This is the newest release (v46) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature, with my latest finds that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique, inspiring enlisting help discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are a vibrant, generous, and engaged group. I am deeply grateful for your ongoing presence, positive energy, and contributions to this community. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced.

What do you find interesting?

“It is 100% okay to ask for help.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Enlisting Help Discoveries

1. Interesting Read – Effortless Help

When you’re struggling to take action and make progress, doing so effortlessly may seem impossible. However, with this refreshing approach, help is here.

Greg McKeown, author of Effortless – Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most, said, “Not everything has to be so hard.” McKeown’s concept is “a whole new way to work and live. A way to achieve more with ease- to achieve more because you are at ease.”

There are three parts:

• Effortless State – How can we make it easier to focus?

• Effortless Action – How can we make essential work easier to do?

• Effortless Results – How can we get the highest return on the least effort?

In describing the Effortless State, McKeown said, “When our brains are at full capacity, everything feels harder.” The first step he suggests to “making things more effortless is to clear the clutter in our heads and our hearts.”

Everything can’t be effortless. However, “you can make more of the right things less impossible- then easier, then easy, and ultimately effortless.”

2. Interesting Perspective – Life Help

Have you ever experienced a difficult time triggered by a specific event? It was so dramatic that it changed your perspective and the course of your life. The death of a loved one, loss of a job, a move, health crisis, or divorce can cause significant pain and also be catalysts for growth and reimagining.

The word lifequake beautifully describes this phenomenon- “A significant, sudden and unexpected shift in the trajectory of your life that initially feels devastating but has the beneficial outcome of catalyzing personal growth, transformation, and rebirth.”

During times of change and transition, it is especially beneficial to ask for help. What lifequake have you experienced? What type of support was most valuable?

3. Interesting Resource – Win-Win-Win Help

Do you own new or gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, and building materials you no longer want? However, it’s not easy to find a taker. You’re confident someone else can use them. You don’t want your discards to go into the landfill.

Habitat for Humanity is the resource you need. Habitat ReStores across the United States accept small and large donations of these items. The sales help Habitat’s work locally and globally. They offer free pickup of large items and tax donation receipts.

This is a win-win-win for the donors, the buyers, and the planet. You gain space, reduce clutter, let go of things you don’t want, keep items out of the landfill, support others, and receive a tax donation. People who need goods can purchase them at a reasonable price. The proceeds from Habitat Restores help families build decent, affordable homes to “achieve the strength, stability, and independence they need to build a better future.”

Click here to arrange a pickup from a Habitat ReStore near you.

4. Interesting Product – Organizing Help

There are tons of great products to help organize like-with-like. Bins, boxes, and dividers are organizing staples. The classic zipper pouch is another example.

EOOUT’s translucent waterproof mesh zipper pouches are an excellent solution for organizing:

• Cosmetics

• Toiletries

• Cords and chargers

• Game pieces

• Documents

• Projects

• Gadgets

• Toys

• Snacks

• Writing tools

• Office supplies

• Travel accessories

• Receipts

• Bills

While EOOUT offers several options, the 42-piece set is an excellent value at $19.99. It includes eight different-sized bags and 17 zipper colors. What items will these pouches help you organize?

5. Interesting Thought – Normalizing Help

Are you hesitant to ask for help? Do you feel guilty or feel like you “should” be able to do everything yourself? Are you afraid of getting support for fear of being judged? These are normal responses.

Here’s the thing. Without asking for help, you will potentially struggle longer than is needed. Without help, you might be more frustrated, stressed, and paralyzed.

Struggle no more. You deserve to get unstuck and move forward. It is 100% okay to ask for help. Who will you ask to be on your support team?

Can you share one enlisting help-related discovery? Which of these resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

Do you want help getting unstuck, reducing overwhelm, or getting organized? If so, I’m here for you. Contact me, Linda, at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Making progress is possible, especially with support.

Clutter has many sources. It can be internal, such as in mind clutter, or external, like physical things or spaces. Clutter can also appear in your schedule. Believe it or not, it’s beneficial when you’re bothered and stressed by clutter. Why? You’re at a tipping point, which means you’re more likely to make a positive change.

In last week’s blog, I shared my latest clutter discoveries. In the comments, one of my wonderful friends and colleagues, Seana Turner, mentioned an idea from The Happiness of Subtraction episode on The Happiness Lab podcast hosted by Dr. Laurie Santos. I was intrigued, so I listened to the podcast, which inspired this post.

