When you think about change, which emotions bubble up? As someone who has observed, experienced, and helped others make changes, I’ve noticed many reactions. When anticipating change, we can experience mixed emotions, including fear, frustration, anxiety, doubt, overwhelm, sadness, ambivalence, excitement, relief, and hope.

Emotions are powerful. They can paralyze or propel us, depending on which ones are in play.

• What if you could stack the deck in your favor?

• What if you could shift your perspective to encourage a more joyful experience for your desired changes?

• How would that alter your journey?

When you think about making a change, it can feel enormous, confusing, and unreachable. For example, let’s say you feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the clutter and disorganization in your life. You want things to change but don’t know what to do or how to begin. As a result, you do nothing.

A common organizing philosophy encourages breaking down large projects or goals into small, doable parts or tasks. Using this strategy is an effective path forward. You keep the larger goal in mind while focusing your effort on tiny, baby steps. This process reduces overwhelm and facilitates forward movement.

Encourage Change by Shifting Your Perspective

During a recent meditation and writing retreat led by my friend and colleague, Yota Schneider, she shared an insightful question. We considered it in a particular context around focusing.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I recognized how you could use the question to encourage change through a lens of positive expectations.

The question Yota shared was from neuropsychologist and author Dr. Rick Hanson. He asked,

“What will I be glad I did today?”

I appreciate the question’s simplicity and graciousness. What will I be glad I did today? The question has several fascinating effects.

• Contemplate – It invites you to consider joy, happiness, gratification, or satisfaction as the driving force. In other words, you are taking action inspired by this positive perspective.

• Strengthen – It offers a nonjudgmental inquiry while strengthening activation confidence. You imagine this positive change or task as if you have already accomplished it. The question boosts agency.

• Reduce – While it doesn’t overtly state this, the question implies a narrower, singular focus. Dialing down the possibilities to something smaller can reduce or eliminate overwhelm.

• Imagine – It merges present action with positive, immediate future results. You are doing something now that you will be happy you did later today.

• Build – Using this question to navigate change gently promotes a repeat-and-build pattern versus a one-and-done method.

• Act – The question is non-confrontational. It’s even kind of fun. You’re focusing on how good you’ll feel or “glad” you are when you do that thing today. 

“Encourage change through a lens of positive expectations.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Work the Present and the Future

Once you gear your mind toward a “glad I did today” focus, you will experience many positive changes that connect with your larger goals. Here are several of the positives I’ve experienced recently and the change categories they influenced. I am glad I:

Relationships – Nurture and Strengthen

• Celebrated my husband’s birthday

• Cooked with my daughter

• Sent packages and notes to our kiddos in advance of Valentine’s Day

• Had assorted conversations with friends, family, and colleagues, including a friend I hadn’t spoken with in way too many years

Professional – Lead and Learn

• Completed the edits and returned my chapter for a new ICD book on chronic disorganization

• Led a planning meeting for my organizing colleagues for NAPO Westchester

• Had virtual organizing sessions with my clients

• Wrote my blog

Finances – Manage and Build

• Gave our accountant a preliminary tax summary

• Paid bills

• Reconciled accounts

Household – Maintain and Edit

• Cleared out the 2024 files and set up the 2025 files

• Did laundry

• Added a few clothing items to the donation bag

Well-Being – Calm and Care

• Scheduled vaccines

• Didn’t eat that extra piece of cake

• Took a walk along the river even though it was cold

• Slept later than usual

• Went to yoga class

• Meditated

It’s Your Turn to Invite Change

Which categories in your life are you looking to change? What is one thing you can do today that will bring you closer to that goal? With this in mind, what will you be glad you did today? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support organizing, planning, or inviting positive change? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – local feel with a global reach.

Please email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Change is possible, especially with support.

It’s an excellent time to reflect on the past twelve months before the new year begins. 2024 had emotional, enriching, and deep conversations on the blog.

We walked together, shared tumultuous times, made exciting discoveries, and navigated life balance. In our free-flowing exchanges, insights and new perspectives emerged.

Meaningful Conversations

Our conversations about life balance, change, clutter, letting go, time management, motivation, organizing, hope, and more provided abundant comfort, connection, learning, and joy.

Thank you for being part of this community. You inspire me to show up, write, think, and engage.

