Are there many things you want to experience, explore, or accomplish in life? If so, that’s wonderful. However, when you encounter daily challenges, it becomes harder to think about the future and imagine possibilities.

You have the capacity to handle a lot. You can boost your capacity by identifying and addressing a specific challenge you’re facing. Often, just one small tweak is enough to create momentum and open the path for new ideas you couldn’t see before.

Why is that? It’s easy to get stuck in cycles of distress, overwhelm, and frustration. These patterns can cause paralysis and inaction. When you’re in that negative mode, your mind can spiral or shut down. Thinking and dreaming about new possibilities feels out of reach.

There are many ways to open up the ‘what’s possible’ path. Depending on your preferences and situation, choose the strategy that will be most effective for you.

5 Ways to Easily See What’s Possible by Finding Solutions to Your Challenges

1. Identify the Hiccups

One of my favorite methods to prepare for possibilities is by making a list of the hiccups you encounter during your day.

Pay close attention as you go through your day. As situations occur, write down anything that causes you stress, distress, or inconvenience. These might include things like:

• Misplaced or lost keys, glasses, or your phone.

• Had trouble getting dressed because of clutter in the closet.

• Created an overly complicated organizational system that’s too difficult to maintain.

• Had supplies tumble out of the bathroom cabinet every time it was opened.

• Was late for an appointment again.

• Ran out of milk, toilet paper, apples, or other household staples.

• Was annoyed during kitchen meal prep because things weren’t organized in a useful way.

• Woke up cranky because of sleep disruptions or lack of sleep.

• Began the day feeling anxious and unsure what to focus on.

Notice the hiccup. Write it down. Choose one of the challenges and fix the problem.

2. Quiet Your Mind

When the noise upstairs gets too loud and clouds your thoughts, it can prevent you from seeing possibilities. How can you quiet the mind so you can move forward with clarity and purpose?

There are many ways to do this, including:

• Journaling

• Meditating

• Sipping coffee or tea from your favorite mug

• Resting

• Reading

• Breathing slowly with focus and intention

3. Declutter the Desk

Numerous studies show how clutter can negatively affect our mental health and well-being. Not everyone is affected by clutter to the same degree. However, if clutter bothers you, you may actually feel its effects viscerally. You might feel anxious, stressed, agitated, or have difficulty concentrating or relaxing.

One of the easiest ways to change how you’re feeling is by decluttering a small area. It doesn’t matter what you choose. Pick something with distinct boundaries like a desk surface, a comfy chair, or a coffee table.

Remove items that don’t belong. Route the outtakes to the trash, recycling bin, donation box, or rehome them elsewhere. For the remaining items, decide whether you want them to stay, let them go, or relocate to another spot.

Clearing space and surfaces is calming. With this simple reset, you’ll be more open to possibilities. 

“The physical act of movement can encourage progress and possibilities in other areas of your life. ”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

4. Move Your Body

Sitting is passive. Not only does it make your body stiff and less active, but it can also affect your energy level and mood. Since transitioning from in-person to virtual work, I sit much more than I used to.

Movement has become even more important. I make sure to take breaks between virtual organizing sessions to walk around, stretch, take bio breaks, or get some fresh air. When I’m on the phone, I often walk around the house while talking. I incorporate other movements by doing yoga, exercising, walking by the river or in the woods, running errands, gardening, sweeping, or cleaning.

Some movement is spontaneous, while some is more intentional. It helps when I schedule time to meet a friend for a walk or go to yoga class. That adds accountability and keeps me committed to moving more.

Physical movement creates its own momentum. The physical act of movement can encourage progress and possibilities in other areas of your life.

5. Ask for Help

Have you ever faced a challenge that overwhelmed you? When that happens, do you try to solve it on your own or ask for help? I usually try to figure things out myself first. However, there are times when hiring someone or seeking advice is beneficial.

Recently, I experienced some frustrating tech problems with Mailchimp and Square while setting up the backend for my December workshop. While customer support offered a few insights, they didn’t resolve the issue, so I hired someone to help me. It was incredible how much less stressed I felt knowing someone would help me find a solution and fix the problem. I didn’t have to do this alone. It was wonderful having the personalized support to troubleshoot the issue, discuss options I hadn’t considered, and resolve the problem. Thank you, Lana Kitcher!

As a professional organizer, I help my clients get unstuck and move forward. I love helping and serving others. It’s inspiring to see what becomes possible when obstacles are removed.

Sometimes the answer to a problem is asking for help. When you receive the support you need, your stress and overwhelm decrease. You become more available to take the next steps and imagine what is possible.

