Are there things in your life that just aren’t working? Maybe you have organizing systems, but they are cumbersome or impossible to maintain. Perhaps your spaces include what you use but aren’t set up in accessible ways. Or maybe your calendars are so packed with appointments and commitments that you don’t have time to rest and recharge. These are significant. Figuring them out and letting go can feel challenging.

Not all challenges are tricky. You might experience less complex issues that aren’t working. For example, you often:

• Misplace your eyeglasses or keys

• Can’t find a working pen when you need one

• Search for the flashlight you had just the other day

• Run out of milk

• Move the same pile of papers from your desk to the floor.

Because these seem like insignificant challenges, you ignore them. You experience a slight annoyance here and feel bothered by something there. It’s enough to notice but not enough to do anything about it.

Enough Already

Doing something to remedy the situation can take months, years, or decades. You tolerate the inconvenience until one day, you say, “Enough is enough!” When that day comes, you are ready to let go of what’s not working to make way for what does.

Here’s the funny thing. When you get to the it’s-enough-already-point, that’s when the magic happens. You are ready to:

• Let go of being irritated

• Be mindful of what’s going on

• Have room in your brain to problem-solve

• Change the status quo

The Lamp

Some of you may know I’m short, under five feet tall. We had a lamp in our bedroom that sat on the dresser for years. It was a colorful glass lamp with a purple shade. I liked it except for one thing. Because of the tall dresser, the placement of the switch high up on the lamp, and my height, it was difficult for me to turn the light on and off.

Each time I pushed the switch, I would stretch by standing on my tippy toes to reach it. Was it awkward and slightly annoying? Yes! Did I do this for a lot of years? Yes! Why? Because I ignored the irritation and my agency to change what wasn’t working.

As we were preparing our house for guests, my husband and I worked on various projects. Something about working on those projects activated my thoughts. I had an “Enough is enough” moment. An idea popped into my head. Why not replace the lamp with one that isn’t as tall? Or, more specifically, change it to one I could easily reach. What a simple solution!

Within a few days, I bought a new lamp, a black base with a white shade. While I like how it looks, I love that I can reach it…easily! No more tippy toes are required. And each time I turn the switch, I can’t help but smile. Honestly, a few times, I’ve squealed with delight.

“Are you ready to let go of what’s not working to make way for what does?”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Why Let Go?

It’s easy to keep doing what you’ve always done, even if it’s annoying. But when you’re willing to let go of what’s not working, you make room for what is. And when that happens, joy and happiness will follow.

I don’t have to stretch anymore to reach the lamp. Instead, I will learn to ‘stretch’ in other ways. What else is possible? What else can I improve?

How about you? Are you ready to thrive? What becomes possible when you let go of what’s not working? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

Do you want help letting go of those things, habits, or situations that no longer serve you? If so, reach out anytime. Please email me, Linda, at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Letting go is possible, especially with support.

Is it only me, or has your plate also become fuller since the start of the fall season? After returning from our last trip of the summer, reality hit.

There were workshops to create and make progress on. Interactions with new, returning, and potential organizing clients ramped up, and volunteer activities went into full gear. Add to these the holidays, upcoming conference travel, and my new Mindful Organizing workshop launching this week. These make my to-do list more intense than usual. This burst of activity pulses through my mind and body.

While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with having a full plate, I am reminded of a mindfulness meditation practice I worked with a while ago. Using the Insight Timer app, I listened to Justin Francisco’s meditation, Drop Your To-Do List and Just Be. It was a message I needed to hear. After meditating, I added a note to my to-do list about using this idea for a future blog post. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

It was also helpful to understand the difference between Justin’s Just Be List and my To-Don’t List, which I’ve written about before.

Justin makes the case about the benefits of taking time to just be and do nothing. This seems more viable when we’re on vacation or have less going on. I get that. I am internally driven to accomplish and be productive, but I sometimes struggle to reconcile how much I need those deep pauses. However, I have experienced the value of stopping, even briefly, and recognize the tremendous benefits of taking do-nothing breaks.

What are you in the thick of?

• Are you overwhelmed with the clutter in your home?

• Are you frustrated with your organizing systems?

• Is your schedule overflowing?

• Are you trying to create a better balance between work and personal time?

• Are you working on new projects, which make it difficult to focus on anything else?

• Is your to-do list so extensive that you can’t decide what to do next?

“There are tremendous benefits to taking do-nothing breaks.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Just Be List

When you have a lot going on, it may feel like the obvious first step is to take action and work more. While those will be essential to move forward, consider this alternative. When your mind is racing and you’re stressed, it’s more challenging to focus. This is an excellent time to pause and do nothing. You’ll return refreshed after your do-nothing break. You can mindfully. . . 

• Stare out of the window.

• Step outside to feel the sun and cool fall breeze on your skin.

• Sit and close your eyes for a few moments.

• Lay down with a cozy blanket and take a short nap.

• Plop onto the couch and stare at the ceiling.

• Notice the inhale and exhale movements of your breath.

• Listen to the sounds around you.

• Watch the flames flicker as you smell the scent of your favorite candle.

While doing nothing, do only that. No scrolling, list-making, or thinking about what you’ll do next. If doing nothing feels too challenging, set a timer. Give yourself 10, 15, or 20 minutes to disengage. When the buzzer dings, return to your to-list and select one small thing to focus on.

