During the long holiday and very hot weekend (heat wave, folks), I made a fascinating discovery about motivation and goals. The funny thing was that I hadn’t been searching for this insight, but when the light bulb turned on, I knew I had to share it with you.

Here is the backstory. This past weekend, many people gathered with family and friends to celebrate July 4th, honor the United States’ 250th Anniversary, watch fireworks, or go to BBQs. My husband and I didn’t do those things. Instead, we sought relief from the heat and opted to go somewhere we could submerge ourselves in water. We had several ideas and chose a local outdoor town pool we hadn’t visited in decades. 

After securing our passes and paying the entrance fees, we set up our chairs and towels, lathered on sunscreen, and headed into the pool. The water’s temperature was perfect and a welcome relief from the sun and heat.

Now that you have the context, I’ll explain what happened and how you can apply this approach to achieve your goals and sustain your motivation.

The Pool-Inspired Motivation Approach

I love most things water-related! This includes swimming, kayaking, going to the beach, washing dishes, taking showers or baths, looking at water, listening to water sounds, watering plants, and much more.

Swimming is one of my favorite water activities, especially in a pool. There are no fish or other sea creatures to contend with. It’s just pure, clear water to swim in.

I sloshed and swam for hours. I cannot express how much I enjoyed swimming, treading water, and going from one end of the pool to the other. I wasn’t trying to go quickly, but I was aware of reaching the end, touching the ‘goal,’ and turning around to do it again.

Even though reaching the far end of the pool was my goal, the journey was the most joyful part. I swam slowly, luxuriating in the feel of the water, the motion of my arms and legs pulling me forward, and the pleasure of cooling off from the summer heat. I was so happy that I couldn’t stop smiling.

Then it hit me. How often do you get so focused on your goal that you rush through the doing? Instead of enjoying the actions that move you from where you are to where you want to be, you neglect to delight in the process.

While reaching the end of the pool, turning around, and heading for the other end was the goal, it wasn’t what propelled me forward. It was the joy of the doing, the immersive, gleeful swimming experience, that kept me going. Hours went by without my realizing how much time had passed.

The fun of doing (not thinking about swimming, but actually swimming) became a natural motivator, overshadowing the goal.

“How often do you get so focused on your goal that you rush through the doing?”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

How Can I Apply This Motivation Approach to My Goals?

What goals do you have for the next month or the upcoming quarter?

Do you want to:

• Organize your closets

• Downsize or move

• Create more flow in your spaces

• Design a better schedule

• Work on your finances

• Release things you don’t use, like, or need

Think about ways to infuse more joy and fun into the organizing process. While it probably won’t involve swimming, one of these options might work, such as:

• Develop a more positive mindset. Shift from “I have to do this” to “I get to do this.”

• Find an organizing buddy (a friend, family member, or a professional organizer like me) you enjoy working with. My clients often tell me they enjoy the organizing process more when I’m helping them. One client said, “Linda’s joy and energy are so infectious. Who knew organizing could be so fun?!!!”

• Activate your senses. Being more mindful and aware of what you are doing can make the experience more pleasurable. Feel the objects as you edit them. Make your environment more uplifting by playing your favorite music, opening a window to let in fresh air, or lighting a scented candle. 

Motivation often comes after action. Making actions more enjoyable will naturally boost motivation. ‘Swim’ your way forward.

Fun Is the Natural Motivator

Goals can feel achievable or lofty. Either way, you can get stuck, deflated, or demotivated. However, when you make the journey more enjoyable, motivation will grow exponentially.

What nurtures your motivation? How could you benefit from the pool-inspired motivational approach? Which goals could you apply this strategy to? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, disorganized, and stuck? Are you struggling with a lack of motivation? I’m here to help! You don’t have to do this alone. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact Form

• Email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized, staying motivated, and reaching your goals are possible, especially with support.

What are you holding onto that’s getting in your way? Are there physical things, like clothing that no longer fits, stacks of magazines you’ll never read, or expired food and medicine? Are there habits that don’t serve you, such as not getting enough sleep, doomscrolling on your devices, or acquiring things without ever editing them? Are there behaviors that create more stress, such as constantly berating yourself, ruminating on interactions, or not taking time for play or joy?

