Enjoy the latest edition (v57) of the “What’s Interesting?” series, featuring my recent finds that inspire, spark curiosity, and connect to organizing and life balance. These unique possibility discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are an engaged, vibrant, and generous group. I’m deeply grateful for your ongoing presence, positive energy, and contributions to this community. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and seeing what else you can add to this curated collection.

What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Possibility Discoveries

1. Interesting Read – Possibility Mindset

Do you struggle to stay positive and imagine what’s possible, especially during dark times? If so, I highly recommend Resilient Optimism – The Science of Sustaining a Positive Mindset in Tough Times by positive psychology researcher and bestselling author Michelle Gielan.

Drawing on neuroscience research and her work with thousands of leaders, Gielan says, “Resilient optimism is not a one-time mindset. It’s a practice. A daily redirection. A moment-by-moment invitation to pivot toward what’s constructive, energizing, and meaningful.”

When your brain focuses on what’s broken, it limits the brain’s potential. Gielan explains, “The brain runs best when fueled by optimism. The brain is naturally good at detecting threats – we call it negativity bias. When we solely focus on what’s broken, the brain’s threat center (the amygdala) lights up, pulling resources away from the problem-solving prefrontal cortex. But when we also engage with what’s working, the brain responds with creativity, energy, and greater resilience.”

The good news is that resilient optimism is a behavioral shift you can learn. Whether you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist, Gielan shares doable ways to build your reserves through “deliberate, repeatable actions.”      

Her strategies include ways to:

• Recalibrate your mindset

• Change your stress response

• Triage your commitments

• Recharge smarter

• Take small actions

• Be a “positive deviant”

What will become possible as your mindset shifts?

2. Interesting Product – Possibility Openers

What happens when you feel stuck and are in a mental rut? Do you shut down, feel low on energy, get anxious, or find it difficult to imagine a way forward? If so, you’re not alone. There are many ways to get unstuck.

Decades ago, creatives Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt created Oblique Strategies, a deck of cards designed to help artists, musicians, writers, and other creatives “break through mental roadblocks” and “approach their work from fresh, unexpected angles.” The prompts can help anyone.

Each card offers a single, direct suggestion, such as “Use an old idea” or “Listen to the quiet voice.” Not every prompt will resonate with you, but some might offer the fresh perspective you need. “The goal is to challenge habitual thinking patterns and invite new possibilities into the creative process.”

Are you ready to explore new possibilities? If so, this deck could help.

“Resilient optimism is not a one-time mindset. It’s a practice.”

— Michelle Gielan

3. Interesting Article – Possibility Walk  

In the Time article “Why You Should Take a 10-Minute ‘Thinking-Walk,’” writer Angela Haupt highlights the many benefits of walking, including:

• Processing thoughts

• Sparking creativity

• Solving problems

• Taking an intentional break from technology

• Resetting after intense focus

• Improving mood

• Reducing stress

• Protecting long-term mobility

• Easing anxiety and depression

Imagine what a “thinking walk” could do for you. When your mind is full, you’re stuck on a problem, or you’re struggling to imagine what’s possible, take a walk. Research highlights the value of walking without your electronic devices. Disconnect and let your mind wander. You can do this. It’s only ten minutes.

Although you can walk indoors, walking outdoors can further boost your well-being.

4. Interesting Resource – Possibility Shifts

Are you or someone you know overwhelmed by shopping too much? During a presentation on overshopping, I learned that 33.5 million people are addicted shoppers. We live in a society that constantly bombards us with marketing messages to buy more, newer, and better things. Sales entice us to buy things we don’t really need. Messages like “shop till you drop” make light of a serious addiction: overshopping.

Does breaking the shopping cycle feel impossible? If so, help is available. Carrie Rattle is a financial therapist, shopping-addiction expert, and founder of Behavioral Cents. Dr. April Lane Benson, Carrie’s colleague, friend, and a pioneer in the field of overshopping, mentored Carrie. In 2020, April sold her business to Carrie.

Carrie offers a variety of services, including individual coaching, group coaching, an online community, workshops, and her book, To Buy or Not To Buy – Tools to break the cycle and take control of your life.

What would be possible if you could, as Carrie says, shift from “compulsion to control”?

5. Interesting Thought – Possibility Scenario

“You are allowed to imagine the best case scenario.” Mindset matters. Instead of dwelling on “I can’t,” “It will never happen,” or “It’s going to be awful,” consider what might be possible. Focus on learning, growing, and exploring new possibilities.

Shifting your thoughts can help you change your path. Think about a project or situation you’re finding challenging right now. What does the best-case scenario look like? What’s one small action you can take now to move in that direction?

What Is Possible Now?

When it’s hard to imagine what’s possible, what helps? As I’ve shared, there are many ways to shift your thoughts and actions and move forward with a more possibility-focused perspective.

Which of these discoveries resonates most with you? Do you have resources or ideas about possibility thinking to share? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized? Are your thoughts keeping you from living the life you want? 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@ohsoorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Decluttering, getting organized, and seeing what’s possible can happen, especially with support.

Recently, I returned from the Institute for Challenging Disorganization’s (ICD) conference, held in Canada this year. Colleagues from around the globe gathered to learn, connect, and explore the latest ideas and research related to neurodivergence and people affected by chronic disorganization.

The conference covered a fascinating range of topics, including ADHD, decision-making, navigating life transitions, clutter, emotional labor, hoarding disorder, motivational interviewing, and communication.

I was thrilled to be part of the panel, “Cultivating Connection: Best Practices for Communication with Neurodivergent Clients,” alongside my wonderful colleagues. Sara Skillen moderated, and Leslie Josel and Elizabeth Brink were the other panelists.

Whenever I’m learning, I have one goal: to learn at least one new thing, discover one new resource, or deepen my connection with something I already know. Honestly, with that simple goal, I consistently come away with far more than one thing.

The ICD conference was no exception.

I’m excited to share some of my takeaways and how they expanded my thinking, reinforced what I already know, and will influence the virtual organizing work I do with clients.

What Expanded My Thinking About Virtual Organizing

Emotional Labor

In “The Art of the Invisible: Helping Neurodiverse Families Navigate the Emotional Labor Lifecycle,” presenters Regina Lark, PhD, CPO®, CPO-CD® and Leslie Josel, PCC, discussed how emotional labor, which is mostly invisible and disproportionately handled by moms, is “the exhausting work” and the “cognitive management of household systems.”

Navigating emotional labor, work that never ends, requires executive function (EF) skills that rely heavily on the prefrontal cortex. These include:

• Planning

• Focusing

• Remembering instructions

• Juggling multiple tasks

• Managing emotions

• Working memory

• Organizing

However, as many of my clients have experienced, EF skills can be especially challenging if you are highly stressed, have prefrontal cortex damage, or have conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or Tourette’s syndrome.

One of the biggest takeaways was distributing the emotional load through “radical delegation. Take perfection off the table. Delegate to someone else, even if they aren’t good at it.  Go for “good enough.”

This made me think differently about virtual organizing. When we work together, we’re not only organizing possessions or creating systems. We’re also considering the mental load behind those systems. What decisions are constantly being made? What is someone trying to remember? What are they managing for themselves or others? And what might be possible to let go of, share, or accept as “good enough”?

Life Transitions

We experience many life transitions. Professor and researcher Dr. Michelle Pannor Silver focused on four in her presentation, “Unpacking Identity: Navigating Later Life Transitions for Those with Organizational Challenges.” She discussed retirement, menopause, clutter, and prioritizing physical resilience.

Much of my work involves helping clients navigate transitions such as moving, starting a new job, divorce, birth, losing a loved one, and other life changes like those Dr. Silver discussed.

One takeaway came from the retirement section. Since our identities are often tied to our work, figuring out what comes next takes thought. Silver stressed the importance of creating “time and mental space to imagine retirement.” It’s not just about getting your finances in order. Take time to envision how you want your post-work life to feel and what you want it to be like. Include “sparking joy” activities.

Another idea that resonated was “recalibrating after loss.” In later years, loss can arrive in many forms, including changes in work status, moving from a familiar environment, changes in physical or cognitive abilities, and the loss of loved ones.

I am thinking differently about virtual organizing in the context of reimagining and recalibrating life. We go through periods when the organizational systems or patterns that used to work suddenly become ineffective. They no longer support who we are now. Virtual organizing sessions can be a wonderful way to work through these shifts and create systems and schedules that support who you are now.

“Decision-making is at the center of everything. It is a core part of being human.”

— Elizabeth Brink, PCC, PCNC®, SEP®

What Reinforced What I Already Know About Virtual Organizing

ADHD

Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA, presented “ADHD Can Make Organizing Psychologically Messy.” He emphasized that the ADHD challenge is “not the knowing, but the doing.” Challenges with activation, attention regulation, perfectionism, and time management can make it harder to start. You might know what to do, but these obstacles can make it challenging to get things done.

One question Tuckman suggested was, “What’s a realistic, sustainable goal that you’ll allow yourself to feel good about?” Emphasizing “realistic” and “sustainable” is central to my work with clients.

Tuckman shared many strategies that reinforced the tools and concepts I use with clients. They included:

• Time – Use analog clocks, alarms, and schedules to build time awareness and make time more visible.

• Fun – Make tasks less boring and more enjoyable through gamification or a playful spin.

• Clarify – Ask, “How important is ‘this’ relative to everything else?”

• Momentum – Do a “bit of something,” and always “hope for momentum.”

• Experiment – “Be willing to flounder, and be confused.”

• Decision-Making– If you are having difficulty choosing, flip a coin. It can clarify what you really want.

• Perfectionism – Focus on “good enough.”

These strategies reflect what I see every day in virtual organizing: knowing what to do and being able to do it aren’t always the same. Virtual organizing sessions can help clients identify what gets in the way, experiment with different approaches, and find strategies that are realistic and sustainable for them.

Decision-Making

Elizabeth Brink, PCC, PCNC®, SEP®, a neurodivergent-centered coach, educator, and trainer, presented “Decision-Making: Neurodivergence, Trauma, and Chronic Disorganization.” Brink stated, “Decision-making is at the center of everything. It is a core part of being human.”

Brink went on to say that “Decision-making is a special kind of hard for neurodivergent humans.” She also said that for neurodivergent people, “Overwhelm is a reasonable response to decision-making.”

When Brink said, “It’s a big deal how to help people make decisions,” I recognized how central nurturing decision-making skills and building agency are to my virtual organizing work. People reach out to me when they feel overwhelmed, and much of that overwhelm comes from difficulty making decisions.

Decision-making skills can be learned. Brink featured several skill-building strategies that align with how I support my clients in making decisions. They include:

• Empathy – Understand and appreciate what they may be feeling or experiencing, without judgment.

• Demystify – Learn how they make decisions, what’s worked well for them in the past, the process they’ve used, and how we can tweak or apply that process to current choices.

• Capacity – Be mindful of their capacity at that moment, normalize pauses, take breaks to avoid decision fatigue, and encourage a slower pace when needed.

Always Be Learning

Every conference leaves me with something to think about, but this one reminded me why I value learning so much. Sometimes a new idea changes how I approach my work. Other times, it gives me language for what I already know and see in my work with clients. Both are valuable.

I’m excited to bring these insights into my virtual organizing sessions and stay curious, experiment, and learn alongside my clients.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized? You don’t have to face it alone. I’m here to help! Get unstuck and make progress. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward—with a local feel and a global reach.

Let’s talk! 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, making progress, and reaching your goals are doable, especially with support.

This is a wonderful time to reflect on the past twelve months before the new year begins. In 2025, we had emotional, enriching, and deep conversations on the blog.

We walked together, shared tumultuous times, made exciting discoveries, and navigated life balance. In our free-flowing exchanges, insights, new perspectives, and hope emerged.

Meaningful Conversations

Our conversations about life balance, change, clutter, letting go, time management, motivation, organizing, hope, and more brought comfort, connection, learning, and joy.

Thank you for being part of this community. You inspire me to show up, write, think, and engage.

Deepest Gratitude

I am profoundly grateful for your thoughtful words and generous sharing. Based on your comments this year, I curated twelve of my favorite insights from you. Thank you, Diane Quintana, Ellen Delap, Hazel Thornton, Janet Barclay, Jill Katz, Jonda Beattie, Julie Bestry, Kim Tremblay, Melissa Gratias, Sabrina Quairoli, Seana Turner, and Yota Schneider.

You are consistent voices and participants who bring our conversations to life. I am grateful to you and to everyone who reads the blog, contributes to our discussions, or shares the posts. You infuse this community with hope, humor, curiosity, perspective, and learning.

Enjoy the year in review, one quote at a time!

12 Inspiring Quotes from Our Conversations This Year That Will Make You Feel Hopeful

1. Fresh Start | 3 Ways to Take a Slow Exhale & Refocus Energy for a New Fresh Start

“Giving yourself permission to downshift, reset, and refresh is the best way to pave the way for the next project.”

— Ellen Delap

2. Embrace Change | One Clarifying Question to Help Embrace Change in Your Life

“Change can be hard. Focusing on one small thing at a time can help.”

— Kim Tremblay

3. Next Step | How to More Easily Approach the Next Thing by Not Imposing Toxic Preconditions

“I was just in the middle of talking myself out of doing something because of uncertainty. Okay, time for a deep breath and some rational thinking.”

— Melissa Gratias

4. Letting Go | One Fun and Informative Letting Go Exploration with Organizing Colleagues

“People are more likely to let go of items if they know they are going to a good place.”

— Jill Katz

5. Clutter | 7 Inspiring Resources to Quickly Motivate You to Declutter Now

“Focusing only on the next step keeps me from becoming overwhelmed by decluttering and other large projects.”

— Janet Barclay

6. Time Management | How a Helpful Productivity Reframe Makes More Time for Fun

“As for productivity, no, it isn’t a dirty word, but neither is setting it aside for a while. I get a lot of satisfaction from completing my to-do list and from giving myself to the activities that soothe my spirit.”

— Yota Schneider

7. Motivation | 7 Powerful Motivation Quotes to Make You Feel Inspired When You Need a Boost

“Waiting to feel motivated never works for me. It’s more like I start, and then the motivation catches up.”

— Seana Turner

8. Enlisting Help | Here Are 5 Most Interesting and Best Finding Help Discoveries – v51

“I have my people to call for different types of help – the ones who just let me vent, the ones who want to help me brainstorm and plan, and the ones who are on my doorstep almost immediately. ”

— Jonda Beattie

9. Virtual Organizing | 5 Focused Ways a Virtual Professional Organizer Can Help During a Move

“Virtual organizers can pull out the essential steps and manage them, helping the client feel more in control of their time during this stressful moment.”

— Sabrina Quairoli

10. Possibilities | What Becomes Immediately Achievable When You Get Out of Your Own Way?

“I love reframing! One of my favorites is this: Instead of thinking ‘I’m anxious,’ or nervous to do something, think ‘I’m excited!’ to do it.”

— Hazel Thornton

11. Wonderfully Human | 5 Life Lessons I Learned About Patience and Promising Progress

“Tolerating discomfort, in particular, means that waiting is so much easier when you can focus on the fact that any uncomfortable situation is temporary. ”

— Julie Bestry

12. Life Balance | How to Nurture Joy, Reduce Anxiety, and Bring Balance to the Holidays

“I love the idea of embracing fun! It’s easy to get bogged down by the minutiae and to forget to look outside our to-do list and notice things around us.”

— Diane N. Quintana

Past Reflections and Future Possibilities

What was most significant to you this year? Which quote resonates most? What do you want to focus on in the New Year? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Let’s make 2026 a fabulous year! Do you want support in creating a better balance, letting go of what no longer serves you, or getting more organized? I’m ready 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 is possible, especially with support.

I wish you a happy, healthy, organized, and joy-filled New Year!

As this year comes to an end, I love reflecting on the past before planning for the future. In this part of my year-end review, I chose my favorite organizing concepts, one from each month of 2025, to share with you.

I hope you discover or rediscover a seed idea that inspires and brings balance to your New Year.

Where do you want more organization and balance? Which people and projects will receive your time, energy, and attention?

If you’re ready for a fresh start, to embrace change, take your next step, let go, declutter, enlist help, and more, this is for you.

12 Favorite Organizing Ideas of 2025

1. Fresh Start – How to Simply Reset Now for a Fantastic Fresh Start

“My reset buttons are just little things.”

— Glennon Doyle

2. Embrace Change – How to Encourage Change More From a Joy, Not Dread Perspective

“Encourage change through a lens of positive expectation.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Next Step – Three Surprising Lessons to Find Next in a Quiet and Curious

“…quietly do the next most necessary thing.”

— Carl Jung

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4. Let Go – Five Favorite Quotes About the Value of Letting Go

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”

— Hans Hoffman

5. Clutter – One Effective Strategy to Easily Calm Your Mind Clutter

“Commitment is the powerhouse of the mind decluttering strategy.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

6. Time Management – 3 Inspiring Time Questions That Will Help You Make Thoughtful Choices

“What will my future-self thank me for doing now?”

— Stephanie Sarkis, PhD

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7. Motivation – Feeling Stuck? Start Here: Small Organizing Steps That Empower Motivation

“The smallest effort can spark the motivation you’ve been missing.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

8. Enlist Help – How a Professional Organizer Gets Organized: Creative Life Tips That Really Help

“It’s a journey to discover what helps you feel, be, and stay organized.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

9. Virtual Organizing – 3 Helpful Things I Learned That Will Benefit My Virtual Organizing Clients

“Bring curiosity to a dilemma.”

— Cameron Gott, PCC

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10. Possibilities – What Becomes Immediately Achievable When You Get Out of Your Own Way?

“The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the ‘buts’ you use today.”

— Les Brown

11. Wonderfully Human – 5 Life Lessons I Learned About Patience and Promising Progress

“I can transform temporary chaos into an opportunity to reimagine.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

12. Life Balance – 5 Simple Practices to Joyfully Reduce Stress and Restore Balance Now

“When the mind is tense, so is the body. When the body is tense, so is the mind.”

— Meg Josephson, LCSW

Grateful for You

Thank you for being an essential part of this vibrant community. I am deeply grateful to you. We’ve had an incredible year of conversations and sharing. You bring learning, growth, support, and inspiration to every exchange. Thank you for participating and sharing the best of who you are.

What inspired you this year? Which organizing concept resonates most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want help decluttering, organizing, planning, or creating more balance? I’d love 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, finding balance, and experiencing more calm are possible, especially with support.