There’s a lot of hoopla surrounding the start of a year. Why is that? It’s the timely intersection of three fresh start motivators and temporal landmarks- new day, month, and year. They form an enhanced boost, a fresh start effect, which incentivizes you to clean your slate and reset your goals and intentions. Of course, you can activate a fresh start at any time, but it’s especially useful to harness the power of the New Year. Today I’ll focus on three ways to do this. I hope that one of these ideas will resonate with you and help you create a magnificent year.

Intent

The process of goal setting can be frustrating. We might not be planners. We might get easily distracted. We might quickly become discouraged if we make our goals too lofty, complicated, or numerous. So instead of planning every change, minute detail, or date of when “x” will be accomplished, how about considering this other idea? Pick an overall intent for your year and let that be your guiding force as you make decisions each day. You might already have an idea, but if not, below are a few questions to nudge your thoughts. 

• What do I want more of this year?

• What do I want less of this year?

• What is my one word for the year?

• Where do I want to visit this year?

• What am I ready to let go of?

• What will I say “yes” to?

• What will I say “no” to?

We had our close friends over for dinner on New Year’s Eve. I randomly put a card with one of these questions at each place setting. There was no expectation for answering them as a group or even introspectively. However, to my great delight, our friends wanted to talk about them. It made for some deep conversations. My card said,  “What will I say ‘yes’ to?”  I decided to use this intention for my year. I’ve interpreted it to mean that I will lean into interesting opportunities and openings with minimal deliberation and doubt. On the first day of the year, I had the chance to exercise that intent, and it was quite liberating.

Flow

Positive psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, discovered and defined the flow state as an

“optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.”

We talk about achieving flow, trying to attain flow, or feeling in the flow. On New Year’s Day, my husband and I took a leisurely drive on the winding roads in the Hudson Valley. It was quiet. We stopped several times by various water sources and were mesmerized by the undulating movements and soothing sounds. Some water rushed along their paths. Some streams were more still than others. All were unencumbered. They easily moved from one point to the next, navigating their paths with confidence and ease. It made me think how so many of us struggle with blocked paths. Our calendars, spaces, and minds are obstructed by “stuff.” There is no flow. We’re weighted down. Our movement is slow and challenging. 

For this year, focus on flow. Think about these impediments and ways you can open the gates. Maybe we turn the idea of organizing upside-down this year. Think flow. Think simplicity. Think better movement, less heaviness, and more freedom. As you activate your senses and pay mindful attention to the flow of your days, notice where you feel stuck. How can you create more flow this year?

Rainbows

Just so you know, I hesitated about including rainbows in the title, let alone as a serious topic. Despite my reservations, for two reasons I decided to go for it. First of all, you’re an open-minded, accepting group of readers. Thank you for being the fantastic people who you are. Secondly, I had an extraordinary rainbow-related experience that felt timely and relevant. I wanted to share it with you. Those of you that know me, probably get that I tend to subscribe more to the “glass half full” philosophy. Recognizing that perhaps you’ll accept this rainbow mention as a natural extension to my optimistic tendencies. 

Above I described the drive that my husband and I took yesterday. The last stop on our journey was the Croton Dam. This magnificent structure built in 1907 and stretching over the Croton River is part of the New York City water supply system. It has incredible views all seasons, and I love walking across the top to see the changing landscape. Our walk yesterday didn’t disappoint. 

The water was in full force, so much so that I could feel the spray. The sun kept disappearing and appearing from behind the clouds. And then it happened. As the sun came out, an enormous, vividly colored rainbow graced the shore from the hillside of bare trees down to the white, rushing water. The colors sparkled and undulated in the light. We were totally captivated and knew we were witnessing something remarkable. We just happened to be there at this moment, on this day, the first day of the New Year. And what is it about rainbows? They are fleeting. They are gorgeous. And yes. They are magical. And they also symbolize happiness and hope. 

So the last idea of the year is this. Your New Year offers you a fresh start filled with possibilities and hope. Take a deep breath in of good intentions, of fresh air, of newness. Exhale as you relax and let go of all that’s holding you back.

I wish you all the best that life has to offer as you begin your new year.  

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are you thinking about as you start your year? Did any of the ideas from intent, flow, or rainbows resonate with you? Come join the conversation!

Life is full of distractions. These distractions often have noise components that come from external and internal sources. With all of the noise and distractions, it can be especially challenging to focus on what’s most important. Noise in our environment can be overpowering. It’s essential to make time for quiet and stillness. By doing this, we create white space and breathing room. From this quiet we connect with our minds, bodies and others and ready ourselves for creativity, learning, and a fresh start. The start can be for the next moment, day, month, project or interaction.

There are many ways to bring quiet into your days. Some of us need more quiet than others. I’ve noticed that as I’ve aged, my need for quiet has increased. What have you noticed?

Mindfulness practices including meditation or integrating mindful living are ways of finding those quiet puntuations during your day. Another path to quiet is spending time with nature. You can be an observer and just sit, watch or listen. You can surround your being by taking a walk outdoors. You can set aside some time to be still and focus on the in and out movement of your breath.

All of these practices will quiet your mind, quiet your being, and give you some pause from the daily noise and distractions.

Enjoy this quiet moment . . .

How do you find quiet? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

The first of the year installment (v17) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature is here with my latest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring fresh start-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are such a wonderfully engaged group and I am so grateful for you. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? . . .