In the episode, Laurie talked with Tim Harford, author of Messy, about the value of subtraction and how it can enhance one's life. He noted that often, people tend to add more instead of taking things away. Does this sound familiar?

• You take on one more commitment you don’t have time for.

• You purchase more pants and shirts and stuff them into a closet overflowing with clothes.

• You fill your vacation itinerary with so many places to visit that you’re too exhausted to enjoy the trip.

• You go to another tag sale and bring home “bargains” you don’t have space for and will never use.

• You enroll your kids in so many extracurricular activities that they feel overwhelmed and anxious without downtime.

The Big Clutter Question

During the podcast, Laurie asked a thought-provoking question:

“If forced to take one thing away, what would it be?”

I’ve been mulling this over for a few days. Except for the word “forced,” I love the question. It asks you to look directly at the extras in your life.

• What is putting you over the edge?

• What ‘one thing’ can be released?

• What ‘one thing’ no longer belongs?

• What can go?

You are the decision-maker. No one is forcing you. Instead, view this as an opportunity. This is your opening to make a change. Release the things holding you back.

“Opportunity Cost”

Tim talked about how something has an “opportunity cost.” For example, “…everything you say yes to is getting in the way of something else.” The idea is to subtract as much as possible to make space for the “good stuff.”

• What are you “over-subscribed” to?

• What can you remove from your schedule?

• How does saying no make space for saying yes to what you value most?

• What could you be doing if you subtracted something else?

“Subtraction lets you create space for what you treasure most.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

“Yes-Damn” Effect

Laurie discussed the familiar “yes-damn” effect from Hal Hershfield’s book Your Future Self about our time biases. This has probably happened to you before. Laurie said you get asked:

• “Hey, do you wanna do this presentation?

• Or Hey, do you wanna go to this kind of not very interesting dinner party?

• Or Hey, do you wanna sign up for something in your schedule and you feel kind of bad?

• So you’re like, yes.

• Then weeks later, that project or that dinner party comes up and that’s where you say, damn.”

You said yes to something, and time passed. When you see it on your schedule, you regret the yes and are annoyed at yourself.

“No-Yay” Effect

Laurie prefers and uses a different strategy. Through “periodic reminders,” the “no-yay” effect reinforces the reward of saying no.

She shares this example. Let’s say someone asks you if you want to do a specific project, and you know the due date. You know you don’t want to do it, so you say no.

You could leave it there, at your no. Instead, you take it one step further. On the project’s due date, you write on your calendar, “Hey Laura, you didn’t have to do the project this day.”

Time elapses. You arrive at that future due date, see your note, and recognize how much harder things would have been if you had committed to doing that project. “And then you have the experience of the yay.”

Clutter shows up in our minds, schedules, and homes. Feeling bothered is a positive because it’s your cue for change. Subtraction lets you create space for what you treasure most.

What are you ready to subtract? If you need help making a plan or decluttering, reach out anytime. Please email me, Linda, at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Decluttering is possible, especially with support.

It can feel challenging to get motivated when you’re experiencing a transition and even when you’re not. Overwhelm, or exhaustion can take over. When it does, do you find it difficult to access your motivation for things like organizing your home, making plans, writing a blog post, reaching out for help, or handling routine tasks? Does that sound familiar? No one is motivated 100% of the time. But that can be problematic when it’s getting in the way of focusing on things you want and need to do.

There are many ways to get motivated, but for today, I’ll keep it simple with this one helpful secret so as not to add to your overwhelm. OK. It’s no longer a secret because I’m about to share it with you.

I came across a quote from writer Anne Lamott relevant to the how to get motivated challenge many of you encounter. Anne said . . .

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

— Anne Lamott

Let’s take a breath and digest this. When stressed, overwhelmed, and fuzzy-brained, instead of taking a beneficial break, we often do the opposite and continue pushing beyond depleted. How does that work for you?

I’ve noticed that while it seems like a good idea at the time to “just finish one more thing” or “push past my fatigue,” that’s a much more challenging way to go. When you overextend regularly, you can experience the law of diminishing returns, which works against being motivated, productive, and happy.

Instead, just stop. Yes. I said stop. As Anne suggests, things (and you) will work better when you unplug for even a few minutes.

What could this mean for you? What would a brief stop to unplug look like? It’s worth coming up with your own list of possibilities. You can pull it out of your back pocket when your motivation diminishes.