Are these things holding you back from living the life you want? Do you want more calm, joy, or ease?

What happens, though, when you begin to let go of clutter and the things that create blockages and stress? What happens when you approach them in a new way? It’s not that challenges won’t appear or that stress triggers will disappear. However, when you begin to work with them differently and let go, you will have more bandwidth to embrace the good stuff.

A Tiny Shifts Learning Journey

21 Days

For the past few months, I’ve been learning from clinical psychologist and author Dr. Elisha Goldstein. Although he’s been on my radar for years, I signed up for a 21-Day Tiny Shifts Experience in January.

The program featured short, daily practices designed to help you better manage stress by supporting your nervous system. By the end of the course, I was better able to regulate my emotions through simple, intentional breathing practices.

6 Weeks

The experience was so wonderful that I wanted to learn more. Next, I registered for Elisha’s 6-Week Tiny Shifts Emotional Longevity course. It included two live sessions each week: one led by Elisha and the other an Integration Lab led by mindfulness teacher Susan Beckman Reagan.

There were simple, doable practices to work on between sessions, along with a virtual platform for communication. We learned more about emotional loops, supporting the nervous system, and the 4Rs: Recognize, Release, Refocus, and Reinforce.

The Book

Simultaneously, Elisha released his new book, Tiny Shifts – How Emotional Health Transforms Stress, Relationships, and Longevity. While I was taking the courses, I read it, which helped me better assimilate what I was learning.

Elisha says, “Real change doesn’t come from doing more. Feel free to let go of that burden. It comes from shifting how we relate to what’s already here-one tiny emotional pivot at a time.”

If you haven’t read Tiny Shifts yet, I highly recommend it. Elisha presents his research-backed, doable strategies clearly and compassionately while sharing captivating stories.

The Retreat

The next part of my learning journey took place last weekend. Elisha offered a three-day Emotional Longevity Retreat at Kripalu in the Berkshires. It was especially meaningful to attend in person, since the previous courses were online. My husband, Steve, went, too.

What I had learned before was clarified or reinforced during the retreat. It was an emotional weekend—lots of crying, smiling, laughing, meditating, and pausing. While the strategies are simple, applying them in the moment takes practice. I’m still working on it and remain hopeful. I can see my progress.

“What would it feel like to let go and embrace more joy and ease in your life?”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Embracing the Good Stuff

In these chaotic, uncertain times, there is no shortage of things beyond our control or that make us anxious. We can dwell there or let go. Elisha’s practices help tremendously with letting go. When you do, you will have more capacity to

• Embrace joy, play, fun, and quiet.

• Be present and available for the people and relationships in your life.

• Have more ease.

• Regroup more quickly from stressful situations.

• Engage in better self-care and compassion.

• Release the things, thoughts, habits, and behaviors that no longer serve you.

• Be available for all the good stuff in your life.

What does the “good stuff” look like to you? A few years ago, I created my own list, which you can find here: Are You Making Time for ‘The Good Stuff?’ What’s one thing on your list?

Letting Go to Live with More Joy and Ease

What are you holding on to that causes you stress? What is keeping you from moving forward? What would it feel like to let go and embrace more joy and ease in your life?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed or disorganized? Do you want to let go of what’s holding you back but feel stuck or unsure where to start? I’m here to help! You don’t have to do this alone. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact Form

• Email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Letting go, getting organized, and living with more ease are possible, especially with support.

Do you remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? One of the main themes is Goldilocks’ search for what felt “just right.” One chair was too big, and another too small. She rejected both. However, when she found the one that fit, she knew it was the one for her and used it. The chair was right-sized and “just right” for her.

At the core of the Goldilocks philosophy is finding the sweet spot, the optimal place where things feel balanced, comfortable, and supportive. Who knew Goldilocks could help with letting go?

Are you struggling to let go of things, ideas, habits, or commitments? If so, a Goldilocks approach could help. Her decision tree went like this:

“This bed is too hard.”

“This bed is too soft.”

“This bed is just right.”

What will “just right” look and feel like for you?