Will Finding Solutions Make You More Receptive to New Possibilities?

Everyone gets stuck sometimes. What happens next is what matters most. There are many options, which include identifying the challenge, decluttering a small area, or reaching out for help. What hiccups during your day are keeping you frustrated and stuck? What helps you feel receptive to new possibilities?

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

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized? I’m here to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized and making progress is possible, especially with support.

Attending organizing conferences is one of the highlights of my year. I learn interesting things, dedicate time to professional growth, connect with dear colleagues, and meet new people.

I just got back from the Institute for Challenging Disorganization’s (ICD) conference in Atlanta. Colleagues came from all over the United States and around the world, including Canada, Mexico, Spain, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. We learned together from experts on decision-making, time management, ADHD, autism, hoarding disorder, aging, dementia, and more.

Earlier this month, I participated in a meditation and writing retreat led by my dear friend and life coach, Yota Schneider. She shared a quote from John O’Donohue that feels relevant to the ideas I’m about to share. He said, “Nothing opens up the mind like the glimpse of new possibility.”

It’s the “glimpse” of what is possible that fosters hope and encourages change for my virtual organizing clients. I hope what I’m about to share will also be relevant and helpful for you.

3 Helpful Things I Learned at the Organizing Conference That Can Benefit You

1. Decision-Making Takes Energy

Melissa Gratias and Linda Samuels

Getting and staying organized requires making lots of decisions. One of the conference sessions about the brain and decision-making was presented by productivity expert, colleague, and fellow blogger, Melissa Gratias, PhD. She said, “The more choices, the more cognitively taxing.”  

In another session on chronic disorganization and aging, Beth Nolan, PhD, a gerontology expert, also discussed decision-making. She mentioned that one way we can help our clients with decision-making is by “being aware of the energy it takes.” Decision fatigue can become even more pronounced when compensating for physical changes or conditions.

Making decisions is an integral part of most virtual organizing sessions. I provide support to my clients and consider their energy level as they:

• Weigh various options

• Choose what to keep or release

• Decide what step is next

• Select what to include or exclude from their schedules

2. Change Barriers Can Be Overcome

Linda Samuels and Cameron Gott

Change was another topic that surfaced throughout the conference. In the session on tools to help your ADHD clients with their organizing goals, presented by Executive ADHD Coach, trainer, podcast host, author, and friend, Cameron Gott, PCC, he spoke about change.

Cam said there are many barriers to change, especially when ADHD is in the mix. The “ADHD hard place” exists in the space between being aware of the issues and actualizing the change you seek. Some of these ‘change’ barriers include:

• Engaging in negative self-talk

• Having lots of rules

• Having difficulty prioritizing

• Being challenged with activating

• Experiencing a lack of focus

• Getting easily distracted

One of the tools Cam suggested is using curiosity to bring about change. However, curiosity can also act as a barrier to change. As a barrier, it can appear as:

• Doing endless research

• Going down rabbit holes

• Engaging in time sucks

However, Cam said you can reframe curiosity as a resource. He said, “Bring curiosity to a dilemma.” This will help you focus and take a more proactive approach.

While my virtual organizing clients desire change, they often face internal and external obstacles. However, with support and accountability, we work together to identify these challenges and try different ways to overcome them.

“Bring curiosity to a dilemma.”

— Cameron Gott, PCC

3. Connection is Essential

Carrie M. Lane

The last conference session, “Qualitative Research, Connective Labor & Professional Organizing,” was presented by Carrie Lane, PhD, an anthropologist and author of More Than Pretty Boxes – How the Rise of Professional Organizing Shows Us the Way We Work Isn’t Working.

“Connective labor,” which is “work that relies on empathy, human interaction, and mutual recognition,” was one of the ideas Carrie discussed. She referenced her friend’s book, The Last Human Job, written by Allison Pugh, a sociologist and author.

Carrie reminded us that “Our job as organizers requires the human connection – an intimate, nonjudgmental connection.”

While technology and AI keep advancing into our daily lives in many ways, nothing can replace human interaction and connection. I value the relationship I have with my clients. By building trust, showing compassion, and remaining nonjudgmental, I provide support as they work on growth and positive change.

Decision-Making, Change, Connection, and Virtual Organizing

There are many ways I support my virtual organizing clients. Are you struggling with making decisions, creating change, or feeling disconnected from others? What becomes possible when you get the help you need? Which ideas resonate most with you?