Notice how that felt. In which ways was your pause beneficial? After your break, did you feel refreshed? Were you more motivated? Could you more easily select and engage in that next small action step? How will you experiment again with just being?

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

Last week, I wrote about the transitions we’re experiencing as the seasons change. While fall doesn’t officially begin for several weeks, its unofficial start has happened. You’re back from summer vacation, the kiddos have returned to school, and your plate is piled high with numerous projects, goals, and activities. Your schedule is packed, and your daily patterns are changing. Do you feel calm and prepared, or anxious and not ready?

Transitions can be tricky and uncomfortable. However, intregrating mindfulness into the mix can bring calm and confidence to this next phase.

There are six ways to feel ready as you prepare for your busy season. You can use these strategies for any shift you’re experiencing, such as starting a new day, month, season, year, project, or life change.

6 Ways to Mindfully Prepare for Your New Season

1. Prepare Emotionally

Your emotional state benefits greatly when you prioritize your self-care. To fortify your energy reserves and to create a positive emotional state:

• Get enough sleep

• Eat healthfully

• Hydrate

• Move your body

• Make time for just you

• Engage in nourishing activities

2. Prepare Environment

Clutter can cause blockages in your thinking, well-being, creativity, daily flow, and routines. Make time to let go of the physical things you no longer need, want, are in your way, or are no longer relevant for this new phase. Clear the path for your new season. What can you declutter now?

3. Clarify Goals & Why

Did you create an ambitious list of goals at the start of this year? This change of seasons presents an excellent time to revisit and reset. Ask:

• What one or two things do you want to accomplish this season?

• What will success look or feel like when you accomplish those?

• What is driving you to get there?

• What is your why?

Taking the time to clarify will be valuable. The clarity will help with more effortless and less stressful decision-making when your choices align with your goals and overarching why.

“Integrate mindfulness to bring calm and confidence to this next phase.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

4. Gather Your Team

The busy season makes it a terrific time to gather more support. Collect your go-to peeps- family, friends, colleagues, and professionals. There is no reason to go it alone. Who will be on your team? They can help you:

• Succeed

• Provide accountability

• Brainstorm and discuss ideas

• Navigate frustrations and challenges

• Cheer you on

5. Gather Your Resources

Aside from your ‘team,’ what else will help you prepare for this season? What physical supplies or products will be beneficial? What about finding resources for ideas or referrals?

As we’re in the back-to-school mode, images of sharpened pencils, blank notebooks, and boxes of new, colorful crayons fill my thoughts. While our kiddos are adults now and not in that stage, I remember when they were. Returning to school meant gathering the essential supplies, which helped them feel prepared and ready to learn. What do you need to feel prepared?

6. Schedule Downtime
During the fullness of this new season, plan time to stop. We aren’t designed to be constantly doing. We also need time to just be. Whether you make time daily, every week, or once a month, build breaks from the busyness. Each of us has different refueling needs. My daily mindfulness meditation practice and walks in nature keep me grounded and calm. They give me a quiet space to practice mindfulness, restore my energy, and prepare me to engage more fully after I pause.

New Podcast: Helping You Reset for the New Season

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed talking with the engaging, delightful podcast host, writer, and my new friend Kara Cutruzzula on her “Do It Today” podcast. Our conversation covered many topics, including ways to get ready for the new season. Listen to our conversation below:

If you are gathering your team and would like support from me as your Virtual Professional Organizer, let’s talk. I’d love to help as you travel on this next part of your journey. Call 914-271-5673, email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com, or click here to contact me through this site.

What helps you mindfully prepare for change? How do transition times affect you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

We are in the season when everything shifts. Some of us, like me, are holding on to the last few days of summer before heading into the busier fall season. Do you remember standing still while watching the water flow back and forth on the shore? Can you remember feeling the sun warm your body as it calmed your soul? Do you remember sipping a cool sip of iced tea slowly and intentionally? Those are mindful moments of presence and awareness.

As the season changes, is your mind racing? Is mindfulness more challenging to embody? Can you feel your focus shifting and dashing to the future? Are you considering the bazillion goals you want to accomplish before the year ends? Are you focusing on what you need to do in the coming days to prepare for the weeks ahead? There is nothing wrong with planning or future thinking. Those are just as important as reviewing the past and staying grounded in the present.

However, when thinking about the next thing feels overwhelming, there is one strategy that can help. I heard this phrase during one of Yota Schneider’s wonderful monthly virtual retreats. Twink McKenney, a wise woman and fellow attendee who is a yoga teacher, graphic designer, and astrologist, offered this up when we mentioned the future. She was determined to focus on the now and not think too far ahead. Twink said, “We’re doing now, not next.”

What a powerful and simple way to change the internal conversation.

• Instead of allowing your mind to rush ahead, do now, not next.

• Instead of worrying about what might happen, focus on now, not next.

• Instead of planning too far into the future, be here now, not next.

• Instead of _____________, do now, not next.

“We’re doing now, not next.”

— Twink McKenney

Next will be coming soon enough. There will be plenty of time to think about and engage with later. When the time comes, I’ll be ready. Today and this moment, I choose to be present with the now.

How does mindfulness show up for you? What helps you be more present? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.