Why is Letting Go Overwhelming?

There can be a lot to sort through, which can make letting go feel overwhelming. Clutter can accumulate from:

• years of acquiring

• gifts and inherited items from others

• postponed decisions

• emotional attachments

• unclear or nonexistent organizational systems

• being overscheduled

• unclear boundaries

• not following through on closure loops

Time is part of the equation, too. You need time to make decisions and to align what you own with who you are and what you need now. This can be tricky if you feel stuck in the past or are holding onto things for an aspirational future or self.

However, when you start making decisions based on who you are now and your current needs, it brings greater clarity as you let go.

Are You Sacrificing the Present?

Many years ago, I attended an ICD class on consumerism, minimalism, and experimentalism, presented by my friend and colleague, Lynne Johnson. She shared a quote about letting go.

“How much of your present are you willing to sacrifice in order to save remembrances of your past to ponder in your future?”

— Anonymous

The question aligns with the Goldilocks philosophy of the three-point decision tree, but from a time-based perspective. Consider what you are holding onto in relation to the:

• Past - Are you willing to hold on to things from your past that keep you stuck and no longer serve you? Can you release them and move on?

• Present - Are you willing to let those things take up physical space and mental energy, distracting you from the present? Can you let go and be more aligned with the present?

• Future - Are you holding onto things with a glimmer of hope that you will revisit, use, or need them someday? Can you say goodbye to them in service of an unencumbered future?

What DOES Letting GO Look Like?

When you release what you no longer need, you invite more ease, better life alignment, joy, and growth. Even releasing one thing makes room for what’s most important, essential, and valued by you.

Letting go can look like this:

• Donate the never-used pots and pans to make the ones used regularly more accessible.

• Release rarely-used purses to make room for the ones you do use.

• Recycle the papers that ‘time took care of’ so you can focus on what’s current.

• Skip the to-do list to enjoy a beautiful spring weekend day.

What does letting go look like for you?

The Goldilocks of Letting Go

What happens when you begin to align your life so it feels “just right?” Will you release what no longer belongs, brings you joy, or is useful? Will letting go bring you closer to living your best life now? When you release what's blocking your energy, space, and thoughts, you create room for calm, growth, and happiness.

Which ideas resonate with you most? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed or disorganized? Do you want to let go of the unnecessary but feel stuck or unsure where to start? I’m here to help! You don’t have to do this alone. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact Form

• Email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Letting go and getting organized are possible, especially with support.

The first day of this new year has come and gone. Yet that fresh-start energy lingers. I’m feeling it, especially today, as a massive winter storm blankets much of the United States with an enormous amount of snow. By tomorrow, we’re expecting 12”-16” of snow in New York. It’s giving us a giant pause, asking us to sit tight, get cozy, and weather the storm. Please stay safe, my friends.

As I sit here to write, my ‘IMAGINE’ mug filled with piping-hot coffee by my side, I’m thinking about the relationship between fresh starts and saying “yes.” I’ve noticed that, especially during this time of year, when I’m reflecting and planning, new opportunities appear. It’s not just their arrival, however. I’m in a more receptive mood, which means I’m more likely to be open and say “yes” to opportunities.

Why is that? Doing something differently or trying something new energizes me. And new changes the mood as one year ends and a new one begins. Possibilities also bring excitement and hope. Doing something different can get me out of a rut, change my perspective, or bring more joy and satisfaction. There are also serendipitous outcomes and benefits that weren’t anticipated.

Three “Yeses” Inspired by the Fresh Start

1. 20 Minutes a Day Challenge

A few of my dear friends invited me to participate in a January movement challenge. The barrier to entry was so low that saying “yes” was easy.

The instructions were simple:

• Move 20 minutes a day, every day in January.

• Move in some way. No pressure about the intensity or the type of activity. This could be stretching, yoga, walking, swimming, or any other movement.

• Text each other daily about what you did or didn’t do. No judgment, only support.

The benefits: The obvious one was that I was more aware of my movement during the day, which felt good. I was less sedentary. Having accountability partners encouraged me to move, even when I didn’t feel like it. The more serendipitous benefit was how much I loved this purposeful, low-pressure daily connection, banter, humor, interaction, and encouragement with my friends.

