The latest installment (v9) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature has arrived with my newest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring change-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme.  You are such a wonderfully engaged group. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced for you. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? . . .

1. Interesting Read – Positive Change

Happiness researcher and expert on positive communication, Michelle Gielan writes about the science of igniting and sustaining positive change in her book, Broadcasting Happiness. She says, “…by changing the stories we transmit, we can create positive change.” Creating a positive mindset can change your life and those around you. Current research from the neuroscience and positive psychology fields identify that “small shifts in the way we communicate internally and with others can create big ripple effects on business outcomes, including 31 percent higher productivity, 25 percent greater performance ratings, …and 23 percent lower levels of stress.”

2. Interesting Experiment – Mood Change

Have you ever wondered if certain simple daily activities can help to improve your well-being? Dr. Margaret L. Kern from the University of Pennsylvania wondered too. Her ongoing Positive Intervention Study asks, “Can you increase your own well-being through a simple activity?” I recently participated in her study and you can too. I chose two affective or emotional states to focus on- inspiration and self-confidence. After selecting my focus areas, I was asked to create a digital or paper Positivity Portfolio and spend some time every day for two weeks reviewing and savoring the photos, letters, writing, and quotes that I selected. In addition, I answered questions before creating the portfolio and at the end of the two weeks. The daily engagement with my Positivity Portfolio changed my outlook. I felt even more positive and grateful.

3. Interesting Product – Wardrobe Change

Flexibility is an essential ingredient in navigating change. I discovered a new product, which is the essence of that. The metamorphic wardrobe was created by Studiomama to “create more storage, and at the same time having a flexible room divider.” If you need to easily and quickly change a space, this metamorphic wardrobe could be the perfect solution.

4. Interesting Fact – Color Change

According to Poppin, manufacturer of happy, functional organizing products, “Color coding isn’t just efficient; it also lights up the creative side of your brain, making it easier to spark new ideas.” If you’re ready for a change, introduce color into your environment to activate your creativity. Poppin’s gorgeous color-coordinated products are an excellent source of inspiration.

5. Interesting Resource – Clutter Change

Does the clutter in your life effect your daily experience? If clutter and change are on your mind, try out the Clutter Quality of Life Scale (CQLS). This tool was created by the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) to help people assess for themselves the personally felt impact that clutter has on their well-being. The scale includes 18 statements to read and respond to. After you complete the form, if you supply your email address, you’ll receive a copy of your responses along with the scale description and scoring information. Before change comes understanding. The CQLS is a great place to begin.

6. Interesting Thought – Expect Change

Wanting change and creating change are two different things. Change is possible when belief is accompanied by action.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are your interesting finds? Do any of these resonate with you?  Come join the conversation!

We’ve all heard phrases like...

“The only thing you can count on is change,”

or

“Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.”

While we understand this intellectually, change, even though anticipated, can be challenging. Sometimes we have to work at noticing something positive in the changes that happen.

This past weekend, my husband and I spent Valentine’s Day in Brooklyn with our daughters. Talk about change. Not that long ago, on a daily basis we saw, talked with, interacted with, and watched them grow. For our family, the stage of being together daily is over. The girls are now self-sufficient adults and living on their own.

As they create their lives and establish their patterns and roots, we have less family time. This is no surprise. It’s how it often is. This is an essential part of them becoming independent. However, even though it’s what we know would happen, there are times when I miss what was and the changes that have occurred. That’s normal.

“I savor this simple, joy-infused moment.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

Instead of feeling sad for the era that's passed, I focus on embracing the changes or moments that are happening now. Our daughter Allison, who was photographing me with our daughter Cassie, captured one of these celebratory moments. In those few fleeting seconds, Allison filmed the sheer joy I felt being with my kids. There was nothing unusual about the moment. We were preparing breakfast together. It was a familiar, yet much missed moment that used to be part of my daily experience – hugging, laughing, and cooking. I savor this simple, joy-infused moment.

Change is part of the human experience. Maybe you’re in the process of making changes right now. What is your experience with change? Do you find ways to seek joy along the way? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

As a professional organizer I view myself as a facilitator of change. My clients start at point A with a desire to get to point B. As you can imagine, that’s only possible through change. The journey is never a straight trajectory. There are bumps, glitches and adjustments that happen along the way. There’s also potential to experience more happiness and joy.

There are a few essentials for a successful change journey. The first is being as clear as possible about your goals. The better you can articulate, imagine, or visualize which changes your want, the greater motivation you’ll have along the way and the more likely your decisions along the way will be aligned with your goals.

The second essential to make your journey a happier and more fulfilling one, is to enjoy the ride. The type of change my clients seek doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not instant. In fact, it’s often a slow process that happens over an extended period of time while they simultaneously navigate the other parts of their lives. Acknowledging the successes as you go, noticing your progress, and doing some impromptu “happy dances” or high fives, will increase your happiness.

What’s fascinating is there’s an actual happiness factor that comes with working towards goals. In a 2013 study conducted by Time, they asked the question,

“What makes you happier…working toward a goal or achieving a goal?”

35% responded that working toward a goal made them happier. 59% responded that achieving a goal made them happier. Here’s the interesting twist. Science indicates, “Savoring the journey brings joy, even if we don't realize it.”

So while respondents perceived that achieving a goal made them happier, science offers that if in fact we savor the ride, we can boost happiness during our change journey.

What have you noticed about making changes and working towards goals? How do you experience your journey or arrival? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

Last month our conversations were about new beginnings and fresh starts. This month we’re focusing on change. As we move into the second month of the New Year, many of us are thinking about the changes we want to make. Getting organized is often top of the list as are losing weight, getting more exercise, eating more healthfully, and creating a better work/life balance.

Any change that we desire starts with the acknowledgment and awareness that in fact, we want to make a change. After awareness come changes in thinking, habits, and behaviors. For example, I’d like to eat fewer sweets. One way to do this is not to bring them home.

At the market, I saw my favorite cookies. Oh, how I love Tate’s chocolate chip cookies! I wanted to take them home with me. However, once they were in the house, I knew it would be impossible not to eat them. To reach my “eat less sweets” goal, not bringing the cookies home or avoiding the cookie aisle all together are examples of small habit changes that will help me reach my desired goal.

At the end of a recent organizing session with one of my clients, she jokingly said to me, “I shouldn’t read the newspaper with scissors in my hand.”

“I shouldn’t read the newspaper with scissors in my hand.”

— Oh, So Organized! Client

The two of us burst out laughing. In one sentence she identified her challenge and thought of a clever tweak to her article clipping habit. Read without scissors.

For her, the piles of newspapers to read and articles to clip and manage had become a burden. As someone that loves learning and sharing what she learns with others, she often cuts out newspaper articles of interest. These articles become piles. The piles become to dos waiting for action. She recently recognized that many of the articles that she had clipped were outdated and could be recycled.

After spending many days sorting the backlog of newspapers, her attitude about article clipping shifted. She questioned her reasoning for keeping them, the time it took to manage them, and the reality that much of what had been important was no longer relevant. From this awareness, she had the insight, “I shouldn’t read the newspaper with scissors in my hand.”

It’s amazing how one small habit change can completely shift an outcome. So whether it’s leaving the cookies at the market or reading without scissors, it is possible to easily change a pattern to yield your desired outcome.

What about you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. What small change can you make to bring about the benefit you hope for?