@2011 Photo by Steve SamuelsAn essential success secret is to reflect and appreciate your progress. If you’ve been working towards organizing your home, it’s important to pause along the way and acknowledge all the work you’ve done to create more order. If you’ve been moving towards a more comfortable life balance, stopping to review where you are enables you to recognize your growth.

One of my 2011 goals was to write more frequently and put out a new post every week. I’ve stayed close to that schedule and have focused on writing about a different aspect of organizing and life balance each month. To honor the idea of pausing to appreciate successes, I’ve collected for you my favorite 2011 posts. I am grateful for the wonderful community of readers and commentators. For those that wrote comments, your thoughts enriched the dialogue. Your ideas are always welcome and I encourage you to continue adding to the conversation.

Linda’s Favorite 2011 Posts:

Fresh Start:  5 Ways to Get A Fresh Start

Embrace Change:  Checking-in On Change

Next Step:  What’s Your Next Step?

Too Hard to Let Go:  My Tea Said, “Let Go!”

Too Much Clutter:  Release Mind Clutter

Too Little Time:  8 W’s of Time Management

Getting Motivated:  5 Motivation Tricks

Enlisting Help:  7 Ways to Help Self

Discovering Success Secrets:  Environment for Success

It’s your turn. What goal have you been working towards? Have you paused to reflect and acknowledge your accomplishments? Can you share one of your successes or challenges with us?

@2011 Photo by Linda SamuelsAs we welcome a new month with the climate and focus transitioning to the fall season, I’m reminded of a favorite anecdote, Charles Francis, my friend and author of Wisdom Well Said, shared with me several years ago.  The story suggests that our growth and success stem from immersing ourselves in a nurturing, conducive environment. And so the story goes…

A favorite fish of many hobbyists is the Japanese carp, also known as the koi. The interesting thing about the koi is that if you keep it in a small fish bowl, it will only grow to be 2 to 3 inches. Place the koi in a larger tank, and it will reach 6 to 10 inches. Put it in a big pond, and it may get as long as a foot and a half. However, when placed in a huge lake where it can really stretch out, it has the potential to reach sizes up to 3 feet.

An analogy can be made concerning people. Our growth is determined by the size of our world. It is not the world’s measurable dimensions that are important, but the mental, emotional, and physical opportunities to which we expose ourselves. Realizing that growth comes from the inside and not the outside, we come to the understanding that, unless we place ourselves in the right environment, we can never reach our full potential.

Perhaps you’ll be venturing off for a last summer vacation, having a BBQ with family and friends or catching your breath before the busier fall schedule begins. As you enjoy the coming days, take some time to reflect on the ingredients you need to create an environment of success. Will it mean organizing your physical space or mind clutter? Perhaps it will involve learning new skills. Maybe it will be connecting with new people.

Join in the conversation. What small step you can take to create an environment for success?

You are moving forward on your organizing challenges. You’re at the point where you want to enlist the help of a professional organizer. There are thousands of organizers in the world and each is as unique as the clients they serve. With so many choices, how do you find an organizer that’s right for you? By considering some of these questions, you can find a good fit.

6 Tips for Hiring a PO . . .

1. Assessment – Clarifying your needs will help you find which organizer is right for you.

• What kind of organizing help do you need? There is a wide-range of organizing specialties. Some organizers specialize in residential or business organizing. Some organize papers while others orchestrate moves. Some organizers are generalists while others specialize in working with the organizationally challenged.

• Do you need assistance with a single, short-term project such as organizing a closet or do you need help with a more complex long-term project including ongoing support such as organizing an entire household?

• Has organizing always been a challenge for you? If so, consider hiring an organizer that specializes in working with chronically disorganized clients.

• Do you have the time and financial resources to invest in your organizing goals?

2. Contact – Initial conversations can be indicators for the future success of your relationship.

• Did you find the organizer through a referral, ad, professional association, article or Internet search?

• When you first communicated with the organizer, were they responsive?

• Did they answer all your questions?

• Did they understand your unique challenges and organizing goals?

• Would you enjoy working with them?

3. Availability – Even though organizing is a service industry geared towards our clients, individual organizing companies are structured differently.

• Are your schedules compatible?

• Can the organizer accommodate your needs?

• Do you want to work with the organizer evenings or weekends? If so, is the organizer available then or do they only work during the weekdays?

