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3 Helpful Ideas to Inspire More Action and Explore Possibilities

Possibilities aren’t only about imagining what could be. They’re also about choosing what deserves your energy and recognizing when it’s time to act.

You can feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized and still have options. This is good news, especially if you’re struggling. Things don’t have to stay the same. You don’t have to change everything at once or set a specific timeline.

I chose three ideas to help you:

  • Harness the power of the present

  • Embrace your season of change

  • Remain open to what’s possible

If you feel stuck, struggle to imagine what’s possible, or aren't sure where to begin, try one of these ideas. It might help you see a way forward.

 

 

3 Helpful Ideas to Inspire More Action and Explore Possibilities

1. Notice Energy

Recently, I read Michelle Gielan’s new book, Resilient Optimism, which is filled with strategies for embracing what’s possible. I love reading physical books and using my yellow highlighter to capture ideas I want to revisit.

One was a question Michelle posed:

“What is actually worth my energy today?”

This question gets to the heart of things, especially when you have lots of options and are trying to figure out what is possible. After all, on any given day, you have many choices about what you:

  • Want to do

  • Must do

  • ‘Should’ do

  • Intend to do

  • Love to do

  • Hope to do

Some of those tasks and pursuits originate with you, while others come from people in your life, such as family, friends, bosses, or colleagues.

Michelle’s question offers a useful way to evaluate these choices. Like time, your energy isn’t limitless. You have only so many hours and so much energy to pursue what you want, need, and hope to do in this precious life.

Your energy is valuable. It has worth, as the question suggests. When considering what is possible today, factor in the energy you have right now. Which tasks align with your current capacity? Which ones deserve your attention and effort today?

 

 

  

2. Recognize Timing

An inciting incident, season, or time of year can inspire action. Perhaps you’ve wondered how different life would feel if you sorted through the piles of paper, organized your closets, decluttered your schedule, changed careers, or moved somewhere else. As you’ve considered various changes, have you delayed taking action, waiting for the ‘right’ time? I see this frequently.

You might be waiting for a particular season, ideal circumstances, or a sense of readiness that may never arrive. Sometimes the reasons for delaying action sound like this:

  • “I’ll wait until winter to start.”

  • “I just need to finish the school year.”

  • “I have to get through this busy period before doing anything else.”

  • “I’ll start when things settle down.”

  • “I need a full day to get started.”

  • “I’m waiting until I feel ready.”

  • “After the holidays, things will be less hectic.”

  • “I’ll start when I can give it my full attention.”

  • “I don’t know what to do next.”

  • “I want things to be different, but I don’t know if I have the energy to do the work.”

  • “I don’t have the time. I never do.”

In a recent conversation with my virtual organizing colleagues, we explored when people are most likely to get organized and how marketing messages tie that process to the seasons. As someone who lives in the Northeast, I am deeply influenced by the changing seasons. I often use nature’s seasonal cadence to review and reset each quarter.

You’ve heard phrases like:

  • “Fresh Start for the New Year” (winter)

  • “Spring Cleaning” (spring)

  • “Summer Refresh” (summer)

  • “Get Organized Before the Holidays” (fall)

But changing seasons and their accompanying marketing messages aren’t the only cues. Instead of waiting for a particular season to pursue possibilities, what if you considered the Now Season? Thinking of this as your Now Season shifts the focus from waiting for the right time to considering what you can do now. You don’t need to wait one more day, focus on one more obstacle, or delay any more.

Make this your season of change as you journey toward what’s possible. Obstacles will come, but don’t let them stop you. Face them head-on. Reach out for help if needed. Take the next tiny step.

This is the Now Season. Make this your season.

 

 

 

3. Imagine Possibilities

This idea comes from a quote shared with me by my good friend, Yota Schneider, a life coach, women’s circle facilitator, and meditation guide. The quote captures the natural push-and-pull between life as we know it and what might be possible.

Robin Wall Kimmerer said,

“We live in the tension between what is and what is possible.”

What a beautiful truth to recognize. Perhaps more than anything, this idea acknowledges that you live as you do now. It’s what you know and what you’re used to. It’s a safe place to be.

