The newest release (v38) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature has my latest finds, which inform, educate, and relate to organizing and better balance. These unique, inspiring, life balance discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are a generous, communicative, and engaged group. I am deeply grateful for your ongoing presence, positive energy, and contributions to this community. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced.

What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Life Balance Discoveries

1. Interesting Read – Happier Balance

Does life feel hectic this time of year? As we wrap up one year and head into the next, how can you move forward with a happier, more fulfilling life balance? In Happier Hour – How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most, social psychologist, professor, and researcher Cassie Holmes, Ph.D., shares her ideas on our most precious resource, time. Holmes says, “Our hours and days add up to years and decades, and ultimately our entire lives. How we spend our time defines who we are, the memories we cherish, and how we will be remembered by those we leave behind.”

Backed by research, wisdom, practical advice, and exercises, Holmes brings you through a doable process. You become aware of where your time is going, which activities are most meaningful, and how to use “time crafting” to “piece together your hours to design an ideal week, like piecing together the tiles of a mosaic.” With a focus on joy and meaning, Holmes says, “The mosaic you create is the magnificent life you get to live.” What makes your days happier?

2. Interesting Product – Office Balance

With a constant flow of emails, texts, calls, projects, and meetings, office life (be it at home or off-site) can feel anything but balanced. A simple solution to restore calm in this hectic setting is to bring nature indoors. Tons of research supports the positive benefits to our well-being when we’re in or near nature. The Container Store offers a simple solution with the Design Ideas Mini Succulent Planter Magnets. This set of three tiny magnetic plant holders is perfect for displaying small succulents or dried grasses.

While I don’t own the magnets, I have a small air plant in my office in a ceramic pot on a wooden stand that my daughter made. I love having greenery in view. It also brings me joy to care for plants. What helps bring balance to your office space?

“The mosaic you create is the magnificent life you get to live.”

— Cassie Holmes, Ph.D.

3. Interesting Article – Noise Balance

In Time’s article, How Listening to Silence Changes Our Brains, authors Justin Zorn and Leigh Marz remind us that the “world is literally louder right now than it’s been at any time in known history.” Research shows how excessive noise causes stress, hearing loss, cardiovascular disease, stroke, depression, and learning lags.

“While the costs of noise are increasingly clear, the power of silence for the mind and body is actually something bigger and deeper than the transcendence of stress or interruption.” Silence can accelerate the growth of brain cells. “The act of listening to quiet can…enrich our capacity to think and perceive.” Whether you meditate, practice yoga, or listen in a quiet environment, your mind and body will benefit from the silence. “In an age of so much noise, silence deserves our attention.” What is a recent experience you had with silence?

4. Interesting Resource – Mood Balance

My friend and colleague, Julie Bestry, is an incredible organizer, researcher, and blogger. In a recent post, she shared a visual breathing app for calming the system. I was intrigued and discovered this other one from eXHALeR designed to help with yoga, meditation, anxiety, or panic attacks. You can adjust certain variables, including the timing for inhaling, holding your breath, and exhaling.

If you want to create an immediate shift in your mood and be more balanced, experiment with the eXHALeR. Breathe in. Hold. Exhale. Hold. Repeat. How do you feel?

5. Interesting Thought – Boundary Balance

Especially during this season, we get asked to do, attend, and gather more. That isn’t necessarily negative, but all the extra doing and saying “yes” to things can create added stress. Setting some boundaries can significantly affect how you navigate the holiday season.

Perhaps you chose to celebrate with a smaller group, take a self-care break between events, or get takeout instead of cooking. There are many ways to enjoy your time and feel more balanced by setting a few well-placed boundaries. What boundaries will you create?

Do you have an interesting life balance discovery? Which of these resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Time passes with the ticking of the clock. We measure our lives in seconds, hours, years, and decades. We also feel the passage of time by marking life’s milestones. Where does our time go? More importantly, what are you doing with the time you have? We prioritize our lives intentionally through what we choose to do or not do. When you think about how you prioritize your days, what comes up?

Are you spending time with people who make you happy? Are you working on projects that fulfill you? Are you caring for others and neglecting your self-care? Are you making time to reflect, learn, and grow? Are you organizing the aspects of your life that prevent you from living your best self?

As a professional organizer, I help my clients work through their organizational challenges and hiccups to get unstuck and create a better flow. Getting organized isn’t their end goal. Being organized creates a smooth base, so they have more time to focus on what is truly important to them. We remove the organizational chaos to make space for life’s joys.

In the process of becoming organized, life doesn’t stop. There will be many significant moments to celebrate. Lean into the joys life offers. Take time for the quiet moments of beauty, like when the sun first rises in the morning or the colorful pops of summer flowers grace the landscape. Appreciate life’s significant milestones like graduations, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries. Celebrate and treasure them.

“We prioritize our lives intentionally through what we choose to do or not do.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Feeling so grateful today for this celebratory weekend. Our youngest daughter turned 30. My husband, Steve, and I are celebrating our 39th anniversary. And to all the wonderful dads, here’s to the vital role you play in our children’s lives. Wishing you a Happy Father’s Day!

Time passes. Notice moments, celebrate milestones, and embrace all life’s love, happiness, and joy.