Deepest Gratitude

I am profoundly grateful for your thoughtful words and generous sharing. From your comments this year, I curated twelve of my favorite insights from the most active engagers. Thank you, Ellen Delap, Janet Barclay, Janet Schiesl, Jonda Beattie, Julie Bestry, Diane Quintana, Sabrina Quairoli, Sara Skillen, Seana Turner, Sheila Delson, and Yota Schneider.

You are consistent voices and participants who bring our conversations to life. I am grateful to you and everyone who reads the blog, contributes to our discussions, or shares the posts. You infuse this community with hope, humor, curiosity, perspective, and learning.

Many others have contributed to our conversations this year, including Cathy Borg, Florena Davies, Hazel Thornton, Jana Arevalo, Julie Stobbe, Kim Tremblay, and Stacey Agin Murray. Thank you for enriching our exchanges and sharing your thoughts.

Enjoy the year in review- one quote at a time!

12 Inspired Quotes from Our Conversations This Year That Will Make You Feel Hopeful

1. Fresh Start | What Value Does Clearing Clutter Make for Having a Powerful Fresh Start?

“Decluttering may feel like breaking the ice or melting it, depending on how much effort is needed to make that fresh start, and over how long, but it’s always worth it!”

— Julie Bestry

2. Embrace Change | How to Prompt One Helpful Ingredient to Encourage Change

“Asking ourselves if the change is worth the time and energy is a critical first step for anyone looking to try something new.”

— Sabrina Quairoli

3. Next Step | One Fantastic Strategy to Get Unstuck and Easily Take Your Next Step

“Humans are wired to work together and have been for thousands of years.”

— Sara Skillen

4. Letting Go | How to Let Go of What’s Not Working to Joyfully Make Way for What Does

“There are so many things we just put up with, whether in our business or personal lives. When we finally recognize that they’re posing problems and take action, the results are amazing!”

— Janet Barclay

5. Clutter | One Excellent Tool to Assess Clutter’s Impact on Your Mental Health

“Understanding the impact clutter has on our mental health is the first step to doing something about it.”

— Diane Quintana

6. Time Management | 3 Time Management Strategies That Will Make Your Life More Happy

“When it comes to boundaries, I have learned there is a fine balance between building a boundary and building a wall.”

— Yota Schneider

7. Motivation | How Is Chocolate Helpful with Being Motivated to Get Organized?

“The idea of compelling motivation is a powerful concept.”

— Ellen Delap

8. Enlisting Help | Here Are Today’s Interesting and Best Enlisting Help Discoveries – v46

“I am doing a lot of asking for help as there are no alternatives. It’s not my typical ‘shoe to wear,’ but I hope to wear it gracefully.”

— Seana Turner

9. Virtual Organizing | How to Use Virtual Organizing as the Bridge to Help You Achieve Your Goals

“Virtual organizing delivers many gaps when professionally delivered.”

— Sheila Delson

10. Possibilities | 3 Positive Ways Getting Organized Will Reduce Suffering and Improve Your Well-Being

“Reducing suffering by reducing stuff (stuffering?), whether it’s tangible or temporal, is lifesaving.”

— Julie Bestry

11. Wonderfully Human | 4 Ways to Enjoy Thanksgiving More with Some Remarkable Ease

“Be imperfect, make it simple, notice the moments, and find gratitude.”

— Janet Schiesl

12. Life Balance | One Insightful Question to Bring a Joyful Balance Into Your Life

“I am making changes to my practices over the holiday and just doing a general reset in my life.”

— Jonda Beattie

Past Reflections and Future Possibilities

What was most significant for you this year? Is there one quote that resonates most with you? What area of focus do you want to bring into the New Year? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Let’s make 2025 a great year! Do you want support in creating a better balance, letting go of what no longer serves you, or getting more organized? I’m ready to help. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward. A local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Let me help you create the calm you deserve.

 I wish you a happy, healthy, and joy-filled New Year!

The holidays are quite the time of year. The twinkling lights decorating the landscape cue us to this season of giving, celebrating, and reflecting.

You might be finishing this year’s projects or beginning new ones to continue in the new year. While joy-inducing opportunities are abundant, balancing the holidays, work life, personal plans, and life maintenance responsibilities can be stressful.

There are many ways to bring calm and balance into your life, and I’ve written extensively about them.

Recently, I read something valuable and relevant from James Clear, which I’ll share with you. I hope you find it helpful as you navigate your balance this season.