At the same time, whether you are happy with life as you know it or not, you can imagine other possibilities. Those could be major changes or tiny tweaks. Perhaps that tension between “what is and what is possible” creates the opening for change.

What else might be possible? What would you like to pursue?

 

 

 

 

What Can Exploring Possibilities Look Like?

Be mindful of your present capacity, consider the “Now Season” your time for change, and stay open to what’s possible. These ideas can help you get unstuck and move forward in a compassionate, inspired way.

Which ideas resonate with you? What feels more possible now? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and I invite you to join the conversation.

 

 

 

 

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized? You don't have to face this alone. I’m here to help! Get unstuck and make progress. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward—with a local feel and a global reach.

Getting organized, making progress, and pursuing what’s possible are all doable, especially with support.

Let’s talk! I’m easy to reach.

 
 
What Wonderful Things Happen When Reaching Out for Help Is Your Next Step?

Does this sound familiar? You face a challenge that you're constantly thinking about, and it’s negatively impacting your daily life. You’re stuck, feeling like you’re taking action just because you’re dwelling on the problem, yet nothing changes. There’s no progress.

Then you get an idea that, “Hey, maybe someone can help me figure this out.” You’d like to solve it on your own. After all, you’re a capable person who knows how to do a lot. And while that’s a wonderful thing, at this moment in time, you recognize something. You can’t do it all yourself. More importantly, you realize that your best next step is to reach out for help.

You don’t want to ruminate on the problem any longer or have the energy to resolve it on your own. While you’ve been feeling stuck and frustrated, now you’re ready to accept help. This is a fabulous place to be when you can embrace support.

Guess what? I experienced this recently, and it was so liberating. I reached out to people who could help- the plumber and the appliance repair guys. Within a few hours, the problems were diagnosed and fixed. Things that had been bothering me for a while were now no longer an issue. What a big relief!

Here’s to discovering ways to feel calmer, lower stress, and carve out time for what you enjoy most.

 

 

 

Three Benefits of Enlisting Help as Your Next Step

1. Less Bother and Stress

When things work, you don’t give them much thought. It’s life as usual. Things flow easily. However, when they break or aren’t functioning, it can be stressful, bothersome, and costly.

I noticed that the water pressure in our house had been gradually dropping. This affected regular activities such as showering, washing clothes, flushing toilets, and doing the dishes. In addition, when our water bill arrived, it was twice as high as usual.

It took me months to recognize the problem and finally get the help needed to resolve it. Between conversations with my husband and the local Department of Public Works, we diagnosed a small pinhole leak in one of the water pipes. I made an appointment with our plumber, and he fixed it within a few hours.

  

2. More Time to Enjoy

Enlisting help from a pro can free up your time so you can do what you enjoy most. I so appreciate how skilled my husband is at fixing things. However, with his intense work schedule and volunteer commitments, he has limited time.

When certain parts of the refrigerator stopped functioning (ice maker and the water-in-door feature), he was going to check them out. But work and other things made it challenging to have the time to do that. After some time had passed, I decided to call the appliance repair guy. He arrived and, after an hour, got things working again.

Steve and I were able to enjoy the rest of our weekend instead of running back and forth to Home Depot for fridge parts.

“You can’t do it all yourself.”
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Having Support to Face Challenges

Every time I get a call from a potential client or work with my ongoing clients, it’s clear how much they value not having to face it alone. Their organizational challenges often feel overwhelming and insurmountable.

However, there is a noticeable difference when you seek help from a professional who

  • Cares about your progress

  • Can offer support around your goals

  • Can discuss your specific challenges

  • Can collaborate on solutions

  • Can be there with you throughout your organizational journey

Getting organized can be challenging, and setbacks can happen. However, having support from someone compassionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated to you can greatly enhance your progress. Support isn’t always about doing something for someone. It can also be about walking alongside them.

I am truly grateful to be invited into my clients’ lives and to help them with their goals and organizing challenges.

 

 

 

When Your Next Step Needs Assistance

Are you facing a challenge that might benefit from outside help? What’s been preventing you from seeking that support? Can you describe one benefit of enlisting help?

Which ideas resonate with you most? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.