1. Interesting Read – Fresh Start Rituals

With many of us feeling the hectic pace of the New Year, there is an alternative way to live. Instead of going faster, your fresh start could include slowing down. I recently finished reading this small and lovely book, Destination Simple – Everyday Rituals for a Slower Life by Brooke McAlary, an Australian writer and podcast creator of Slow Your Home. Brooke says, “… by being intentional with your daily actions you can create the simpler, happier life you want. And you can do this by harnessing the power of rituals and rhythms.” She shares five rituals to integrate into your day including single-tasking and unplugging. In addition, she suggests ways of establishing morning and evening rhythms, like routines, but more fluid and flexible.  Even if you don’t adopt every suggestion, even making one change can add more calm and happiness to your life. Brooke’s marching orders are to create a slower, simpler days and then, “… go enjoy life.”

2. Interesting Research  – Fresh Start Effect

The beginning of the year is the time when many of us set goals. It turns out that the first day of the year is a temporal landmark, which signals the beginning of a new and distinctly different period of time. Research from The Wharton School shows that these landmarks help us feel the fresh start effect, which gives us a motivation boost to help us achieve our goals. While January 1st is a common temporal landmark, there are many others we can access like a new day, new week, new month, new season, birthday or holiday. If you missed the fresh start effect on January 1st, harness the power of your next, new something. You can activate your fresh start anytime you want.

3. Interesting Experience – Fresh Start Mornings

Are you ready for a truly fun and unique way to bring a fresh start to your morning? I couldn’t resist sharing this one with you. Daybreaker creates morning events for communities in about 15 cities worldwide that infuse dance and exercise into the start of your day. Their fun formula with five core values of wellness, camaraderie, self-expression, mindfulness and mischief are wrapped in a two-hour dance experience with guest speakers and performers. It’s basically an early morning dance party. Maybe starting your day by dancing with 400 strangers isn’t your thing, but how about cranking up the music and dancing in the privacy of your own home to give your day an energizing fresh start?

4. Interesting Product – Fresh Start List

While goal setting happens several times throughout the year, there’s nothing quite like the start of a New Year to reenergize us to aim for new or reset previous goals. One of the most effective ways of hitting our goals is to write them down. This cheery #Goals pad from Knock Knock makes it easy to capture your daily, weekly or life goals. Give yourself the gift of time, grab a pen, and let your ideas fly. This blank slate will give your goals a fresh start boost. I’m excited for you just thinking about what you’ll accomplish in the coming year. Care to share with us?

5. Interesting Thought – Fresh Start Your New

The beauty of a fresh start is that you can use it to alter your perspective, shift your focus, build from your past successes, and energize yourself to experience new outcomes. What will your “fresh” bring?

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

If you’re anything like me, you might think, “There’s no possible way I’ll ever get to inbox zero.”  Over the years, I’ve read many articles and books and even attended seminars with advice about the value of having zero emails in your inbox. I’ve commented on many posts, “I greatly admire your ability to get to zero and would love to do it myself, but don’t see how I can realistically get there…ever!” I’ve imagined how it might feel to be unencumbered by old emails and an inbox that felt more like a “to-do someday list.”

While I haven’t set all of my 2018 goals in motion or even decided what they will be, one of the goals I committed to this year was my project “inbox zero.” I wanted a fresh start and a clean slate to grow from. With this new goal of “zero” in mind, I was curious if I could achieve it. I also wondered how to make it happen.

So, I set a simple plan in motion. I remembered some advice I learned, which helped me create a doable plan. Using the breaking-down-large-projects-into-small-parts thought process, I set up a few basic rules.

Linda’s Rules for Project Inbox Zero

Set a completion date. I opted to have this done by January 1st. Guess what? That didn’t happen, but it did happen a week later. It’s good to remember that deadlines are great motivators, but be flexible. As it turns out, I needed that extra time to complete my goal. And if I needed more time, I would have made another adjustment.

Create some parameters. With hundreds of emails and decisions to process, I knew I’d need more than a day to get through them. I used small time blocks daily to process the old emails while keeping up with the new ones. The beauty of doing a little bit each day was that decision-making wasn’t overwhelming. If I experienced decision fatigue, I stopped. I aimed for progress, not completion. That kept me motivated and ready for the next email session.

Establish the “dump” buckets. That may seem like an odd term, but it’s what it felt like. Reviewing each email, I decided which “bucket” to “dump” the email or information into. My favorite bucket was the trash. If the email was no longer relevant, I let it go. Another bucket was my “to-do” list. Anything that required action or follow-up got assigned a date on my list to review later. A third bucket was contacts. Some emails required transferring stats or information to my contact system. The other types of emails are related to current or past projects. Those went into archive buckets. These archives are digital folders with specific project or topic category names.

Be Realistic. The most challenging emails to decide about were those I hoped to have done something with someday but hadn’t. I used the “how long I’ve been ignoring this email factor” to determine the likelihood of ever attending to that thing. In most cases, those emails ended up in the “trash” bucket. A few were archived or added to my to-do list. However, I tried to be as realistic as possible before they were kept. The point of achieving inbox zero wasn’t just to empty the box but also to make realistic assessments about the contents.

“Use small time blocks daily to process the old emails while keeping up with the new ones.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Do it now. Some emails required more immediate action, like signing up for ICD’s new teleclasses. The time needed to complete those tasks was minimal. However, once the task was completed, the email could be deleted. So, I opted to handle any quick action emails right away rather than adding them to my to-do list.

As you’ve figured out by now, with these simple rules in place, I got through hundreds of emails within a few weeks, routed them to their buckets, and arrived at inbox zero. It’s a little strange to see my empty inbox. It looks kind of lonely. I’m still expecting hundreds of messages every time I open the program. Along with the strangeness, I feel liberated with a positive feeling that fresh starts often bring. There’s a certain clarity and focus when attending to the few new ones that pop in.

I’m looking forward to other types of letting go in the coming months. There are papers to shred, files to clear out, and general “stuff” to release. Emails were just the beginning.

What is your relationship to your inbox? Have you struggled with managing email? What works or doesn't work for you? What has your experience been with inbox zero or fresh starts for this year? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation!