Have you ever considered celebrating clutter? Most people don’t think about it that way. We often view clutter as an overabundance of things, thoughts, or time that prevents us from living in the ways we value most.

The idea of celebrating clutter might almost seem like an oxymoron. More often, clutter feels like a burden, which can be overwhelming or paralyzing. It gets in the way and blocks forward movement.

Perhaps a better word choice is honoring instead of celebrating. What becomes possible when you approach clutter in this way? I will share a story with you to illustrate how this idea originated.

The Origin Story for Celebrating Clutter

Recently, I reread a post I wrote fifteen years ago, “As Sure as a Crocus.” Surprisingly, I found a comment (also from then) that I had never seen or responded to. I’m unsure how I missed it because I usually respond to all comments.

This message was especially poignant and heart-warming because it came from my mom, who has passed away. Seeing her signature made me smile, as she signed it with a secret name I knew was hers.

The timing of reading her words was significant for me. It was in March, the anniversary month of her birth and death. She’s been gone for four years, and I miss her terribly. As I read Mom’s sweet note of support, encouragement, and gratitude, I deeply and immediately felt her love and our connection, transcending the constructs of time and space.

How does this connect to celebrating clutter?

Why Celebrate Clutter?

Addressing the clutter in your life can be approached in many ways. One strategy is to identify and release those things that no longer belong, serve a purpose, or align with who you are now. From there, you can focus on organizing the “keepers.”

Another approach is to find the treasures and keepers first. After that step, edit those things you want to let go of.

With both strategies, you will undoubtedly make discoveries. You’ll find letters from loved ones now gone, notes with great ideas to pursue one day, children’s art, old photos, vacation memorabilia, or materials from previous careers.

These findings can evoke a range of emotions as they highlight and represent different stages and aspects of your life.

Celebrating clutter can enhance the decluttering process in several ways by gifting yourself time to:

• Revisit and appreciate the items you’re releasing.

• Enjoy and review some of the “treasures.”

• Celebrate with a dance, high-fives, or cheers after a decluttering session.

“Celebrating clutter can enhance the decluttering process.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

How Does Clutter Affect You?

Decluttering can be energizing or exhausting, depending on your mindset and situation. Approaching it with a celebratory perspective can transform your experience and make it more positive and affirming.

What is your relationship to clutter? What could celebrating clutter look like for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support organizing, editing, or decluttering? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

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

This is the newest release (v48) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature, with my latest finds that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique, inspiring change discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

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 Change Discoveries

1. Interesting Read – Liberating Change

Taking inventory of where you are right now, you might have a mile-long list of all the changes you’d like to make. Overwhelm most likely accompanies that list. After all, it’s nearly impossible to successfully pursue multiple changes simultaneously.

Meditations for Mortals – Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts by best-selling author Oliver Burkeman is not about being more productive but selective.

Burkeman says, “The list of worthwhile things you could in principle do with your time will always be vastly longer than the list of things for which you’ll have time.”

Additionally, “when you give up the unwinnable struggle to do everything, that’s when you can start pouring your finite time and attention into a handful of things that truly count.”

The four themed weeks (Being Finite, Taking Action, Letting Go, and Showing Up) include twenty-eight short chapters intended to be read one day at a time. These chapters are digestible and inspiring, encouraging small, achievable changes in perspective and action. By embracing imperfection, accepting limitations, combating distractions, and more, you will learn how to live with less stress and more purpose.

2. Interesting Trend – Emotional Change

Have you ever noticed something that makes you do a double-take? Recently, I saw a Tiny Buddha post on Instagram that made me do just that. It took me a few moments to sound out the word exhausterwhelmulated and digest what it meant.

This adjective is “the feeling of being exhausted, overwhelmed, and overstimulated all at once.” Does this sound familiar? Have you felt this way lately?

With all that’s happening in the world, many of us feel exhausterwhelmulated. If this describes your experience, embrace the changes you have agency over.

• If you’re exhausted, prioritize your sleep hygiene.

• If you’re overwhelmed, remove or delegate some tasks.

• If you’re overstimulated, take a hiatus from social media and news scrolling.

Embrace the changes that will bring you energy, clarity, and calm.

3. Interesting Resource – Change

How are your decluttering and organizing goals coming along? Are you filling bags with clothing, home goods, and books to donate? Or are you thinking about taking action but haven’t begun yet?

Making a change by curating your environment can yield energizing results for you and others. Being intentional by keeping your most valued and useful items and releasing what has overstayed its welcome brings many positives.

First, your environment will better support who you are, what you use, and what you treasure. Second, donating items and letting go of what you no longer need will allow someone else to enjoy them.