 

 

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed or disorganized? Do you want to take your next step but feel stuck or unsure? I’m here to help! You don’t have to do this alone. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

Moving forward and getting organized are possible, especially with support.

 
 
How to Actually Recognize the Simple Cues to Help Know Your Next Step

Life is full of signals and cues that often go unnoticed. Maybe you're distracted by thoughts, are overwhelmed, stressed, or feel too busy to slow down. The idea of being present or quieting yourself enough to notice a cue might seem out of reach.

Imagine you’re driving down a busy street. You approach an intersection with a red traffic light. That’s your visual cue to slow down and stop. What if you didn’t? If you ran through the intersection and ignored the signal, it could be disastrous.

What happens instead when you notice the cue (red light) and align your next action with it? You see the red light, take your foot off the gas, step on the brakes, and come to a complete stop.

By noticing the signal, you quickly identified your next steps. The direct benefit was that you chose an option that led to a positive outcome for you and those around you.

 

 

What Types of Cues Are Available to You?

Cues are sensory. They can come from what you see, hear, touch, taste, or smell.

The traffic light is an example of a visual cue that guides your next action. Many other types of signals appear in our daily lives.

Here are some common ones and possible next steps:

  • Green flashing light on the toothbrush > Recharge the battery

  • Red flashing light on the air purifier > Change the filter

  • Smell of coffee brewing > Review schedule for the day

  • Last piece of toilet paper > Install a new roll

  • Timer goes off > Wrap up what you’re doing

  • Magazines spilling out of the basket > Sort and recycle the oldest ones

  • Receiving W-2s, 1099s, and other tax forms > Prepare and file your income taxes

  • Jaw tightening and shoulders up > Take a few slow, deep breaths with slightly longer exhales

  • Purple crocus emerging > Smile because spring is almost here

What cue do you notice that guides you clearly to your next step?

 

  

“Cues are sensory. They can come from what you see, hear, touch, taste, or smell.”
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

  

The Value of Awareness

There are cues all around you. Spotting them is very helpful because it can lower stress, overwhelm, and feelings of busyness. Taking a moment to recognize an indicator gives you space to be aware of what you’re feeling and gently choose your next step.

What would help you put this into practice? In which areas could this be most beneficial? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

 

  

 

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed or disorganized? Do you want to take your next step but feel stuck or unsure? I’m here to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

Moving forward and getting organized are possible, especially with support.

 
 
12 Favorite Organizing Ideas of the Year That Are Unique and Hopeful

As this year comes to an end, I love reflecting on the past before planning for the future. In this part of my year-end review, I chose my favorite organizing concepts, one from each month of 2025, to share with you.

I hope you discover or rediscover a seed idea that inspires and brings balance to your New Year.

Where do you want more organization and balance? Which people and projects will receive your time, energy, and attention?

If you’re ready for a fresh start, to embrace change, take your next step, let go, declutter, enlist help, and more, this is for you.


12 Favorite Organizing Ideas of 2025

“My reset buttons are just little things.”
— Glennon Doyle
“Encourage change through a lens of positive expectation.”
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™
“…quietly do the next most necessary thing.”
— Carl Jung
 

  

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”
— Hans Hoffman
“Commitment is the powerhouse of the mind decluttering strategy.”
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™
“What will my future-self thank me for doing now?”
— Stephanie Sarkis, PhD
 

 

“The smallest effort can spark the motivation you’ve been missing.”
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™
“It’s a journey to discover what helps you feel, be, and stay organized.”
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™
“Bring curiosity to a dilemma.”
— Cameron Gott, PCC
 

 

“The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the ‘buts’ you use today.”
— Les Brown
“I can transform temporary chaos into an opportunity to reimagine.”
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™
“When the mind is tense, so is the body. When the body is tense, so is the mind.”
— Meg Josephson, LCSW

 

 

Grateful for You

Thank you for being an essential part of this vibrant community. I am deeply grateful to you. We’ve had an incredible year of conversations and sharing. You bring learning, growth, support, and inspiration to every exchange. Thank you for participating and sharing the best of who you are.

What inspired you this year? Which organizing concept resonates most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

 

 

 

How Can I Help?

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

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

Getting organized, finding balance, and experiencing more calm are possible, especially with support.