As a professional organizer I view myself as a facilitator of change. My clients start at point A with a desire to get to point B. As you can imagine, that’s only possible through change. The journey is never a straight trajectory. There are bumps, glitches and adjustments that happen along the way. There’s also potential to experience more happiness and joy.

There are a few essentials for a successful change journey. The first is being as clear as possible about your goals. The better you can articulate, imagine, or visualize which changes your want, the greater motivation you’ll have along the way and the more likely your decisions along the way will be aligned with your goals.

The second essential to make your journey a happier and more fulfilling one, is to enjoy the ride. The type of change my clients seek doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not instant. In fact, it’s often a slow process that happens over an extended period of time while they simultaneously navigate the other parts of their lives. Acknowledging the successes as you go, noticing your progress, and doing some impromptu “happy dances” or high fives, will increase your happiness.

What’s fascinating is there’s an actual happiness factor that comes with working towards goals. In a 2013 study conducted by Time, they asked the question,

“What makes you happier…working toward a goal or achieving a goal?”

35% responded that working toward a goal made them happier. 59% responded that achieving a goal made them happier. Here’s the interesting twist. Science indicates, “Savoring the journey brings joy, even if we don't realize it.”

So while respondents perceived that achieving a goal made them happier, science offers that if in fact we savor the ride, we can boost happiness during our change journey.

What have you noticed about making changes and working towards goals? How do you experience your journey or arrival? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

Last month our conversations were about new beginnings and fresh starts. This month we’re focusing on change. As we move into the second month of the New Year, many of us are thinking about the changes we want to make. Getting organized is often top of the list as are losing weight, getting more exercise, eating more healthfully, and creating a better work/life balance.

Any change that we desire starts with the acknowledgment and awareness that in fact, we want to make a change. After awareness come changes in thinking, habits, and behaviors. For example, I’d like to eat fewer sweets. One way to do this is not to bring them home.

At the market, I saw my favorite cookies. Oh, how I love Tate’s chocolate chip cookies! I wanted to take them home with me. However, once they were in the house, I knew it would be impossible not to eat them. To reach my “eat less sweets” goal, not bringing the cookies home or avoiding the cookie aisle all together are examples of small habit changes that will help me reach my desired goal.

At the end of a recent organizing session with one of my clients, she jokingly said to me, “I shouldn’t read the newspaper with scissors in my hand.”

“I shouldn’t read the newspaper with scissors in my hand.”

— Oh, So Organized! Client

The two of us burst out laughing. In one sentence she identified her challenge and thought of a clever tweak to her article clipping habit. Read without scissors.

For her, the piles of newspapers to read and articles to clip and manage had become a burden. As someone that loves learning and sharing what she learns with others, she often cuts out newspaper articles of interest. These articles become piles. The piles become to dos waiting for action. She recently recognized that many of the articles that she had clipped were outdated and could be recycled.

After spending many days sorting the backlog of newspapers, her attitude about article clipping shifted. She questioned her reasoning for keeping them, the time it took to manage them, and the reality that much of what had been important was no longer relevant. From this awareness, she had the insight, “I shouldn’t read the newspaper with scissors in my hand.”

It’s amazing how one small habit change can completely shift an outcome. So whether it’s leaving the cookies at the market or reading without scissors, it is possible to easily change a pattern to yield your desired outcome.

What about you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. What small change can you make to bring about the benefit you hope for?

There’s nothing quite like starting a new journal. There’s promise in those blank pages. There’s history and adventure yet to be written and experienced. It’s interesting too that in a new journal no previous pages exist. So, there is no past immediately accessible to revisit and reflect on.

The idea of a clean slates and fresh starts are truly apt with beginning a new journal. There is no clutter or distraction. The focus is on the present- the beautiful, treasured here and now.

I’ve been keeping a journal for 45 years. And as you can imagine over the decades, I’ve filled many books. Beginnings and endings are interesting. There’s sometimes a feeling of sadness or loss as I fill the last page of my journal. It’s provided me with comfort, strength and perspective for a long while. Then it’s time to end that chapter, let go, and begin a new one.

Recently, that time arrived. One journal was completed. My new one was ready to receive. As I opened it up to write my first entry, it wasn’t sadness that I felt. Instead, I felt anticipation and hope for the moment I was in and for all the moments yet to be added. For me, blank provided focus, hope, adventure, and understanding.

I was away in St. Louis for an ICD Board meeting. When I left New York, the landscape was bare. When I returned after storm Jonas, there was a fresh layer of beautiful, white snow covering everything. Winter had finally arrived!

There was a connection between these two blank canvases- my new journal and the white landscape. They provided exactly the type of quiet I needed and craved to reflect, reset, and embrace the fresh start that was there for me.

Blank can show up in many ways. What have you noticed? What can blank do for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

Have you experienced the surge of energy you feel after you’ve cleared? The cleared I’m referring to comes in many forms from spaces to thoughts to time. There’s a feeling of lightness, as if we've dropped pounds. There’s a lightness of spirit with a dab of euphoria. When we’re weighted down by our “stuff,” our thoughts and being becomes sluggish. Clearing, decluttering, reducing, editing, and lightening, often bring about a positive, happy feeling.

What can you do with that lightness? That feeling can be accompanied by clarity of thought, openness for opportunities, ability to stretch towards new goals, and desire to embrace a fresh start.

I have three simple experiences to share that connect with this idea. I’d love to hear about your experiences too.

Year End Clearing

At the end of each calendar year, I go through our financial files and remove the receipts and bank statements from my filing cabinet, organize them into oversized, labeled envelopes, and put them into a labeled storage box. By the end of the year, these receipts and statements take up a lot of real estate in my file drawer. It always feels great to remove them in order to make room for the current year.

This year, after I ousted the files, I took a few minutes to appreciate and acknowledge the cleared space. My file drawer was no longer crammed and I could easily access the remaining files. I felt freer and both physically and mentally ready to handle the current year.

Card Clearing

In that same drawer was a file that held cards and notes I’d received from family and friends. The easy access file is the temporary holding spot until it becomes too full. When it does, I get out the step ladder and transfer the cards into one of three purple “card” boxes stored in a nearby closet. When I pulled out the boxes, I discovered they were full.

Instead of buying more boxes I decided to keep only as many cards as the boxes would hold. It meant I needed to do some editing, which I did. Then I organized the boxes by category – one for my husband’s cards, one for our daughters, and one from everyone else.

My drawer was lighter, my boxes were clearer, and I felt grateful and happy rereading these beautiful messages from my loved ones.

Mind Clearing

Later this week, I’ll be traveling to St. Louis for an ICD Board meeting. One of my favorite parts of traveling is the airplane time. I’ve written about this often and it’s worth mentioning again. My “air” time is for clearing my thoughts. I think, read, and write without any distractions or interruptions. I’m looking forward to the energy boost and clarity that will result. I’ll go forward with a renewed outlook and openness to ideas and possibilities. It works every time.

What have you cleared? What have you noticed as a result? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.