Sometimes next isn’t obvious. Other times we know what next is, but procrastinate. We’re too tired. It’s late. We don’t feel like it. We’d rather be doing something else with our time. While I don’t find myself in this situation frequently, I have experienced knowing the next step then have activation challenges actually taking it. Have you experienced this?

As a matter of fact, I found myself in this situation just before I wrote this post. While my plan had been to write when I returned from organizing at my client’s home, other business and personal issues were handled instead. The late afternoon quickly morphed into evening and I still hadn’t written anything. This wasn’t good since I prefer to write earlier in the day when my brain is most alert.

I had several options and chose to continue as planned, which is why you’re reading this post. To make “next” more doable, I set the mood. I made a hot cup of tea, put on my comfy clothes, and plopped myself in front of a blank page.

I let go of my original plan. I let go of the fact that I wasn’t writing at my best time. Instead I just focused on next: the next word, the next sentence, and the next paragraph. And well, you see what happened. By creating the mood for next, next got done.

How do you do next? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

There’s a restlessness and impatience I’ve been noticing. People (at least on the east coast) are ready for winter to morph into spring. We’ve had record snowfall and temperatures. We’re poised and ready for change. This month our conversations have focused around change. We’ve looked at how we view change and the value of making small changes. As we continue the topic, let’s think about resources we can access to help us facilitate change.

What are resources for change?

Professional Organizers

Is simplifying life and getting organized one of your goals? Have you tried making changes on your own, but felt frustrated and unsuccessful in your self-help attempts? This is a good opportunity to reach out to a professional organizer. They can be an invaluable resource for lasting change. To learn more about my professional organizing services visit ohsoorganized.com. To find an organizer near you, use the search features from the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) or the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).

Other Professionals

Often when we desire change, we get stuck because we get confused or lack information. Enlisting support from other professionals can make all the difference in moving forward. Other than professional organizers, which professionals could help? Professionals include accountants, lawyers, social workers, therapists, geriatric social workers, insurance brokers, coaches, doctors, nutritionists, personal trainers, clergy, architects, interior designers, contractors, and educators. Who will be on your team? Which resources do you already have to help make the changes you seek? Which resources will you add to your team?

Family, Friends and Colleagues

Never underestimate the value of your circle when it comes to navigating change. Where would we be without our close friends, family and colleagues? Everyone needs their people to bounce ideas on, complain to, and celebrate with. Who are the people in your close circle? Who are the ones that support you emotionally as you struggle with the changes you seek? Keep them close. Nurture those relationships. Be available to reciprocate.

There are other resources for change. What have you found useful? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

When we view change as a process rather than a singular event, we can discover seeds of change along the way.

What if we nurture and view these seeds as mini celebrations on our change journey? How does that alter our experience?

How can you embrace small changes?

3 Ways to Embrace Small Changes

Color

Making a small change by introducing a burst of color to a room, whether it’s a new throw pillow, a vase of fresh flowers, or a brightly painted wall, can be part of our change journey. Color is powerful. It can energize, soothe, or motivate us. It’s a visual cue that something is different and sets the mood for positive change to occur.

Habits

We all have habits and patterns. As much as I advocate systems and organization, sometimes it's essential to change our routines. It’s good for our souls and healthy for our brains. This past weekend, my husband and I made a small change by sleeping in our guest bedroom instead of our room. It was fun for one night to break our routine and enjoy a different perspective. Even though we were just across the hall, it felt like we went away on vacation.

Stuff

Several of my clients are getting ready to move. They’re making big life changes, which can feel overwhelming at times. Preparing includes organizing and letting go of “stuff” they no longer want with them for the next phase. Getting an entire house ready is a time-intensive process. Celebrating and acknowledging progress along the way is key to staying focused and motivated. Doing the “happy dance” to celebrate another decluttered closet or ten more bags ready to donate keeps the focus on now with a nod to next.

How do you embrace small changes? What mini-celebrations have you experienced? Come join the conversation!

Change happens whether it’s sought or imposed. Our perspective or view about change influences one aspect of our experience. Another part relates to our awareness of change. There are many ways we notice change has occurred. Discovering awareness channels are as important to the change process as change itself.

How do you see change?

Revisiting

One experience that consistently enables me to see change is by re-reading passages in my journal. While I don’t write daily, I write often enough to capture questions, challenges, fears, and accomplishments. By taking the time to visit what was, I’m able to see growth and change that’s taken place. It’s a very concrete awareness channel. 

Weathering

I’ve written often about the influence on me of living in the northeast with four distinctly different seasons. In my book, The Other Side of Organized, the seasons create the arc for finding your balance between chaos and perfection. Each season has a flavor and mood. Each season brings an opportunity to reset, to review, to alter. Each season brings visible change to the external and internal landscapes. Every three months the changing season functions as my automatic awareness channel.

Reacting

In a recent conversation with a friend, she described a change she noticed by observing reactions (her own and others) during conversations with family and friends. Her goal was to approach interactions with curiosity rather than a judgmental attitude. Both her own and other’s experiences of their conversations were transformed in a positive way. Growth and change were visible through her newly developed awareness channel.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are your awareness channels? How do you see change? Come join the conversation!