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

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized? I’m here to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized is possible, especially with support.

Enjoy the newest release (v49) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature with my latest finds that inform, inspire, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique letting-go discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme and time of year. Spring is a season for growth, change, and letting go of what no longer serves you.

You are an engaged, vibrant, and generous 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 Letting Go Discoveries

1. Interesting Workshop – Letting Go of Clutter

Do you feel burdened and overwhelmed by the clutter in your life? This transformative workshop can help. Spring is a wonderful time to let go and thrive.

Join me, Linda Samuels, Professional Organizer, for the empowering workshop – My Simple Organizing Plan. One workshop with your choice of two dates:

• April 22nd at 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern or

• April 24th at Noon-1:00 pm Eastern

  By the end of the one-hour Zoom workshop, you’ll have strategies for immediate change. You will:

• Uncover the hidden impact of clutter on your emotional well-being.

• Learn how to harness motivation to propel your decluttering journey forward.

• Acquire the skills to design a simple, personalized decluttering plan tailored to you.

Let go of the chaos and say hello to a calmer, more organized you. Reserve your spot now!

2. Interesting Article – Letting Go for Spring

Have you ever chosen a decluttering, letting go, or organizing project based on your Zodiac sign? Are you curious about which project aligns best with your sign? If so, you’ll love this!

In the Homes & Gardens article, What to easily organize this spring based on your Zodiac sign – it’ll turbocharge decluttering and banish motivation blockers, writer Ciera Cree explores star sign-adjacent organizing projects based on recommendations from astrologers and professional organizers (including me).

Ciera shares the astrologers’ advice and says, “Aligning your decluttering mission with your star sign will maximize efficiency...”  For example, if you’re an Aries (March 21st – April 19th), astrologist Rebecca Gordon suggests doing a “closet refresh.”

Based on Rebecca’s advice, I suggested, as a professional organizer, “To get your closet ready for spring, begin by removing darker, heavier clothing to make space for lighter, more colorful seasonal pieces.”

What is your sign? I’m a Scorpio. The astrologer suggests organizing my to-do list for spring home maintenance tasks. Which spring decluttering and letting go project are you looking forward to?

3. Interesting Read – Letting Go of Overwhelm

Feeling overwhelmed is the top reason people reach out to me for support. Their overwhelm comes from having:

• Too much clutter

• Too many projects and people to manage

• Unwieldy to-do lists

• Lack of time or

• Inability to focus on what’s valued most

In Overwhelmed – Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time, author and award-winning journalist, Brigid Schulte explores why we’re so stressed out and overwhelmed and ways to create time for what matters most.

Schulte shares neuroscience research that “when a human is pressed for time, rushed, and caught up in overwhelm, that yellow blob [prefrontal cortex] does something alarming: It shrinks.” In addition, “when children are exposed to stress – often stemming from the overwhelm of their parents – it can alter not only their neurological and hormonal systems but also their very DNA.”

This is sobering stuff. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Schulte also provides readers with compelling research, stories, and many strategies. She advocates for:

• Letting go of unrealistic expectations

• Creating flexible work schedules

• Establishing parenting and domestic parity

• Setting technology boundaries

• Slowing down

• Having more leisure time

• Practicing gratitude

• Playing more

• Embracing ‘good enough’

• Taking intentional breaks

• Focusing on the present

What can you reimagine or let go of when you're feeling overwhelmed?

“Let go of the chaos and say hello to a calmer, more organized you.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

4. Interesting Resource – Letting Go to Help Someone Else

As you declutter and let go this spring, do you have bras you no longer wear that could benefit someone? Finding a good home for your belongings is a helpful strategy for letting go. You’ll feel better and more at peace when your things go to someone who will appreciate receiving them. In the organizing industry, this is known as providing “safe passage.”

A terrific non-profit organization, The Bra Recyclers, repurposes old bras and new underwear and gives them to people in need. Repurposing also keeps textiles out of landfills.

They accept regular bras, sports bras, nursing bras, and new ones with tags or women’s panties and men’s boxers and briefs in the package. With their “hassle-free solution,” The Bra Recyclers makes it easy to get your undergarments to them with this three-step process:

• Wash it

• Fill out the online form

• Mail or drop it off

Let go to help people and the planet.

5. Interesting Thought – Letting Go of What’s Keeping You Stuck

What is holding you back? What is keeping you stuck? What is no longer necessary in your life?

If you sense it’s time to let go, give yourself permission. Close your eyes and settle. Take a deep breath, hold it briefly, exhale slowly, and let it go. Repeat two more times.

