This is the newest release (v47) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature, with my latest finds that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique, inspiring possibility discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are an engaged, vibrant, and generous 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?

“Consistent action will create the possibilities you desire.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Possibilities Discoveries

1. Interesting Workshop – Decluttering Possibilities

Are you overwhelmed by clutter? If so, you’re not alone. One in four people have clutter challenges, which can affect anxiety levels, relationships, and ability to focus. What would be possible if you had a path forward?

I’m thrilled to offer this popular one-hour live Zoom workshop, How to Conquer Clutter, on October 17th from 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern. Discover where clutter comes from, why it’s so hard to let go, and what you can do about it.

You’ll come away with manageable clutter-reducing strategies, energizing possibilities, and powerful insights. Reserve your spot today!

2. Interesting Read – Completing Possibilities

Are you a great starter yet have difficulty finishing? You get 95% done and then feel challenged completing that last 5%.

Finish – Give Yourself the Art of Done by best-selling author and speaker Jon Acuff says he used to think people’s biggest challenge was the fear of getting started. While he recognizes that the “beginning is significant,” the “finish” matters more.

Through workshops and research, Acuff discovered that “what it takes to really finish are so counterintuitive that most of them will feel like shortcuts.” He said the “less that people aimed for perfect, the more productive they became.”

Working harder isn’t the answer. Embracing and becoming tolerant of imperfection is a “key factor in turning chronic starters into consistent finishers. Chronic starters quit the day after perfect.”

Finish is filled with valuable reframes and strategies. For example, you might think the opposite of perfectionism is failure. Acuff suggests, “It’s not. The opposite is finished.”

Does completion seem more possible now?

3. Interesting Resource – Selling Possibilities

Do you have digital devices like cell phones, computers, CDs, DVDs, games, and other tech equipment you no longer want? Do you need help disposing of them responsibly and efficiently? A possibility is here!

Decluttr is an excellent resource for helping you recycle and make some cash. Decluttr will buy your old devices and tech items that are broken or in working condition. They make it easy with this three-step process:

• Sell It – Get an instant price for your tech.

• Send It – Send your stuff for free.

• Spend It – Get paid by direct deposit or PayPal.

In addition to buying tech items, Decluttr also buys and recycles college, school, textbooks, and children’s books.

4. Interesting Product – Focusing Possibilities

I love getting things done as much as the next person. However, what happens when you have so much to do that you feel overwhelmed and stuck? One possibility is to reduce the scope.

Using this cute “Today’s Top Three” mini list from Noted by Post-It®, you can narrow your focus to only three items. What? Just three, you say? Yes! Rein it in. Pick three doable tasks you can make progress on today.

You'll feel confident in what is possible when you take small actions and experience progress. Which will be your top three for today?

5. Interesting Thought – Imagining Possibilities

If things are the want you want them to be, that’s OK. Each day presents an opportunity to imagine, dream, and engage in what’s possible.

While thinking is essential to moving forward, it’s only the beginning. Thought plus action equals progress. Consistent action will create the possibilities you desire.

Let today be the start of what’s possible.

Can you share one possibility-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, getting organized, and focusing on possibilities? If so, I’m here for you. Contact me, Linda, at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Progress is possible, especially with support.

When you feel disorganized, stuck, and overwhelmed, reaching out for help is beneficial. Getting support from a Virtual Professional Organizer can be the secret sauce for moving forward and living the life you crave.

You might be curious about:

• How does virtual organizing work?

• What is a typical virtual organizing session like?

• Will virtual organizing benefit me?

This guide to virtual organizing will help you discover the answers. If you have additional questions, contact me, Linda, anytime by email at linda@ohsoorganized.com or by phone at 914-271-5673.

Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward. My clients love working this way. One client recently said, “It’s like putting a needle on a compass. Now I can navigate.”

How Does Virtual Organizing Work?

Session Length & Frequency

• Typically, VO sessions are 60 minutes, although sometimes clients prefer 90-minute sessions.

• Meeting once per week is beneficial. However, the scheduling can be customized according to your preferences.

Platform Used

• Zoom is the preferred platform. However, FaceTime or the phone are alternative options.

• Calendly is used to schedule VO sessions. After scheduling, Calendly emails you a Zoom link and email and text reminders before each session.

