Several weeks ago, one of my colleagues, Sara Skillen, wrote a post about the power of the words we use, which can be kind, harsh, energizing, or demotivating. Expressions influence our behavior and choices, so awareness is essential. Negative self-talk is common. It’s also damaging because the berating can hurt your self-esteem and prevent you from moving forward.

When working with my virtual organizing clients, I listen in various ways and pay close attention to their words.  One of the changes, which frequently happen during our sessions, is a positive mindset shift. As most sessions are only one hour, this change occurs quickly. It’s exciting to see.

At the start of a virtual organizing session, I check-in and ask, “How are you doing?” We review what transpired in between sessions, discuss discoveries or challenges, and clarify the session’s focus along with their starting thoughts. Fear is one of the common emotions that surface. We don’t ignore or dwell on the words. We let them reverberate, re-clarify what we’re working on, and take action steps forward with encouragement and focus. When fear and overwhelm are met with a small action step, movement happens, and a positive shift occurs.

“When fear and overwhelm are met with a small action step, movement happens, and a positive shift occurs.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Positive Change Clients Experience

This is a small sample of the types of changes my clients have experienced in less than an hour. Their actions were on projects such as organizing papers, clothing, schedules, memorabilia, books, and housewares. Movement enabled them to progress on their organizing goals and morph their negative thoughts into positive and hopeful ones.

“Dread” became “not overwhelmed.”

 “Distracted” became “I made headway.”

“Frazzled” became “I feel good.”

“Stomach in a knot” became “better than expected.”

“Frustrated” became “I’m feeling better.”

“Worst fears” became “not scary anymore.”

“Terrified” became “I can do this!”

Recognizing the agency we have over certain parts of our lives is liberating. Our choices, when paired with action, will help us overcome fear and overwhelm. By acknowledging our emotions, we have the opportunity to work with them to bring about positive change in our lives. 

Have you experienced a change in thought patterns because of actions you took? What helps you shift from negative self-talk to something more useful? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

We’re halfway through the first month of the New Year. How are you doing with your fresh start and goal setting, planning, new habits, or resolutions? Making time to set goals, write them down, and implement them is integral to how some function. However, for many of us, planning is elusive, or our intentions quickly get derailed.

Does this sound familiar? You want more organization and less clutter, so you commit to decluttering and organizing your entire house. While the goal is doable, it’s so big that you feel overwhelmed and unmotivated. You give up and go down that negative self-talk path. What if you had the right support to help you clarify what is most important, create a doable way to reach your goals, and provide accountability and advice? Can you feel the big exhale?  

It’s all about surrounding yourself with people that will help you thrive. Marcy Stoudt, the founder of The Executive Mom Nest, understands the value of teams. She launched The Nest, an exclusive network of women whose vision of success includes career, family, and self. The Nest is a unique and trusting community for new moms to explore ideas, ask for feedback, and seek advice. Members have access to Advisors in diverse industries, including marketing, finance, design, nutrition, life coaching, and organization.

“Surround yourself with people that will help you thrive.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

I’m thrilled that Marcy invited me to join the Executive Mom Nest as their Professional Organizer Advisor. To celebrate the New Year, The Nest has an incredible giveaway that I’m participating in, and excited to share with you. 

Fabulous ‘New Year, New Me’ Giveaway

Giveaway Description:

The Executive Mom Nest’s ‘New Year, New Me’ giveaway provides you with support and guidance to become the best version of yourself as a mom, businesswoman, and mompreneur. It’s a chance to close the gap between who you are and who you want to be. Bring harmony to your career and home.

Prizes: 

The giveaway winner will receive three amazing prizes from Nest Advisors:

• A one-hour virtual organizing session with Oh, So Organized!, and a signed copy of the book, The Other Side of Organized – courtesy of Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

• A business introduction video paired with branded graphics for social media – courtesy of Branded Interviews, Alison Nissen

• A one-hour executive coaching session with Marcy Stoudt – courtesy of Revel Coach

Rules for Entry:

• Follow Executive Mom Nest on Instagram.

• Tag three friends in the comments on the Giveaway post.

• Get a bonus entry if you share the post to your Instagram Story.

• The giveaway closes on January 22, 2021, and the winner will be contacted shortly after.

