubilantly exclaimed that she had cleared off the top of her bedroom dresser. And a few weeks after our next session, Laura told me she had created some new folders in her filing cabinet and had begun filing papers she wanted to keep. She sounded very happy with herself, and I was happy for her.

But what does this story have to do with the power of momentum?

Everything.

A few years ago, clearing off the top of her dresser would most likely have felt like a huge, insurmountable task for Laura. But now that she’d gotten some help and made significant movement around organizing her home, she’d gained some momentum. And that momentum was giving her the push she needed to do more and more (which – you guessed it – will only add to her momentum as she goes).

It’s like a gift that keeps on giving – because it is!

Your Turn

OK, so how do you put this power of momentum concept into practice in your own life? It’s easy. The next time you’re having a hard time getting motivated to start something, do this:

First, remember that starting is always the hardest part. So if there’s anything you can do to get some support with the starting part (i.e. making a co-working meeting with a friend/colleague for accountability or even getting some hands-on help as Laura did) then do it!

Second, commit to working on this thing for a set length of time (it could even be just 10 minutes!), knowing that once you reach that small first goal, you’ll have gained some momentum and it won’t be nearly as hard to continue. It will just get easier and easier.