First, The Back Story

Are you familiar with James Clear’s “3-2-1 Thursday” newsletter? Each issue includes three of his short ideas, two quotes from others, and one question to consider. One of my clients told me about it, and I signed up immediately. I enjoy receiving his weekly wisdom in its easily digestible format.

Two Simple Rules

In a recent newsletter, Clear shared this:

“Two simple rules:

1. You get better at what you practice.

2. Everything is practice.”

He encourages observing yourself and others to notice what we’re practicing. He reminds us that where you focus is a choice. For example, are you practicing…

• “Getting mad on social media?”

• “The fine art of noticing how they have been wronged?”

• Stressing over being stressed?

• Saying “yes” to the point of being overscheduled?

• Not following through on commitments?

• Engaging in negative self-talk?

• Not sleeping enough?

• Accumulating more stuff?

One Insightful Question

Bringing awareness to your practices is essential for changing where your time and energy go. Clear asks, “What are you practicing?”

Do you want to “get better” at nourishing practices? If so, focus on those while reducing harmful ones.

“What are you practicing?”

— James Clear

Here are several of my recent practices:

• Overcoming the fear of doing it wrong

• Meditating and journaling daily

• Reading in the morning

• Connecting with my loved ones

• Enlisting help for a new project

• Setting boundaries

• Writing

• Respecting my energy levels

• Working with virtual organizing clients

Which Practices Will Bring You More Balance?

You have an opportunity to create a better balance this season. What will you focus on during the last few weeks of the year? Which practices can you let go of that no longer serve you? Which ones do you want to invite in?

You have choices. I’m excited to see how this idea can shift your balance. I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support decluttering, organizing, planning, or creating more balance? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – A local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Organization, balance, and ease are possible, especially with support.

A while back, I received an email from Soren Gordhamer, an entrepreneur and founder of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference. He wrote,

“Two things are pretty clear:

 We have limited heartbeats in this life.

 And

 We never know when our last heartbeat will be.”

If that’s not a call to be intentional and focus on what matters most, I don’t know what is. When thinking about creating a better, happier life balance, framing it in the context of our limited time can help.

Are you spending time and emotional energy on things that are within or out of your control? Are you stressing about ‘what ifs, shoulds, and if only?’  Or are you focused on those things that are doable, bring you joy, and make life flow better?

You have choices, which is a good thing.

Circles of Influence and Control

This idea of limited time connects to another concept I was recently reminded of in To Do – 41 Tools to Start, Stick With, and Finish Things by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tshchappeler.

They shared a Steven Covey concept from his classic book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It is the“circles of influence and control” technique to “help whenever we feel ineffectual, powerless or frustrated.” It’s also an excellent exercise for infusing better balance and focus into your days.

How to Create Your Circles – What You Can and Can’t Change

As the illustration below shows, draw three concentric circles.

1. Outer: Circle of Concern

• Anything you have no control over belongs in the “concern” circle.

• List several “things that bother you but you can’t do anything about.” Examples include:

  • Past events

  • The political climate

  • Natural disasters

  • Other people’s flaws

2. Center: Circle of Control

• List several things you have agency over. These could be:

  • What you eat

  • Amount of sleep you get

  • People you hang out with

  • Amount of organization you have

  • Books you read

  • Movies you watch

• Some might seem trivial, but they significantly influence our lives. Add these to your “control” list.

“There’s immense power in knowing which things in our lives we can and can’t control.”

— Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschappeler

3. Middle: Circle of Influence

• Include here things that aren’t in your control, yet you might be able to influence through your attitude or behavior. For example,

  • It’s impossible to “single-handedly avert climate change, but you can do something about it by living sustainably.”

  • You cannot “change your genes, but you can exercise regularly and eat more healthfully.”

  • You have no power over circle of concern events. However, you can influence or change your reaction to them.

How Does This Exercise Help?

The more you focus on those things you have no control over (circle of concern), the “more helpless and ineffectual you’ll feel.” However, when you focus on what is within your control (circle of influence and circle of control,) “the more confident and less anxious you’ll be.”

This exercise can heighten your awareness of how you’re spending your precious time. Focusing on areas you have agency and influence over can tip the balance in a more positive direction.

A Balanced Life Approach

You only go around once. How can you balance your days to include those things within your control and influence? What can you improve? What can you let go of?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

Do you want help decluttering, organizing, planning, or finding a right balance for you? I’d love to help and I’m here for you. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – A local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Organization, balance, and ease are possible, especially with support.