How are you doing with your New Year plans? Have you taken on any new projects or goals this year? Have you run into any snags? Who is on your success team? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation by adding your comments below, and pop over to Instagram to enter The Executive Mom Nest giveaway.

We have arrived in the second week of the New Year. Are you excited about the possibilities for the next twelve months? Are you in a reflecting and planning mode? Are you contemplating how to make the most of your fresh start that each New Year brings? Or do you feel frozen or stuck? Perhaps you started this year with a solid plan and are already in pursuit. Wherever you are in your fresh process, I discovered a secret sauce that can enhance it. 

As you might know, I practice daily mindfulness meditation. I prefer guided meditations and often use the Insight Timer app, which has thousands of meditations and teachers to choose from. One of my favorite guides is Tomek Wyczesany, a scientist, meditation teacher, and author. It’s fascinating that I often hear something new while I can practice the same meditation multiple times. This happened the other day when I was working with one of Tomek’s meditations. He said, “You are the active ingredient in everything that is about to happen.” 

What a powerful statement! Let’s think about that. He’s saying that you are the secret sauce, the “active ingredient.” How do we move through life? It starts with you, your desire, idea, or motivation. It is your rumblings for action that put things in motion. 

Does it mean we are the only active ingredients? I don’t think so. For example, when I’m working with my virtual organizing clients, they are active drivers of their organizing process. However, I am supporting them with focus, clarity, or ideas. We have become an active ingredients team. 

“You are the active ingredient in everything that is about to happen.”

— Tomek Wyczesany

In another context, think about how powerful it is to recognize the concept that you are “the active ingredient in everything that you do.” That means your mindset and actions are the drivers in your life. That can be positive or negative depending upon the messages you tell yourself. If things are not going as you want, you can change the path by shifting your thoughts and deeds. 

If you are struggling with moving forward, remember that you have the ingredients to activate. If you want to create an activation team, reach out to a family member, friend, or professional organizer like me.

Are you in a fresh start mode? What helps you to activate? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

2020 has been the year of Zoom, and with it came an abundance of desk time. It’s a good thing that this professional organizer loves being in her home office. It is the place I have virtual organizing sessions with clients, write blog posts, attend workshops, pay bills, and connect with family, friends, and colleagues. My space reflects a balance of the elements that are most important to me. When I’m here, reminders that help me focus, be productive, feel calm, creative, grateful, and supported surround me.

Organization at its best happens when our environment supports what we need and want to do. After all, when you’re struggling to find a pen that works, a paper to jot a note onto, staples to replenish your stapler or a cord to recharge your device, that searching adds undue stress in your life. When your surfaces are covered with non-essentials, they detract rather than help you focus on your intentions. If your space lacks comfort, your body and mind will become exhausted. And if your place is void of the “you” factor, it won’t honor your uniqueness.

As we wrap up one year and head into the next, this is an excellent time to consider balance and its role in your physical environment. While I’m sure you have your list of what makes you feel organized and supported in your space, I thought you’d enjoy this behind the scenes view of my office and the elements that help me. If you’re curious, you can read and see more photos of how my office space came to be in Dreams Need Help Too. Continue reading for a behind the scenes look at Linda’s office.

10 Elements That Add Balance

1. Inspiration 

Inspiration is present in many forms. There are the small signs or words I display around my desk, like the Anna Quindlen quote card that says, “I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” My favorite inspirational books are perched visibly on the shelves, including Mindset by Carol Dweck. Other favorites include I’ll Carry the Fork by Kara Swanson, Mindfulness by Ellen Langer, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Resilience by Linda Graham, and The Little Book of Hygee by Meik Wiking. These visuals encourage me to continue learning, be creative, and focus on what is meaningful.

2. Technology

My Apple device trio- the iMac, iPad, and iPhone helps me communicate and stay organized. They sync with each other, which helps with productivity. If a new contact or appointment is entered on my phone, it automatically syncs with my iMac and iPad. One of the keys to using technology is having confidence in your devices and knowing where and how to access the vast amount of information you are storing. Tech balance comes from organizing my e-files for easy retrieval and having physical and cloud-based auto back-up systems. Over the years, I’ve become increasingly dependent on technology, which has its pros and cons. One way I manage that balance is by minimizing the beeps and dings so my devices don’t interrupt me when I’m working.