• Have your phone, tablet, or laptop set up so we can see each other.

VO Rates

• Clients advance purchase single hours or packages of hours.

• The VO packages are beneficial because they offer savings on the hourly rate. Three, five, and twenty-hour packages are available.

• Credit cards, Zelle, or Venmo are accepted.

• Contact linda@ohsorganized.com for current rates.

Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™ - Virtual Organizing Session Ready

What is a Typical Virtual Organizing Session Like?

Session Description

• Virtual organizing is a flexible, creative, collaborative process. The objective for each session is to help you make progress on your goals with compassionate, non-judgmental support.

• Sessions begin by clarifying your goal for that session and reviewing how things went between sessions.

• The main part of the session can include planning, assessing, decluttering, organizing, overcoming obstacles, brainstorming, supporting decision-making, or many other options.

• At the end of each session, we do a quick wrap-up, discuss the “field work” you want to work on and schedule our next VO.

Pre-Session Prep

• Remove as many distractions as possible- phone calls, emails, pets, and people.

• Care for your personal needs before the session- hydrate, eat, and be well-rested.

• Set up your digital device (laptop, phone, or tablet) so I can see you and the area we’ll work on. You’ll want to be hands-free. A stand or tripod works well.

• If we are going to work on physical organizing, have some organizing supplies such as markers, sticky notes, masking tape, trash bags, bins, or boxes. These will help with sorting, donating, recycling, or re-routing.

• Think about what you want to accomplish by the end of the session. Do you want help with planning, working on a project you’re stuck on, or choosing a focus? My support can vary from brainstorming to planning to “sitting” with you as a body double while you process a challenging pile. There are many possibilities.

In Between and Post Sessions

• We can text or email between sessions to enhance progress and add accountability.

• With VO packages of three or more hours, I create a Project Session Journal (PSJ) for both of us to reference. After each session, you receive the updated PSJ, an ongoing record of your successes, challenges, discoveries, resources, and more. It helps reinforce the changes you are making, including building new neural pathways as you establish new habits.

• There will be doable, agreed-upon “field work” between sessions, enabling you to progress beyond our sessions.

“Virtual organizing is a flexible, creative, collaborative process.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Will Virtual Organizing Benefit Me?

Client Loyalty Program (CLP)

• This program benefits loyal clients.

• The CLP is ongoing, and I manage the program for you.

• After every 10 VO sessions, you will automatically receive $25 off your next session or package.

More Virtual Organizing Benefits

• Client Favorites – How to Know If Virtual Organizing Will Benefit You

• Shorter Sessions – Virtual Organizing Clients Make Positive Change in About One Hour

• Decisive Next Steps – What Does Your Next Step Look Like During a Virtual Organizing Session?

• Life Transitions – 9 Marvelous Ways Virtual Professional Organizers Can Help with Transitions

• Positive Changes – What’s the Value of Enlisting Help As You Make a Positive Change?

• Less Clutter – Are You Curious What’s Possible When You Hire a Professional Organizer?

• Eliminate Overwhelm – How to Ask for Help and See Proven Benefits When Stuck and Overwhelmed

Help is Here

How have you benefitted from working with a Virtual Professional Organizer? What did you like about it? Did you experience any challenges? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

I'm here for you. Do you need help getting unstuck, making a plan, decluttering, or organizing? Please email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Moving forward is possible, especially with support.

It takes courage to move forward when you’re overwhelmed, unsure of where you’re headed, or confused about what to do next. However, as you bravely take that one tiny action in the face of uncertainty, this will propel your fresh start.

The beginning feels murky at best when you’re stuck and not moving anywhere. With movement, what is unknown quickly becomes visible. Amazingly, one step encourages more because it builds momentum.

Getting Unstuck

I discovered this beautiful John Muir quote. He said, “And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” This brings forth many ideas. Taking a walk “into the forest” or anywhere offers an opportunity. Walking is movement in action. The physicality of motion goes beyond the benefits your body experiences. As arms swing, feet advance, and the breath deepens, you are filled with aliveness and energy. This movement encourages possibilities and a “can do” attitude.

If your walk happens to be in nature, there are additional benefits that surrounding yourself in a green environment brings. It can

• Reduce stress

• Boost mood

• Enhance creativity

• Increase concentration

• Improve sleep

Walking can get you unstuck. There is such significance in taking that first step and then another.

