According to Real Simple magazine, January is "the most introverted month, when we sweep up the confetti and turn our focus inward."  I can relate to that, can you? I'm still uncovering leftover decor from the holiday months. While most of it has been cleaned up, it makes me smile to find a few random sparkles. It reminds me of the warm, happy times spent with family and friends.

This inward focus is an integral part of my days. In winter I want to bundle up, sip hot tea, and stay inside more. Being indoors encourages more time to reflect, plan, sense, and think about what I'd like to include in the coming months and year. While I'm mindful of living in the present, this time of year, I stretch beyond to also reflect about the past and think about the future. What worked last year? What didn't? What do I want more or less of as I move forward into this New Year?

Quiet moments of journaling, thinking, conversing, and meditating all honor my inward gaze. What are you needing now?

This is such a transformative time of year with the autumn leaves changing colors and the temperatures dropping daily. My tea preferences have shifted to drinking more hot then cold beverages. Long time and new clients are surfacing more than ever as they feel energized to re-engage in or begin the organizing process.

Personally, the change of seasons has been my cue to work on some of my own organizing project. I just finished making the spring/summer to fall/winter clothing switch. It's time to review financials before the year end and give an updated report to our accountant. And there are some leftover summer projects that are next on my attention list.

I have a sense of urgency to complete these projects before the year ends. I'm looking ahead with happy anticipation to some planned learning and travel. I'm ready to approach things one day and one season at a time. What are you looking forward to?

Success shows up in so many forms. There are days when I feel successful when I’ve helped a client accomplish their organizing goals. Other days, success means a restful night’s sleep or the completion of my mindfulness meditation practice.

Sometimes success is that giant exhale after completing a long-term project like when I cleared out and sold my parent’s home or had that successful tag sale after months of preparing. Sometimes success is that wonderful feeling I get from taking a quiet walk by the river while holding hands with my husband of 35 years. Success is time spent visiting or chatting on the phone with loved ones. Success is the days when all the intended items on my to do list are complete.

Success looks and feels so many different ways. Take time to appreciate and acknowledge the wins along the path. What does does success feel like for you?

If you're anything life me, maybe you've gone through periods when it's been hard to let go. It can be downright painful. I'm about to say my final good-byes to my childhood home of 57 years. New owners will be moving in soon. While I'll still be able to drive by the house, I won't be able to go inside as I've done my entire life.

Little by little as I've emptied the house and prepared it for sale, I've been letting go and making my peace. The home has always been a grounding force for me, family and friends. It's been a welcoming place with loving, happy memories.

Letting go is a necessary part of life. We let go of places and things and people we love. We let go of activities and relationships that drain rather than nurture us. We let go to grow and to make space for the next chapter. We let go to lighten-up. We let go because we want to and sometimes because we have to.

Clearing out the family home has inspired some letting go in my own home. I have tag sale plans for this spring. It's my designated letting go season in more ways than one. If it's also your time, I wish you all the best as you edit, let go and organize your next chapter.

It’s been an intense bunch of months for me. From late summer until now, I transitioned my mom to a new residence, cleared out our family home of 56+ years, and renovated and prepared it for sale. 

There was a lot of letting go of external and internal stuff. I discovered many “treasures” along the way. If you want to read more, visit my blog, theothersideoforganized.com, where I’ve been sharing some of these experiences.

One of the finds was my dad’s immense stamp collection. Aside from specialty sets and First Day covers, he also had hundreds of sheets of new, unused first class commemorative stamps. We distributed them to interested family members like me, and sold the rest.

At every stage, it was easier to let go when I found other uses or places for things to go. In the spirit of moving on from the past while breathing new life into the present, I used stamps from my dad’s collection to mail my quarterly Oh, So Organized "snail mail" newsletters. It felt good to give something old a new use.

As you begin this new month and New Year, what are your fresh start thoughts?

I love summer's wam weather, long sunny days, vacation time, socializing with friends and family, and working on projects. There have been many things going on this season including extended weekends at the beach, visiting family, and exploring new places. We've also embarked on some significant home projects like replacing our underground oil tank and having major tree work done.

Probably no surprise, but these projects have expanded. For example, when the trees were pruned, the tree company ruined our lawn. Now the lawn needs work. When the oil tank was removed, we had to open up some ceilings and clear out space in the garage to pass the oil line and install the new tank. We're still waiting for the insurance company to make its final report so that we can close up the large hole in our lawn.

All this is to say that projects require time, patience, and flexibility. They rarely go according to "the plan." I have to remind myself of that. In the meanwhile, as I wait to get things back to normal, I choose to focus on the positive, like taking walks along the river, spending time with loved ones, and future-thinking about upcoming vacations.

What are you looking forward to?