My unplugging to get motivated list includes:

• Dipping my toes in the Croton River

• Listening to the trickling water sounds in our birdbath fountain

• Watching the leaves ‘wave’ as the wind blows

• Taking a walk in the woods

• Sipping leisurely a glass of iced tea

• Lying down with my shoes off and eyes closed for 15 minutes

• Looking at the gorgeous colors of the beautiful summer blooms

• Stepping away from my tech tools

• Meditating

• Sweeping the front path

• Sitting outside while eating a slice of juicy watermelon

• Doing some slow, intentional breathing

After engaging in one of these nurturing, restorative activities for a brief time, I feel energized and ready for the next. And for a super dose of motivation, try grouping several of your preferred items back-to-back. Before writing this post, I walked in the woods, dipped my toes in the river, and meditated. Afterward, I was motivated, rested, and ready to write.

Are you struggling with getting motivated? What would unplugging for a few minutes or more do for you? What would that look like? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

We’re in the last week of this year and in full holiday mode. You may feel stressed, calm, conflicted, anxious navigating holiday dynamics, sad, lonely, ready for company, happy this year is almost over, excited about your plans for next, grateful, ambivalent, uncertain, exhausted, or off-balance. No matter where you are or what you are feeling, increasing your joy awareness will have a positive outcome. In fact, experiencing more joy will bring a powerful counter-balance to life’s challenges.

One of the highlights of my week is a regular meeting I have with the Executive Mom Nest advisors and members. Marcy Stoudt, the Nest founder, developed a four-pillar concept, which she integrates into our gatherings and her coaching work.

The pillars are:

• Vivid Vision

• Aligned Action

• Growth Mindset

• Prioritizing Joy

During our last meeting, we focused on the pillar, Prioritizing Joy. She asked us to bring forward the “feeling of joy” by listing things that make you feel “comforted, present, inspired, and just plain good.” This was such a powerful thing to do. I encourage you to take a few minutes to create your own list.

“Joy brings a powerful counter-balance to life’s challenges.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

Here are fifty ways joy finds me:

1. Discovering bright spots of color in the bare winter landscape 

2. Putting on my new cozy purple slippers

3. Receiving an unexpected call or text from my kids

4. Hugging my husband

5. Having a deep conversation with a dear friend or loved one

6. Creating a colorful meal

7. Taking my first sip of morning coffee

8. Seeing twinkling lights, sparkles, and glitter

9. Clearing, cleaning, letting go, and organizing

10. Touching velvet

11. Eating fresh fruit and vegetables

12. Spotting a sign of spring like the first purple crocus that appears outside of our dining room window

13. Moisturizing, hydrating, and taking care of myself

14. Writing

15. Walking in the woods

16. Tending to my mini herb garden and flower pots

17. Watching the first big snow of the season

18. Wigging my toes in the sandy beach while hearing and seeing the ocean waves flow

19. Experiencing anything water-related – seeing, hearing, being, or playing in it

20. Doing yoga

21. Practicing mindfulness meditation

22. Having virtual organizing sessions with clients

23. Learning something new

24. Baking

25. Getting a massage

26. Seeing the light and patterns dance along surfaces

27. Swimming

28. Changing into my PJs

29. Taking photos and videos

30. Smelling lemons

31. Putting fresh flowers around my house

32. Feeling the sun on my skin

33. Watching, smelling, and listening to the crackling sounds of a fire

34. Getting into our cozy bed at the end of the day

35. Burning my favorite scented candles

36. Reading a book curled up on the sofa wrapped in a soft blanket 

37. Understanding something in a new way

38. Sharing something I love with someone I love

39. Humming

40. Sipping a cold iced tea with lemon on a hot day

41. Having a guilt-free “blob” day

42. Spending time with our family and friends

43. Setting a beautiful table

44. Seeing something I never noticed before

45. Traveling to somewhere new or familiar

46. Holding hands with my husband

47. Hearing birds chirping

48. Seeing gorgeous colors

49. Reading the hang tags on my Yogi Tea or the fortunes in my Fortune Cookies

50. Laughing so hard that tears roll down my cheeks

When we prioritize joy, we increase our awareness of tiny moments, which will bring more balance, resilience, and happiness into our lives. These moments are there for you, waiting to be noticed and embraced. What are a few things on your “joy” list? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.