One of the easiest-to-use donation sources is GreenDrop®. You can schedule a pick-up online or visit a donation center. I use them, as do many of my clients. GreenDrop® accepts books, clothing, electronics, linens, games, housewares, small appliances, small furniture, and more.

This resource makes the exit strategy for your things so much simpler.

“Embrace the changes that will bring you energy, clarity, and calm.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

4. Interesting Product – Joyful Change

Living in the digital age, we spend a lot of our time interacting with technology. Sometimes, I wonder if pens and paper will become obsolete. I sure hope not. As someone who receives immense tactile pleasure from using such implements, I thought you might feel similarly.

Don’t get me wrong. I also enjoy using my tech tools, like my keyboard to write blog posts or my voice to ask Siri questions. However, there are many situations when pen and paper are my preferred tools.

I discovered Karst’s Stone Paper™ journals. The paper is made from “100% recycled stone and without any trees, bleaches or acids.”  It’s “durable, more sustainable, and infinitely smoother to write, scribble, doodle or draw on.” The paper is also waterproof and tear-resistant.

My newest meditation journal has stone paper. It’s a beautiful writing experience that allows my thoughts to flow and my pen to glide one word at a time. What a simple way to bring about a joyful change.

5. Interesting Thought – Positive Change

Have you noticed that change takes time? Whether making intentional positive changes or navigating unexpected ones, time and patience are essential ingredients.

The most frequent emotion I notice when making changes is feeling impatient. You want what’s on the other side, yet sustaining the effort to get there can be challenging.

This simple yet powerful phrase, “I am in the process of positive changes,” reminds us of the patience piece while also nurturing confidence and proactive participation.

You can do this. You are doing this!

Can you share one change-related discovery? Which of these resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

Do you want help getting unstuck, reducing overwhelm, getting organized, and making changes? If so, I’m here for you. Contact me, Linda, at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Change is possible, especially with support.

When you think about change, which emotions bubble up? As someone who has observed, experienced, and helped others make changes, I’ve noticed many reactions. When anticipating change, we can experience mixed emotions, including fear, frustration, anxiety, doubt, overwhelm, sadness, ambivalence, excitement, relief, and hope.

Emotions are powerful. They can paralyze or propel us, depending on which ones are in play.

• What if you could stack the deck in your favor?

• What if you could shift your perspective to encourage a more joyful experience for your desired changes?

• How would that alter your journey?

When you think about making a change, it can feel enormous, confusing, and unreachable. For example, let’s say you feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the clutter and disorganization in your life. You want things to change but don’t know what to do or how to begin. As a result, you do nothing.

A common organizing philosophy encourages breaking down large projects or goals into small, doable parts or tasks. Using this strategy is an effective path forward. You keep the larger goal in mind while focusing your effort on tiny, baby steps. This process reduces overwhelm and facilitates forward movement.

Encourage Change by Shifting Your Perspective

During a recent meditation and writing retreat led by my friend and colleague, Yota Schneider, she shared an insightful question. We considered it in a particular context around focusing.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I recognized how you could use the question to encourage change through a lens of positive expectations.

The question Yota shared was from neuropsychologist and author Dr. Rick Hanson. He asked,

“What will I be glad I did today?”

I appreciate the question’s simplicity and graciousness. What will I be glad I did today? The question has several fascinating effects.

• Contemplate – It invites you to consider joy, happiness, gratification, or satisfaction as the driving force. In other words, you are taking action inspired by this positive perspective.

• Strengthen – It offers a nonjudgmental inquiry while strengthening activation confidence. You imagine this positive change or task as if you have already accomplished it. The question boosts agency.

• Reduce – While it doesn’t overtly state this, the question implies a narrower, singular focus. Dialing down the possibilities to something smaller can reduce or eliminate overwhelm.

• Imagine – It merges present action with positive, immediate future results. You are doing something now that you will be happy you did later today.

• Build – Using this question to navigate change gently promotes a repeat-and-build pattern versus a one-and-done method.

• Act – The question is non-confrontational. It’s even kind of fun. You’re focusing on how good you’ll feel or “glad” you are when you do that thing today. 

