Spring is a fun time of year. It’s a welcome change from grayer winter days. I’m continually amazed by the new beautiful blooms appearing every day. The daffodils are starting to wilt as the tulips and lilacs are emerging. Growth radiates hope and possibilities as the landscape becomes greener and more colorful.

Lightening up and letting go are integral to the spring season. However, sometimes, the letting go process can feel overwhelming. You might be trying to decide what to let go of or are challenged with activating.

There are many ways to work through to the other side. One letting go strategy is so effective that I highly recommend trying it. I’ve used this myself and with clients, and it always works. I’m using this exact strategy now, which I’ll share.

Value of a Deadline

You might want to edit but are having difficulty beginning. Perhaps you want to declutter because guests will be visiting. Maybe you feel like your space is piled with stuff that you no longer want. Or, you’re thinking about downsizing and letting go of the excess. Your “why” is clear, but you’re procrastinating.

One of the best letting go strategies is to combine a deadline with accountability. For example, I have a donation pick-up scheduled this week with GreenDrop®. They are a nationwide resource that accepts donations through pick-up or drop-off locations. Knowing GreenDrop® will be here on a specific date incentivizes me to let go now. I’ve been filling bags and boxes of things I want to release. When I set the deadline, I gave myself enough time by factoring in my other commitments.

Here's the thing. Could I let go of even more? Sure! However, given the time I have to edit, I’m letting go of enough to make a difference. The good news is I can always schedule another pick-up when I’m ready to say goodbye to more.

Letting Go Questions

I often think about letting go. Sometimes, it’s about unhelpful thoughts or time challenges. Yet, right now, I’m focused more on editing the physical stuff- things like clothing, household wares, linens, books, cosmetics, or pantry items.

When decision-making, I ask letting go questions like:

• Has it overstayed its welcome?

• Does it fit?

• Do I still like it?

• Is it damaged beyond repair or even repair-worthy?

• Do I use or wear it anymore?

• Is it expired?

• Is it taking up space and no longer worth the real estate?

• Has it served its purpose?

• Is it necessary?

• Am I ready to say, “It’s been nice knowing you?”

“One of the best letting go strategies is to combine a deadline with accountability.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Do I ever get stuck? Of course. I expect it, but I don’t let that deter me. I focus first on the less challenging items. Then, I circle back to the trickier things and make a decision. I might keep those things a little longer or let them go. It’s a low-pressure, fluid process.

Do you use deadlines to facilitate letting go? What works for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

If you need help with letting go, reach out anytime. Please email me, Linda, at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Letting go is possible, especially with support.

A new month just began. While it’s not spring yet, green growth is starting to emerge from the muted winter landscape. Signs of possibilities abound.

It’s an excellent time to check in and locate where you are. How are you doing with your organizing goals? Are you zipping along, moving projects forward, and making things happen? Or are you feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and unsure of your next step?

When people contact me for organizing help, the most common reason is they want to advance, but activation is challenging. The desire is there, but the overwhelm they’re experiencing prevents them from identifying their next step. Without doing next, progress stops.

The Progress Cycle

• Each tiny step you take is progress.

• Progress builds momentum.

• Momentum reinforces continued action, which propels you toward your goal.

One Strategy to Get Unstuck

When The Progress Cycle feels elusive, how can you get it started? What can you do when you’re overwhelmed?

To be mindful of the stress you may be experiencing, I’m simplifying the options and sharing only one strategy. Here is the strategy: To get unstuck, reach out for help to identify your next step.

There is no reason to go it alone. Support can come from a trusted, nonjudgmental family member, friend, colleague, or professional organizer like me. Together, we will identify your next step. Figuring out what happens next starts the cycle, enabling activation, progress, momentum, and movement toward your goal.

“To get unstuck, reach out for help to identify your next step.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

What Does a Next Step Look Like?

During virtual organizing sessions, I help my clients identify the next step and encourage action. We work on closing the gap between thinking and doing. Having a session with me adds motivation and accountability, which results in progress. Below is a small sample of the types of next steps clients identified and actions taken during their one-hour virtual organizing sessions:

• Cleared out and organized an email inbox

• Identified and committed to the next tiny steps of a large project

• Edited, organized, and cleared desk papers

• Set up a paper management system

• Created a list of home organization projects and determined where to begin

• Unpacked and put things back in order after returning from vacation

• Identified, discussed, and prioritized next step options

• Edited and organized dresser drawers

• Assessed and let go of some of your deceased loved one’s belongings

• Determined the need for and created a good sleep hygiene plan

• Edited and organized memorabilia

• Decluttered a chair covered with books, papers, and clothes

Progress was made during the organizing sessions and continued between sessions. Using a combination of support, focus, and small blocks of time, your next step will happen.

Have you ever reached out for help about your next step? If so, what was your experience like? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you want guidance with your next step, I’m here to help. Please email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or click here to schedule a Discovery Call. Progress is possible, especially with support.

There are times when you’re in a state of flow. You work almost effortlessly on your projects and goals. You lose track of time and are in that creative, exciting phase. At other times, you’re not just stuck but overwhelmed. It feels impossible to move forward and determine your next step. The deluge is heavy, like a huge weight pressing down on you. The list of what needs accomplishing seems so large that it interferes with your focus and motivation. Instead of moving forward, you procrastinate, engage in distractions, or do nothing. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

Being overwhelmed is the number one reason my clients contact me for help. Organizing their space, time, or stuff can seem insurmountable. We work together with the big picture in mind, approaching it one small step at a time. And you know what? When we do that, we break through the overwhelm barrier and make progress.