Letting Go

The next part of Muir’s phrase, “to lose my mind and find my soul,” illustrates other ideas. I connect losing “my mind” to letting go. Instead of focusing on negative, unhelpful thoughts or holding onto things and ideas that no longer serve you, release them. Be present.

Connect with something deeper within, your “soul.” Find the courage to let things unfold. See the wonder in what is here now.

I arranged a surprise birthday weekend for my husband a few weeks ago. What was the surprise? Our kiddos and their partners came home to celebrate and share several beautiful days together. One of the things we did was walk down our block, through the woods, and to the Croton River. I love walking, and doing this with my family made me happy!

Feeling supported in my hiking shoes, I noticed each step as my feet connected with the ground. Walking helped me release the to-dos and projects occupying real estate in my mind. I had several upcoming project deadlines that I was thinking about. I knew the work could wait. I was thrilled to have everyone home and have time with the crew. A thought adjustment was needed.

To do this, I focused on the sounds of my loved ones’ sweet voices. I watched them energetically walk as they meandered into different pairs and groupings. I felt their loving presence as we held hands and connected. Into the forest we went- walking, talking, laughing, listening, photographing, and watching.

“It takes courage to move forward when you’re overwhelmed.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Small Step

Choose your next tiny step to get you unstuck. Will you move your body to create momentum? Will you talk with a trusted friend or loved one to download your thoughts? Will you take one small step on your big project to bridge the gap between planning and action? What tiny, courageous step will you make to set your fresh start in motion?

If you feel stuck and overwhelmed or find it challenging to determine your next step, I’d love to help. Please email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or click here to schedule a Discovery Call. Let’s work together so things can flow.

One of the most common reasons my clients get stuck is being unsure about making decisions. A lack of confidence in decision-making might only affect specific areas. For example, they have no issue deciding which groceries to purchase or which social activities to attend. However, the decision-making challenge can surface when choosing how many black pants to let go of or where to begin organizing their home. It can feel like overwhelm, paralysis, or stress. This is an excellent time to reach out for help. There is no reason to remain in Stuckland.

There is another aspect to making decisions. Often, we’re on the fence about what to do. We have a few ideas but aren’t 100% sure which way to go. This is another terrific reason to enlist help. Use a decision-making buddy to help discuss options, weigh the pros and cons, or boost your confidence in making a choice.

7 Ways to Enlist Help Making Decisions

10 10 10 Rule

Before you make a decision, ask three questions:

• 10 minutes from now, how will I feel about this decision?

• 10 months from now, how will I feel about this decision?

• 10 years from now, how will I feel about this decision?

40/70 Rule

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell used this approach when making a quick decision. He would aim not to decide with less than 40% of the information needed, then act when he had close to 70% of the data.

80/20 Rule

Known as the Pareto Principle, this rule says that 80% of the outcomes (or outputs) result from 20% of all causes (or inputs) for any event. We often use this in the organizing world. For example, we only wear 20% of our clothes or refer to 20% of the papers we file. With that recognition, opting to let go will be easier.

3 Elements of Decision-Making

• Clarify – Identify the decision to make or problem to solve.

• Consider – Think about the options and the positive and negative consequences of each choice.

• Choose – Choose the best choice.

“When all else fails, flip a coin.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Golden Rules of Decision-Making

Make decisions when you’re . . .

• not in pain and when your body feels strong

• feeling loved and supported

• feeling you are enough

Coin Flip

When all else fails, flip a coin. Heads you let ‘it’ go, tails you keep ‘it.” Then pay attention to how you react. Let your intuition guide you. Do the opposite of the coin toss result if the option doesn’t sit right in your gut.

Virtual Organizing

Decision-making is integral to all virtual organizing sessions with my clients. I provide support by:

• Discussing the options

• Holding space to think through a choice without feeling pressured

• Setting boundaries around the decision

• Reviewing pros and cons

• Encouraging curiosity and experimentation

• Empowering agency to make decisions

• Focusing on progress, not perfection

These are just a few ways to boost your decision-making skills. What helps you get unstuck so you can make a decision? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Contact me, Linda, if you are stuck and need help and guidance to make decisions. Call at 914-271-5673, email linda@ohsoorganized.com, or click here. I’m here for you.