This ‘yes’ has been such a positive experience that we decided to extend the challenge through mid-February. 

2. 21-Day Tiny Shifts Experience

Dr. Elisha Goldstein, psychologist and author, offered an intriguing program beginning in January. This was another easy “yes.” With a small investment of time and money, he would help us engage in “daily, 3-minute practices to support your nervous system and help you show up differently, one small shift at a time.”

I’m all about small shifts and changes, as it’s integral to my client work. I thought it would be beneficial to try a similar experiment for myself.

During the kickoff meeting, Elisha stressed how this experience wasn’t about “fixing what’s wrong or applying pressure.” It was about:

• Engaging in “small, repeated moments of regulation.”

• “Learning to recover faster and more often.”

• Building resilience.

• Interrupting stress loops.

• Experimenting with “nervous system friendly practices.”

• Understanding that it’s not just about being calm, but about helping you to show up better.

• Being more grounded and present.

Today’s practice encouraged us to “allow a little more ease,” which is exactly what I’m going to channel today, tomorrow, and going forward. It might even become my 2026 mantra. Thank you, Elisha.

The benefits: I look forward to the daily recorded messages from Elisha, which encourage me to think, relax, and regulate my emotions. The practices are simple and doable. I’m only in the first week, but so far I’ve felt more grounded, taken needed pauses, and feel more present. I’ve been reminded of how powerful the breath is for emotional regulation, and I’ve even integrated it into some of my virtual organizing sessions. I’m also appreciating the community of participants who share their thoughts through a private platform. I enjoy reflecting and learning about what others are experiencing.

“Fresh starts can be invigorating, especially when you embrace new opportunities.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Explore Somewhere New – My wonderful husband gifted me a weekend in New York City for my birthday. He planned everything, which was a gift in itself. I always love our time together. I appreciate the simple things we do, like running errands on Saturday morning, kayaking on a lake, walking hand in hand, or sharing meals. Most of our time is spent doing everyday things.

However, for the special weekend, we did things we don’t do every day. It was so much fun. That it happened in January energized the fresh start even more. We visited the Museum of the Dog. Some of my favorite things were playing with the interactive video dog, Molly, and learning about different dog breeds. It made me miss our black lab, Norton. He was an amazing soul.

We also visited the Morgan Library, which I hadn’t been to in years. It has a gorgeous, relatively new wing attached to the historic library. I got emotional when looking at Renoir’s journals and sketches. I had a yearning to draw again like I used to. Who knows? Maybe I will rediscover my art supplies this year.

After visiting two museums, enjoying lots of yummy meals, and an unplanned visit with our kiddos, who were also visiting New York City that weekend, we went on to our next adventure. Across from Grand Central Terminal is the Summit at One Vanderbilt, an immersive art experience with panoramic views of the city. The Summit is located on the 91st-93rd floors of this eco-friendly skyscraper, one of the tallest buildings in Midtown Manhattan, completed in 2021.

It turned out to be an overcast, cloudy day, so the views weren’t visible. It didn’t matter because there was plenty to explore. Although I would like to go again on a clear day. I loved the Affinity room, where we were surrounded by floating silver balloon-like orbs. It was so much fun catching and throwing them. I felt like a little kid.

My sense of balance and confidence was tested as I walked across mirrored glass floors. You know that wobbly feeling you get when you’re high up? I worked to accept the sensations so I could enjoy the experience.

The benefits: By the end of the weekend, I was vibrating with joy and excitement. Seeing, exploring, and doing new things was uplifting. I wanted to do that more. The weekend helped me celebrate while embracing the newness of a fresh start. The time away also reminded me of things I value: family, connection, art, presence, exploration, learning, curiosity, and experimentation.

What Will Enhance Your Fresh Start?

Fresh starts can be invigorating, especially when you embrace new opportunities. Is there something you said “yes” to this month that you’re glad you did? What have you noticed? Do these ideas resonate with you?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, disorganized, or stressed? Would you like to make changes this year? I’m here to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized and making changes are possible, especially with support.