When you read “leisure time,” what thoughts come to mind? Are you thinking, “What leisure time? I don’t have any free time!” Does downtime feel absent from your life because you’re constantly working, stressing, and feeling overwhelmed? If so, you’re not alone.

In 2014, Brigid Schulte, an award-winning journalist and bestselling author, introduced “time confetti” in her book Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time. Time confetti refers to fragmented pieces of free time that happen during the day. These moments are too brief to be productive or meaningful, and they spoil the downtime we do have.

Time confetti are “short, unenjoyable moments that end up stressing us out rather than relaxing us.” Frequent interruptions are typically due to technology or multitasking. Even if a disturbance seems minor, it reduces the quality of time off, which can lead to a feeling of constant busyness without a sense of accomplishment.

What is the Antidote to Time Confetti?

Strategies to balance the effects of time confetti revolve around reducing distractions and valuing and creating larger blocks of leisure and downtime. Some of Schulte’s suggestions include:

• Identify where time gets spent

• Prioritize what matters, including more leisure activities

• Lessen digital distractions

• Stop multitasking

• Delegate and share household responsibilities

• Schedule and protect leisure time

• Shift perception of busyness and success

What Does Leisure Time Look Like?

Several years ago, I jotted down a list that I rediscovered recently called “Help for those who do too much.” What’s interesting is it doesn’t specify what not to do. Instead, it focuses on creating more time to enjoy life. The list is relevant to this discussion, so I included it.

Siblings - Tod Machover and Linda Samuels

Help For Those Who Do Too Much:

• Taking time off

• Biking

• Connecting with family

• Kayaking

• Going to the beach

• Sleeping

• Waking up naturally (no alarms)

• Losing track of time (no watches)

“Schedule and protect leisure time.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

In the spirit of leaning into more downtime, I reserved two full days of fun this past weekend, which was so welcome.

Intentional Leisure Time Activities

• Spending time with family

• Exploring Manitoga, the house, studio, and 75-acre woodland garden of the mid-century designer Russell Wright

• Having a picnic

• Celebrating Father’s Day with my husband (Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads!)

• Going on a day trip

• Taking a scenic train ride in the Catskills (ice cream included)

Happy Father’s Day!

If your days and downtime are disjointed and overwhelming, gift yourself a present of being more intentional and protective of your leisure time. Eliminate distractions that disrupt your focus. Time is precious. Yes, we need to work and handle life’s necessities. We also need balance to the busyness and overwhelm that many of us feel. What helps you carve out downtime? What do you enjoy doing? What gets in your way? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

If you want help organizing your time so you can enjoy life more, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call.  A life including downtime and fun is possible, especially with support.

When you have a dream or a goal, do you wish it would happen instantly? You want to wave a magic wand, and poof, it’s done. However, most pursuits require time and commitment. A wand won’t get you there.

Patience has become a rare commodity in our fast-paced, always-on, readily accessible world. While you can find the answer to a question in seconds by doing a Google search, most aspects of life require a more substantial time investment.

When you make time to pursue what’s important, you will experience growth, changes, and feelings of satisfaction and joy.

Since time is limited, choosing what’s important to pursue is essential. Understanding and investing the time needed to ‘get there’ will help you focus on your goals. Several things happened recently related to investing time, which I’ll share with you.

5 Ways Prioritizing Your Time Can Lead to Growth and Change

1. Nurturing Time

A few weeks ago, my husband, Steve, and I were gifted three beautiful hydrangea plants. Steve prepared the bed where they would be planted before they could be dug in. It wasn’t easy work, but he did it. Thank you, Honey!

The plants will eventually grow to be about three feet tall. To flourish, they’ll need watering every few days. Each day, I check to see how they’re doing. If they need water, I drag out the hose to hydrate them. Seeing more new growth and bright blueish-purple blooms appear daily makes me happy.

With this investment of physical labor, water, sun, patience, and time, visible growth and change are happening before my eyes. What a gift.

The hydrangea is a literal example of how nurturing something brings growth and change. How can you adapt that idea to other aspects of your life? Time investing is the common denominator, but the nurturing agent will differ.

2. Virtual Organizing Time

I love working with my virtual organizing clients. They are wonderful people who are dedicated to pursuing their goals. It’s exciting to help them facilitate change and witness their growth.

Their changes are often noticeable by the end of their 60—or 90-minute sessions, but they don’t stop there. Growth and change continue weekly, monthly, and beyond. Regular accountability check-ins and tweaks help them stay on track. These shifts show up as changes in perspective, space, or feelings. Confidence and self-esteem improve, obstacles get removed, clutter is released, letting go happens, priorities are focused on, and achieving their goals becomes the norm.