“Encourage change through a lens of positive expectations.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Work the Present and the Future

Once you gear your mind toward a “glad I did today” focus, you will experience many positive changes that connect with your larger goals. Here are several of the positives I’ve experienced recently and the change categories they influenced. I am glad I:

Relationships – Nurture and Strengthen

• Celebrated my husband’s birthday

• Cooked with my daughter

• Sent packages and notes to our kiddos in advance of Valentine’s Day

• Had assorted conversations with friends, family, and colleagues, including a friend I hadn’t spoken with in way too many years

Professional – Lead and Learn

• Completed the edits and returned my chapter for a new ICD book on chronic disorganization

• Led a planning meeting for my organizing colleagues for NAPO Westchester

• Had virtual organizing sessions with my clients

• Wrote my blog

Finances – Manage and Build

• Gave our accountant a preliminary tax summary

• Paid bills

• Reconciled accounts

Household – Maintain and Edit

• Cleared out the 2024 files and set up the 2025 files

• Did laundry

• Added a few clothing items to the donation bag

Well-Being – Calm and Care

• Scheduled vaccines

• Didn’t eat that extra piece of cake

• Took a walk along the river even though it was cold

• Slept later than usual

• Went to yoga class

• Meditated

It’s Your Turn to Invite Change

Which categories in your life are you looking to change? What is one thing you can do today that will bring you closer to that goal? With this in mind, what will you be glad you did today? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support organizing, planning, or inviting positive change? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – local feel with a global reach.

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

This is the newest release (v46) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature, with my latest finds that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique, inspiring enlisting help discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are a vibrant, generous, 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?

“It is 100% okay to ask for help.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Enlisting Help Discoveries

1. Interesting Read – Effortless Help

When you’re struggling to take action and make progress, doing so effortlessly may seem impossible. However, with this refreshing approach, help is here.

Greg McKeown, author of Effortless – Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most, said, “Not everything has to be so hard.” McKeown’s concept is “a whole new way to work and live. A way to achieve more with ease- to achieve more because you are at ease.”

There are three parts:

• Effortless State – How can we make it easier to focus?

• Effortless Action – How can we make essential work easier to do?

• Effortless Results – How can we get the highest return on the least effort?

In describing the Effortless State, McKeown said, “When our brains are at full capacity, everything feels harder.” The first step he suggests to “making things more effortless is to clear the clutter in our heads and our hearts.”

Everything can’t be effortless. However, “you can make more of the right things less impossible- then easier, then easy, and ultimately effortless.”

2. Interesting Perspective – Life Help

Have you ever experienced a difficult time triggered by a specific event? It was so dramatic that it changed your perspective and the course of your life. The death of a loved one, loss of a job, a move, health crisis, or divorce can cause significant pain and also be catalysts for growth and reimagining.

The word lifequake beautifully describes this phenomenon- “A significant, sudden and unexpected shift in the trajectory of your life that initially feels devastating but has the beneficial outcome of catalyzing personal growth, transformation, and rebirth.”

During times of change and transition, it is especially beneficial to ask for help. What lifequake have you experienced? What type of support was most valuable?

3. Interesting Resource – Win-Win-Win Help

Do you own new or gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, and building materials you no longer want? However, it’s not easy to find a taker. You’re confident someone else can use them. You don’t want your discards to go into the landfill.

Habitat for Humanity is the resource you need. Habitat ReStores across the United States accept small and large donations of these items. The sales help Habitat’s work locally and globally. They offer free pickup of large items and tax donation receipts.

This is a win-win-win for the donors, the buyers, and the planet. You gain space, reduce clutter, let go of things you don’t want, keep items out of the landfill, support others, and receive a tax donation. People who need goods can purchase them at a reasonable price. The proceeds from Habitat Restores help families build decent, affordable homes to “achieve the strength, stability, and independence they need to build a better future.”

Click here to arrange a pickup from a Habitat ReStore near you.

4. Interesting Product – Organizing Help

There are tons of great products to help organize like-with-like. Bins, boxes, and dividers are organizing staples. The classic zipper pouch is another example.

EOOUT’s translucent waterproof mesh zipper pouches are an excellent solution for organizing:

• Cosmetics

• Toiletries

• Cords and chargers

• Game pieces

• Documents

• Projects

• Gadgets

• Toys

• Snacks

• Writing tools

• Office supplies

• Travel accessories

• Receipts

• Bills

While EOOUT offers several options, the 42-piece set is an excellent value at $19.99. It includes eight different-sized bags and 17 zipper colors. What items will these pouches help you organize?

5. Interesting Thought – Normalizing Help

Are you hesitant to ask for help? Do you feel guilty or feel like you “should” be able to do everything yourself? Are you afraid of getting support for fear of being judged? These are normal responses.

Here’s the thing. Without asking for help, you will potentially struggle longer than is needed. Without help, you might be more frustrated, stressed, and paralyzed.

Struggle no more. You deserve to get unstuck and move forward. It is 100% okay to ask for help. Who will you ask to be on your support team?

Can you share one enlisting help-related discovery? Which of these resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

Do you want help getting unstuck, reducing overwhelm, or getting organized? If so, I’m here for you. Contact me, Linda, at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Making progress is possible, especially with support.