4. Research – Exploring further will enable you to make a more informed decision.

• Did you interview more than one organizer? Organizers have different personalities, business practices and methodologies, so it might be beneficial to contact several organizers to compare differences.

• Did you ask the organizer for references? If so, consider the type of work the organizer did with those clients (was it similar to your needs) and the longevity of the relationship. What insights did the client share?

• Does the organizer have a website? If so, did you review it to learn more about them and their business? What impressions did you have?

5. Intuition – Let your insights help guide you.

• What does your inner voice tell you about the organizer?

• Were you able to easily communicate with them?

• Did you feel hopeful or hopeless after talking with them?

6. Education & Experience – The level of the organizer’s education and experience can have an effect on your organizing success.

• What type of special education or training does the organizer have?

• How long have they been in business as an organizer?

• Do they continue to educate themselves on organizing issues and trends?

• Do they have resources such as other professionals, publications or products that they will share with you?

• Do they belong to any professional organizing associations such as ICD, NAPO, POC, JALO, or NBPO? The more involved the organizer is with their industry, the more value they can offer to the client.

Like you, organizers want the relationship to be successful. If they are not well suited for you, they should be able to refer you to another organizer that can better meet your needs.

Are there any other questions that are important to consider? How did you find your organizer?

The past few weeks I’ve been writing and thinking about reasons and ways to enlist help from others. A few days ago, I was asked a question by business coach, Dr. Shannon Reece, which made me think about this from another perspective. For her upcoming blog, she asked entrepreneurs, “What is your single best personal and creative example of ‘ME time’ that you use regularly, which allows you to completely step away from your business and recharge?”

While it’s important to understand and identify when we should and need to ask for help, it’s just as essential to know how to be our own source of help. Here are some ideas to consider:

7 Ways to Help Self

1. Re-Sync.  There are times when we feel like we’ve gotten off track. Our electronic devices might be in sync, but we aren’t. We may feel sad, agitated or anxious. How do you bring yourself back to center? Perhaps watching a comedy, writing in your journal, cooking a new recipe or riding your bike will work. Some like to keep a “Feel Good” file where they add encouraging letters, notes and inspirational quotes they’ve collected. When they need a lift, they pull out the file to shift their perspective.

2. Balance. A funny coincidence was that as I sat down to write this post with my cup of Yogi Tea, the hangtag on the tea bag was this quote, “Work, but don’t’ forget to live.” This is a great reminder that while each of us has our “work,” it’s important to develop other parts of our self for a better life balance.

3. Organize.  Creating perfect order is not necessarily what organizing is about.  Organizing means creating just enough organization to support your daily needs. Small changes can make a big difference. It might mean organizing your make-up drawer, folding and putting away the clean laundry, reviewing and prioritizing your “to do” list the night before or unloading the dishwasher. Reigning in some of that daily chaos and stress can have positive affects.

4. Review the Basics. This may seem obvious, but simple things like drinking enough water, eating a well-balanced diet, exercising and getting enough sleep are important ways to take care of you.  It’s essential to listen to your body. Getting the basics in balance is key. We all have challenges. Exercising regularly is one of mine, which I continue working on.

5. Declutter. Letting go can be difficult, but releasing clutter can be helpful. The clutter might be physical such as overflowing clothes closets, piles of magazines and catalogs or cabinets full of rarely used kitchen gadgets and appliances. The clutter could also appear in over scheduled calendars or too many thoughts running around our heads. Focus on simplifying your spaces, time and minds by allowing the unessential to be released. This is one of the most significant ways you can help yourself.

6. Reframe. There is a standard term used in the coaching industry, NCRW, which means Naturally Creative Resourceful and Whole. This concept encourages coaches to view their clients in this positive, proactive way. While the coach is there to help guide and ask questions, it’s the client and not the coach that is capable of discovering all the answers. Adopting this perspective shifts us away from trying to “fix” someone. If we start thinking about ourselves in this way, we become empowered to find our own solutions.

7. Rejuvenate. Going back to the where I began, let’s take another look at Dr. Shannon Reece’s idea of “ME time.” None of us have an unlimited supply of energy. We have to restore it or we’ll have nothing left for our family, friends, business, activities or self. There are many ways to help refresh. Maybe sleeping late, spending all day in your pajamas, walking in the woods, sitting by the river, enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee or tea helps you to get your energy back. Finding ways to restore your reserves is the best type of help you can give your self.

Please join in the conversation. Do any of these ideas resonate with you? What are your best ways to help yourself? I’d love to hear from you.