I am so proud of my clients for investing in themselves, prioritizing what’s most important to them, and scheduling the time to pursue their goals one hour, day, and month at a time. Progress is noticeable when you make a time investment.

3. Workshop Time

One of my goals several years ago was to develop and sponsor my own Oh, So Organized! workshops. Creating and presenting was the easy part. Figuring out the technology, back-end stuff, and marketing felt daunting. I invested time and energy to bring this goal to fruition.

Since October 2022, I created, presented, and sponsored five Oh, So Organized! workshops. The most recent one, How to Let That Sh*t Go, was last week. What a great group we had! One section was about letting go of time-related things (distractions and boundaries) that aren’t serving you.

To reach my workshop goal, I had to overcome the fear of doing it wrong. Instead, I leaned on curiosity, experimentation, and my belief in continual learning. Each workshop taught me something new, helped me refine the process, and allowed me to remain open to change.

I’m grateful to the people who helped and encouraged me. While I invested time and resources, I could not have reached this goal alone.

I leaned on a people to . . .

• Listen to me, ‘think out loud’

• Share valuable insights

• Give advice

• Answer questions

• Provide technical support

• Broaden my understanding of options

• Troubleshoot

• Promote the workshops

• Participate in the workshops

• Provide feedback

Taking one step at a time, reaching out for help, and being willing to get it wrong led me to this point. Fear is no longer part of the equation. Instead, I’m excited for each new workshop. My next one will be this fall.

“Progress is noticeable when you make a time investment.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

4. Professional Time

NAPO-NY Area Golden Circle Group - Back row (left to right): Karen Caccavo, Linda Samuels, Jocelyn Kenner - Front row (left to right): Susan Kranberg, Brenda Kamen, Andrea Bowser, Klara Carames, Amanda Wiss

In 1999, the then-president of the NAPO-NY chapter asked me if I’d be willing to start a NAPO Golden Circle Group for the New York area. She noticed that the veteran organizers weren’t participating as regularly in the chapter events and meetings. Her sense was that if we created an opportunity for the seasoned organizers to get together, it might reignite their engagement.

As I was already volunteering with NAPO Golden Circle nationally, developing and leading a local group interested me. Guess what? I said, “Yes.” We held our first meeting in April 1999 and continued to grow and lead the group for eight years.

The group has had many leaders since, and it’s still growing. I enjoyed attending the first in-person Golden Circle gathering since pre-pandemic this past weekend. My friend and colleague, Jocelyn Kenner, hosted us at her house. We shared advice, asked questions, ate, laughed, and invested time in each other, our businesses, and our industry. Based on the number of years in business, collectively, we had over 150 years of organizing knowledge and experience. Talk about a time investment!

I wouldn’t have guessed that the volunteer time given and the commitment I made 25 years ago would still be producing fruit. I am grateful for all the leaders and members who have kept this group growing and thriving.

5. Big Goal Time

Then there are those big, audacious goals. Some remain as ideas and dreams, while others manifest. When I was very young, one of my big goals was to have my own business. While I dabbled in many things from an early age, it wasn’t until January 1993 (over thirty years ago) that I launched my organizing company, Oh, So Organized! Without investing my time, money, and sweat equity, I wouldn't be here now.

Recently, I had the joy of being interviewed by the fabulous Janet Barclay about my organizing background, educational journey, and organizing industry growth. Our conversation reaffirmed my belief that big goals can happen. You will reach your big goals using small blocks of time and focusing on your priorities.

What have you noticed about your time investments? What types of goals have you realized? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

If you want help organizing your time so you can reach your goals, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call.  A life focused on what matters most is possible, especially with support.

All cylinders fire at capacity when you experience an intense period of busyness, deadlines, or emergencies. You can sustain your energy and focus for a while, but something needs to shift. Otherwise, you’ll burn out. There are various ways to decide what comes next after a rigorous stretch.

I am at this juncture now. While not quite over, it’s been a full first quarter. A partial list of what I’ve been working on includes:

• Presenting four workshops – Three virtual and one in-person

• Having virtual organizing sessions – Ongoing, returning, and new clients

• Blogging – Writing a new post each week

• Leading meetings – For two professional organizer groups, one international and one local

• Volunteering – For personal and professional groups

This week, I gave the last of the four workshops I scheduled for this quarter. Denise Wenacur, the talented interior designer and founder of DW Design & Décor, invited me to talk about clutter at her monthly Speaker Series. It was a wonderful evening with great people, drinks, and delicious food. Denise is such a warm host who fosters a sense of community through her monthly events.