My clients aren’t the only ones who get inundated. It happens to me too. I recognized that something had felt off for me this winter. It hasn’t been a typical season in the Hudson Valley. We barely had any snow, which disturbed my sense of balance and seasonal cycles.

Recently, I came across an image and phrase that resonated with me. An author described the feeling of a winter’s snow and wrote, “the quiet is even quieter.” When I read that, I recognized it was what I’d been missing. It’s not that it’s loud where I live. However, a significant snowfall covering the woods with a thick white blanket creates calm, silence, and that long pause. Things stop.

That unique winter quiet settles my mind as a deep, luxurious exhale. The silence helps me reset. Guess what happened? Last week, we finally got substantial snow. I was so excited when I woke up with the backwoods covered in white. I felt lighter, with a positive shift in my energy and mood. The frosted, peaceful landscape reduced my overwhelm and opened my mind enough to figure out what to do next.

A Simple Path Forward

After enjoying my breakfast and sipping my hot mug of coffee, I had an idea for encouraging forward movement. Using a low-tech solution, I grabbed a piece of paper and some pens to make a chart. It took about 10 minutes to create. I listed my upcoming projects for the next several months. It included project names, due dates, brief notes, and the next step for each project. It felt good to get them on paper and out of my head. I experienced an immediate sense of relief seeing this high-level view on a single sheet of paper. But the most significant benefit was the next step column. Rather than listing the bazillion tasks for each project, I listed only one tiny thing to focus on.

This simple exercise propelled me forward. Within a few days, I completed one of the projects. Now I have my roadmap with clear instructions of what to do next for the others.

“Consider the big picture, yet approach it one small step at a time.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

I recognize how the snowfall helped me overcome my overwhelm and inspired the chart. However, snowstorm or not, you can use this helpful tool anytime you feel overwhelmed. There are moments when it’s beneficial to do an entire brain dump of all tasks, steps, projects, and thoughts. However, that doesn’t always work when you’re upset. Doing a total brain download can intensify those feelings. When that’s the situation, consider my ‘next-step’ approach instead.

What helps you figure out next when you’re overwhelmed? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

When change happens around and within us, it can be challenging to feel settled or figure out the next steps. In the northeast, with winter ending and spring on its way, the weather can vary wildly from 70 degrees and sunny one day to 20 degrees with a snowstorm the next. Do I bundle up in my winter gear or walk outside with just a light jacket? These are easy decisions.

We have mask mandates lifting, people fleeing and fighting for their lives, and babies coming into the world as elders pass on. Inflation is higher than it’s been in decades. Gas prices jumped 40 cents a gallon in one week, and let’s not even talk about the supply chain.

It’s a tumultuous time. You might feel various things, from being paralyzed to being energized. One thing that brings me great hope is working with my virtual organizing clients. They are dedicated to making changes in their lives and working towards their goals. It’s inspiring to be part of their journey and provide ongoing support. 

Sensing that we could all use an infusion of hope, this week, I’m sharing a personal journal entry I wrote recently during a retreat led by my wonderful friend and colleague, Yota Schneider. After she guided us in a group meditation, we did a ‘free write,’ reflecting on what came up during the quiet. 

 Linda’s Journal Entry

Tonight I needed to rest. My body lay down, the room was dark, and the magnificently scented candle burned. Yet my mind was in motion. There were no particular ideas but simply a running pile of words like a treadmill of thoughts. I needed to rest. 

An earlier thought came into focus, planted by the question, “What was the last time you felt joy and were inspired?” The answer came in a moment.

It was this morning. Before breakfast, I looked out of the low ground-level dining room window. In the last few days, I noticed the greenery of the first crocuses emerging from the earth, but no flowers. However, this morning when I looked out, there she stood – a beautiful, happy, healthy purple crocus about to open.

It wasn’t enough to see it through the window. I needed to get close. I went out through the back door, feeling the warm air on my skin. It felt good, like spring air. I crouched down low, getting as close as possible to the crocus to welcome her back.

Joy flooded my being. Memories of the years of ‘crocus sightings’ with our children came rushing back. Every spring, we constantly looked for the appearance of the crocus. Whoever spotted it would announce to the family with exuberance, “Look, look! The first crocus is here!” We’d gather and rush outside to see and admire its beauty.

But it wasn’t just its beauty then, nor was it this morning. The crocus is hope. It’s the comfort in knowing life has a cycle, growth is continual, and a new season has or is about to arrive.

On that early March morning, joy and inspiration were palpable. My lovely purple friend joined us yet again, growing towards the sun. I snapped a photo and sent it to our kids so they too could enjoy this beautiful sign of spring and of hopeful things to come.

“The crocus is hope.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

Finding next can be difficult when there is so much angst in our world near and far. Especially when life’s ups and downs are challenging, it can be helpful to revisit positive forces. Without hope, there is no next. My wish is you discover the small and big moments of joy and inspiration to hold close. Let them be your guide forward as you find next and feel more hopeful.

What brings you hope? How do you find next when life feels challenging? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.