3. Comfort

While I’m committed to having non-desk time with activities like walking, doing yoga, or meditating, the reality is that I’m at my desk a significant amount of time. Part of balance includes being physically comfortable. A few small things make desk life better. I have gel-filled wrist rests for my keyboard and mouse, a purple velvet footstool for my short legs, and a navy blue velour desk chair that is soft to the touch. Good feeling fabrics and textures matter to me. My lighting is also comfortable with various sources, including natural light. Don’t underestimate the value of improving a few physical office essentials to increase your comfort. Your body and mind will thank you.

“Organization at its best happens when our environment supports what we need and want to do.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

4. Organization 

I can’t ignore the value that the physical organization of papers, files, and supplies has in feeling balanced. My office was designed to hold all of the items I use regularly. There are filing cabinets for papers, open slots for ongoing projects, closed cabinets to store supplies like the label maker, pads of paper, printer cartridges, and notecards. There are drawers for stamps, mailing labels, and eyeglasses. Everything has a place and is at my fingertips. Pens, stapler, sticky notes, and scissors, and other frequently used supplies are visible and contained on my desk. 

5. Time

Managing myself involves being time-aware. This awareness enables me to be punctual for appointments, focus on projects, take breaks, and shift gears. The clocks and timers in my office support boundaries and balance. My tech devices display the time digitally. It is my large yellow analog wall clock that I rely on most. I interpret time most easily when I can see the visual representation of time moving. I also use the Time Timer and the alarm setting on my iPhone Clock app to manage my time.

6. Family

When we talk about work, the phrases work-life balance or work-family balance often emerges. Having a space that inspires and supports your work is great. However, remembering that life isn’t just about work is key. Spending time with the people I love is essential. On display are photos of happy faces snuggled together and beautiful moments spent with my husband and kids. They exude love. My family lifts my heart and brings balance, meaning, and joy into my life.

“Having a space that inspires and supports your work is great. However, remembering that life isn’t just about work is key.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

7. Color

Color affects my mood. Even as a young girl, the color was how I interpreted the world. When curious about a place or thing, my first question was often, “What color is it?” By age five, my favorite color was purple, and it still is. When it came time to design my office, I wanted to incorporate my color. I combined different violet hues like the red-violet pullout keyboard tray, the blue-violet cabinets, the muted purple filing cabinets, and the blue fleck quartz desktop. Being surrounded by my favorite color makes me feel happy, grateful, and balanced. How does color affect you?

8. Sparkle

Color is great, but color with sparkles is even better. I’ve always responded to light. There’s something so lovely how sparkly things like glitter, glass, and other shiny objects, reflect light. The undulating lightness brings balance and some whimsy to the darkness. When I look around the office, my eye catches glimpses of shine from objects like the lavender glass cabinet knobs, the silver glitter-covered Eiffel Tower, or the purple sparkle pen cup. Who says we can’t find balance in the sparkles?

9. Toys

Toys make me think about play, which is the opposite of work. Prominently displayed under my computer screen is a long tray of toys, I affectionately call fidgets. They are miniature buttons, clothespins, Legos, trolls, rubber ducks, maracas, egg timers, and other tiny objects. They represent a variety of colors, textures, and messages. Why are they there? And what do they have to do with balance? When I’m in a meeting or on a call, playing with the objects helps me focus. Fiddling around in this tactile way improves my concentration. The other aspect has to do with my appreciation of small things and fun. My fidget collection provides a balance of focus and whimsy.

10. Nature

For me, feeling aliveness within extends into being surrounded by living things, like plants. So much is quiet and still in my office. Including greenery or fresh flowers add vibrancy and balance to my space. Allison, my oldest daughter, gifted me with a beautiful wooden stand she made, which displays a miniature ceramic pot and air plant. It’s the sweetest little plant that makes me think of my daughter and how she has blossomed. The tiny plant also reminds me to extend nurture and care to it and to others. The balance lies in doing and not doing, watering, not overwatering, and nurturing, but not smothering. 

As we end one year and shift to the new one, how will you bring balance into your life? Have you considered the ways your space supports or disrupts your balance? What one change can you make to improve your physical space? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.