Denise shared the evening, and my workshop live. Click here to watch How to Conquer Clutter.

So here I am. Winter has morphed into spring as the crocuses and daffodils emerge from the earth. Most of my first-quarter projects are complete. It’s time for my next step plan, which I’ll share with you.

“Regrouping allows me to pause briefly, evaluate, and decide what to embrace next.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

My simple three-step plan for next:

1. Breathe in deeply.

2. Exhale slowly.

3. Regroup.

Steps one and two help me prepare for step three. Regrouping allows me to pause briefly, evaluate how the last quarter went, and decide what to embrace next. I already have some things in the works. During my regrouping process, I’ll assess the timing and energy needed for other projects.

For example, one of my goals for 2024 is to host three Oh, So Organized!-sponsored workshops. I presented My Simple Organizing Plan in February and would like to do a new workshop in late spring, but we’ll see. Figuring out the details will be part of my regrouping process.

I’m breathing, pausing, and thinking before committing to my plan. How was your first quarter? Are you thinking about what comes next? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

If you need help regrouping and figuring out your next step, I’m here to help. Please email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Your next step is doable, especially with support.

When you’re making a significant change, it takes sustained energy and focus. This can be exhausting. When pursuing change, motivation is an essential ingredient. However, it’s not enough. Sometimes, you’ll need to act even when you don’t feel like it and your motivation is low or non-existent.

Taking action through small, consistent steps will facilitate the change you desire.

There is another aspect to proactive change that goes beyond desire, motivation, and action. It’s recognizing the powerful and energizing effect a brief pause has.

Last week, I wrote about capacity. The pause is connected to that idea. Consider how much stamina it takes to make a change in your life. Along that journey, which could take days, months, or years, the endurance needed won’t be sustainable without rest cycles.

Clients’ Organizing Goals

I admire my clients’ dedication to pursuing their organizational goals and making changes in their lives. There are weeks when things flow easily for them. At other times, it’s more challenging to activate and move forward. They don’t give up. I support them as they navigate the change process. They balance the intense periods of action with taking breaks. They’ll step away briefly and then return.

The power of their pause is noticeable. After their hiatus, clarity, energy, and determination return. The downtime creates space to breathe, rejuvenate, and refocus.

My Big Changes

You may recall how the pandemic influenced significant changes for my organizing business, Oh, So Organized! In 2020, after almost thirty years of working in-person with clients, I pivoted to offer virtual services only. My organizing company helps overwhelmed individuals challenged by disorganization get unstuck and organized with nonjudgmental, personalized one-on-one sessions, workshops, and publications.

I’ve led workshops for decades. Most of those were hosted by other companies or industry associations. However, in 2022, I started sponsoring my own workshops. I’ve hosted four since then and plan to offer two more this year. It’s been a positive change that I’m still exploring.

In the first quarter of 2024, I had four workshops scheduled, one of which I hosted. I’ve already given three and was invited to present next month for Denise Wenacur’s Design Lab. These changes have been exciting yet intense because of the deadlines.

“To sustain the pursuit of the changes you seek, step away from doing to recharge.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

A Gentle Pause

Do you remember I mentioned how my clients balance their change pursuits with taking breaks? Well, I’m no different. I integrate breaks, too. And luckily, in the last few weeks, we’ve had some beautiful snowfall in the Hudson Valley. You may wonder how snow and pausing connect.

These particular snows were incredibly peaceful, covering the landscape in white and making the quiet feel even quieter. I loved pausing to watch the snow steadily fall to the ground. It was meditative and made me feel calm and relaxed. Watching the gently floating snowflakes encouraged me to appreciate the moment and temporarily disengage from my projects. Observing was enough of a break to help me reset, energize, and prepare for the next step.

Weird Facts shared this idea about the quiet a fresh snow brings:

“Fresh snow absorbs sound, lowering ambient noise over a landscape because the trapped air between snowflakes attenuates vibration. That’s why it gets so quiet when it snows.”

Don’t underestimate the power of a pause. To sustain the pursuit of the changes you seek, step away from doing to recharge. Pause and see the snow descend, take a coffee break, or go away for a few days. You’ll be happy you did.

What type of pause benefits you? How does it help you pursue the changes you want?

Help is Here

If you are in the midst of change and want assistance, I’m here to help. Please email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or click here to schedule a Discovery Call. Change is doable, especially with support.