We’re in the home stretch of the year with just a few days remaining until the New Year and decade. What has life been like for you these past few weeks? Have things been quieter, or have you experienced a flurry of activity? Has your balance felt off or just right? I’ve missed being here with you for the last several weeks. Between the holidays, parties, hosting, visiting, organizing, and launching my new website, I took a short blogging hiatus.

The last few weeks have felt different from other times of the year. It’s useful to do a simple “balance check-in. So if your scale has tipped too much in one direction, take a pause to reflect and adjust. I have five questions to get you started.

Simple “Balance” Check-In

1. Are you feeling exhausted?

If your sleep patterns have been off, evaluate the amount of sleep you need to feel better. Maybe you can turn in early tonight or sleep a bit longer in the morning. What do you need now?

2. Are you feeling stuffed?

If too many holiday cakes, pies, cocktails, and snacks are making you feel full and sluggish, pay attention to what you’re taking in. My eating patterns have shifted because of the holidays. My body is shouting- “Reduce the sugar and up the vegetable intake!” What is your body telling you?

3. Are you feeling talked out?

If you’ve been socializing more than usual, notice whether this is causing you stress. Maybe you need to balance the “outer” time with some alone time. While I love spending time with family and friends, I’m also aware that I need time to be. What are you sensing now?

4. Are you feeling disorganized?

If you’ve been traveling, entertaining, or disengaging from your regular routines, you might be feeling more disorganized than usual. It’s easy to get out of sorts when our regular patterns are altered. Edit the excess, revisit routines, and restore some order.

5. Are you feeling restless?

If you are winding up the current projects and also anticipating changes and goals for the coming year, you might be feeling anxious. Transitions can be challenging, especially when we shift from one year to the next. Reflect on past successes, let go of the ideas that no longer serve you, and set an intention for the New Year. Get ready for your clean slate.

Endings come, and new beginnings arrive. As you straddle the two, what is most helpful to restore balance? Do you have other questions to add to the mix? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!

The woods grace the landscape in our backyard. We’ve lived here for almost 33 years and have joyfully watched as the colors and textures changed with each season. With the arrival of winter, the landscape is now bare with naked trees and little visible green. I eagerly await the first big snow when the quiet blanket of white transforms the woods. There is a time for each season. There are beauty and comfort in knowing that the seasons will change. Everything has its time. Appreciating and understanding this is an integral part of life’s balance. Nothing is permanent. Change is the only constant.

The Tree . . .

Over the years, we’ve lost many trees in our woods. Even the strongest of trees won't live forever. Several months ago I noticed that one of the tall trees was leaning more than usual. Each day it seemed to bend a bit more. Recently we experienced torrential rain with high winds. That did it. One dark evening, I heard a loud, crackling sound followed by a big, slow thud of the weighty trunk crashing to the ground. It wasn’t until the next morning that what I heard was confirmed. I saw the 50-foot tree toppled to the ground. Its time had come. 

The Bonfire . . .

Each year our friends have a winter solstice party, which we love going to. They build an enormous teepee-shaped bonfire in the woods. The fire is constructed from dead trees and limbs from their forest. The dead trees are repurposed to create this fantastic blaze that gives new energy to our thoughts and aspirations as we stand together in the dark of the winter night. We reflect about the past year. We toss into the fire experiences and ideas from the previous year that we’re ready to let go of. We also throw into the blaze new intentions for the coming year. Then the fire burns the wood completely taking with it our collective thoughts and bringing us a sense of balance and freedom. We square away what was. We ready ourselves for what will be.

As you conclude your year, consider how everything has a life. Are there projects or ideas that have run their course? Is it time to let them go? Are there projects you’re in the middle that need more attention? Or have they run their course? Are there new ideas that are begging for your energy and creativity to breathe life into? Nothing is meant to be forever. What will you let go of? What will you continue? What will you begin as one year ends and the new one starts?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

Happy holidays, folks! Or is it happy, that is? For many of us, the holiday season is far from joyful. In fact, it can be stress-filled. What is it about this time of year that can make us feel frazzled and overwhelmed? After all, this season is punctuated by the infusion of catchy holiday music, colorful decorations and lights, intoxicating aromas like pine and clove, and the anticipation of special gatherings with our family and friends.

Yet even with all of these positive aspects, this season can bring on the stress . . . Big time. So if you’re struggling with holiday-induced stress, with balance, or with finding more happiness this season, I’ve got a gift for you. 

Below are my five best tips (we’re talking infographic lingo) for sprinkling your holidays with some happy.

I’d love to hear from you. What is your favorite way to bring more happiness to the holiday season? Come join the conversation!

The newest installment (v21) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature is here with my recent discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and better balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring life balance-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme. You are such a fantastic, engaged group. I am grateful for your presence and wisdom.

I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? . . .

1. Interesting Read – Balanced Habits

As this year comes to a close and you prepare for the New Year, thoughts about habits, those good and not-so-good ones, begin to surface. Do you want to be more organized, get more exercise, or be less stressed? While you might not be ready to change, you’re likely considering the possibilities. In this affirming, practical read, Atomic Habits – An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, author and speaker, James Clear, shares practical strategies based in biology, psychology, and neuroscience that will teach you how to build improved systems to support better habits.Clear says, “All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.” If you are interested in shifting your balance towards more positive habits, you’ll benefit from reading Clear’s book. He says, “Small habits don’t add up. They compound. That’s the power of atomic habits. Tiny changes. Remarkable results.”

2. Interesting Resource  – Balanced Break

Life is busy. Super busy. Figuring out how (or when) to push that pause button and restore a piece of balance can be challenging. Be Time, a NYC-based company, has figured out a brilliant solution. Their high-end mobile meditation studio (housed in a bus,) brings the break to you. Parked in busy areas, Be Time invites you to “Step in, unplug and just breathe. A calm, quiet, inspiring place for some mind space.” Even though the bus is currently just available in Manhattan, I’m hoping that the concept will catch on to expand to other locations.

3. Interesting Product – Balanced Accessories

It’s no fun hunting for keys, sunglasses, or tissues in the depths of our tote bags. Have you experienced your things entering that deep abyss never to be found again? There’s something downright liberating about creating organization and balance with one simple step. The felt tote bag organizer from My Smart Organizer delivers. This versatile insert, available in an array of fun colors, will help you find your essentials in no time. 

4. Interesting Tech – Balanced Practice

As many of you know, I began practicing mindfulness meditation a few years ago. This daily practice has become an integral part of my life. Starting my day in this way creates more balance, calm, and gentleness towards others and myself. While I continue to take classes from various instructors, I practice guided meditation at home using recordings and apps. I’ve been experimenting with the Insight Timer app, which is available on iOS and Android platforms. Apparently, I’m not the only one that likes the app. They have over five million meditators that also agree. The practices are given by 3,000 teachers and include over 14,000 free-guided meditations that can be sorted by type, length, and a variety of other parameters.

5. Interesting Thought – Balanced Choices

Decision-making is a powerful thing. Each day provides a new chance for healthy or not-so-healthy options. We aren’t robots. We are human. Whether we are eating veggies or sweets, power walking or snuggling up on the sofa, remember to be kind to you. It’s not about perfection. It’s about finding a balance that works for you.

What are your exciting finds? Which of these resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!