How do you spend your time? What are you celebrating now? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

In these times of uncertainty, it might feel like a superhuman feat to think about setting big goals. However, in many ways, it’s the perfect time to stretch. The change going on around us encourages more experimentation and flexibility. You might notice your internal obstacles dissipating, which makes way for new ideas. Maybe you’re on the other side and have recently completed a long-term goal. If so, I hope you stopped to acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishment. 

A goal doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We need help with accomplishing our goals and celebrating them along the way. Think about a big goal you set. While you were undoubtedly the driver, who helped and supported you?

“A goal doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We need help with accomplishing our goals and celebrating them along the way.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Talking about milestones, my good friends at Smead just hit a huge one. Over the past seven years, I’ve loved being a regular guest on Smead’s Keeping You Organized podcast series. The host, John Hunt, has done hundreds of interviews with professional organizers and productivity consultants on chronic disorganization, getting organized, time management, change, coping during a crisis, and more.

Smead just celebrated their 300th podcast and start of their eighth year. What an incredible achievement! As John told me, he didn’t set out to do 300 podcasts, but here we are. I was thrilled to be John’s guest on this special episode where we talked about setting big goals and ways to include celebrating in the process. Listen to the podcast below to learn more.

Setting and Celebrating Big Goals

Have you recently set a big goal? Are you in the process of working towards one? What help have you received? What ways do you celebrate? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

When we prepare for the next step whether it’s small or big, it’s more likely that we’ll move forward successfully. Getting ready looks different for each of us. I was curious about my colleagues’ experiences, so I reached out to this wonderful group – Valentina Sgro, Cameron Gott, Anne Blumer, Seana Turner, Janet Barclay, and Sue West. I asked them, “How do you prepare for next?” Their responses are diverse and inspiring. My deepest gratitude goes to each of them for sharing their wisdom with us.

How do you prepare for next? . . .

Daydream

“Daydreaming is my key element when 'preparing for next.' Some might use the word ‘visioning,’ but that doesn’t quite capture it for me. I don’t like surprises; I like a lot of lead time. That allows me to do a lot of daydreaming, playing out in my mind the different ways the ‘next’ thing can look or be. Sure those thoughts lead to some solid information-gathering to form a plan of action, but it’s the creation of alternate scenarios in my mind that guide me to the path I want to take. Maybe that’s why I’ve become a novelist.”

Valentina Sgro – Author of Patience Oaktree organizing novels and short stories 

Practice

“I’m relatively new to the game of ‘prepare for next’ since most of my years I was a card carrying member of the ‘back into next’ club. As a decent responder I’d react and respond my way into what was next - school, relationships, professions.  I’d let my positive and negative emotions dictate my next move. I would often over extend myself. Now I practice a more proactive stance and embrace preparation as an absolute for what is next.”

Cameron Gott, PCC – Mentor Coach, ADHD Coaching for Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

Celebrate

“As I ponder on the question, ‘How do you prepare for next?’ my mind immediately jumps to, how will I prepare for the next chapter in my life? In one year my son and daughter will both graduate from college. We recently have lost one family pet and now our golden retriever has days, maybe weeks to live. I find the next chapter is preparing myself for a very, very empty nest. To prepare, I¹m going to celebrate with my children their achievements and their next chapter. And, I will make a book of memories of our family pets to commemorate them. In short to prepare for next, I celebrate and commemorate.”

Anne Blumer, CPO® – Professional Organizer, Author & Blogger

Imagine

“The tricky thing about ‘next’ is that it’s shrouded in uncertainty. This can be intimidating, because it feels a bit out of control. For me, preparing for what’s next includes spending time considering various scenarios, and how I would like to respond. We never know what is behind the next door, but we can put some structure around how we will open the door, the way we will take our first steps, who we might walk with, and what will bring along. It’s also helpful to minimize daily, ambient chaos to free up the energy we need to tackle something new.”

Seana Turner – Professional Organizer, Blogger & Life Coach

Generate

“I can become overwhelmed by new projects or big changes in my life or my business, but making a list of every task that has to be completed helps me to stay in control. Instead of waiting until I have a huge chunk of available time to focus on the project, I can delegate some tasks and chip away at others as my schedule allows and get to the next step without having to neglect other personal and professional commitments.”

Janet Barclay, MVA – Web Designer, Virtual Assistant & Blogger 

Visualize and Verbalize

“If I cannot visualize myself in a new situation or mindset, that’s my clue that I have more to prepare. It could be that I have not internalized the new situation and its impact or the presentation’s content, the project’s steps, or the client’s particulars. Project management and coaching also teach us that we cannot control every reaction, detail, or situation. Bigger risks I process aloud with a trusted individual. Lesser risks, I use self-talk, a voice recorder, or mind mapping. All are ways to get everything out of my head, see the full picture and create space to think, prepare and question.”

Susan Fay West, COC®, CPO-CD® – Certified Organizing Coach, ADHD Coach & Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization

What great tips my colleagues shared about preparing for next. Several ideas center on having ponder-time. Other ideas include celebrating, making lists, and talking out loud. For me, next often begins with thinking, writing, or conversing. Which ideas resonate with you? How do you prepare for next? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!