Can you identify a part of your life that needs help letting go? It could include physical items, negative thoughts, overly busy schedules, or unhelpful habits.

How will you benefit from letting go?

New Season Inspires Letting Go Opportunities

When you release what is no longer needed, you make space for possibilities, calm, and what’s most valued.

What will you let go of this spring? Which of these discoveries resonate most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want help getting unstuck, reducing overwhelm, letting go, and getting organized? I’m here to help. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – local feel with global reach.

Please email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Letting go is possible, especially with support.

What becomes possible when you get organized enough? Will you suffer less? Will your mental health and well-being improve due to better organization and flow?

For over 30 years, I have been a professional organizer, helping overwhelmed individuals challenged by disorganization get unstuck and organized.

I’ve observed a direct correlation between disorganization and distress. Creating order in the areas within your control significantly improves your external and internal state of being.

Recently, I had the joy of speaking with John Burton, a singer, songwriter, author, and host of the Home From Here podcast. John is fascinated by the intersection of organization and mental health, and he invited me to talk about that and much more on his show.

I invite you to listen to the podcast, episode 193, to hear the entire conversation. You might even discover a few surprising personal details, such as how I start my day, what my household was like growing up, and my favorite color. Although, I bet you can guess that last one even without listening to the podcast. You all know me so well.

Read about these three ideas I featured from our conversation about organization and well-being, and enjoy the podcast, too.

Home From Here - Episode 193 - John Burton with guest Linda Samuels

3 Ways Getting Organized Reduces Suffering and Improves Your Well-Being

1. “Organization made me feel better.”

John Burton, Home From Here podcast host with Linda Samuels - Episode 193

John noticed that organizing specific areas of his life made him feel better. You can learn more about his mental health journey from our conversation. One of the things he mentioned was how life-changing it was to organize his time and habits, especially his morning routine. As John experienced, better organization enhanced his day’s flow and well-being. He “felt better.”

Many of my clients have mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and OCD. The organizing piece has been elusive. Often, the external chaos reflects what’s happening internally. Through our work, I see a positive shift as we remove the disorganization blockages, create manageable systems, and focus on being “organized enough.” It’s not about perfection but about organizing in a way that helps you live with more ease.

What will be possible as you feel better?

2. “If I could only get it all done, life would be perfect.”

John asked me about the “trick” to time management. There are many different philosophies about managing yourself and your time, and there isn’t one definitive trick. However, I’ll share two significant principles of time management.

The first thing to understand about time management is acknowledging that you’ll never get it all done. And just so you know, I say those words as someone who is highly optimistic. People often think life would be perfect if you could “only get it all done.”

Whether your to-do list is in your head, on paper, or on an electronic list, as soon as you cross off a completed task, a new item appears. That’s the human condition. If you’re alive, you will have things to get done.

Even when your list is overflowing, I encourage you to embrace opportunities for joy and delight and let go of perfection. As John said, “If you can accept imperfection, stress goes way down.”

The second time management concept is about clarifying your priorities. Focus on aligning your priorities with what you spend time on. In addition, not all tasks will be related to things you’re passionate about. There are life management responsibilities like doing laundry, getting groceries, showering, or paying bills. Those might not excite you, but they are a necessary part of living.

Does all or most of your time go to life maintenance? Is little to no time reserved for your passions or priorities? If so, looking at where your time is going and making some adjustments is helpful.

What becomes possible when your priorities are clarified?

“If you can accept imperfection, stress goes way down.”

— John Burton

3. “I can see a path forward.”

John and I discussed virtual organizing and how I typically have 60-minute Zoom sessions with my clients. My goal is to help them get unstuck enough to take action, make progress, and feel better.

At the beginning of a session, clients might feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or hopeless. By the end of the hour, they’ve experienced progress (a physical change, perspective shift, or new system) and can see possibilities.

We take baby steps that boost confidence and agency. Progress happens during and between the organizing sessions. Clients learn organizational skills and how to integrate them into their busy lives.

 What will be possible as you clear your path?

What is Possible?

Toward the end of our conversation, John said he was “struck” by “the amount of reducing suffering” I’m doing.

Life has hiccups and stress. I am passionate about helping my clients get unstuck, make progress, live with more ease, and feel better. Getting organized enough, letting go of perfection, shifting perspectives, and focusing on priorities can make a significant difference. What is possible for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Are you ready to get unstuck, organize, and improve your well-being? If so, I’m here to help. Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Turning possibilities into reality is achievable, especially with support.