How resilient are you at bouncing back after life throws you a curve ball? These surprises come in degress of magnitude from minor setbacks to the profound. They vary from losing our keys to being so distracted that we put our sneakers in the freezer to having a loved one rushed to the hospital, or pass away. Last week’s post, 5 Success Tips for Life’s Surprises, generated an interesting conversation about bouncing back, which begged to be explored further. I invited several of my wonderful colleagues and regular blog participators (Helena Alkhas, Janet Barclay, Ellen Delap, Leslie Josel, Janice Russell, Yota Schneider, Geralin Thomas, and Sue West) to continue this idea and share with you their best success tips for getting back on track after “stuff” happens. My gratitude goes to each of them for their generous and valuable words of wisdom.

8 Tips for Bouncing Back

1. Relax

"Not all crises are created equal! More often than not, when we find ourselves in the grip of the unexpected, what can help us the most, is allowing for breathing space! Relaxing into a situation can activate our creative thinking and the law of synchronicity. 

Things have a way of falling into place - just the way they're meant to - when we're able to take a step back, breathe, and open up to guidance. From that place, we can evaluate our options, reach out to our support system, and respond from a place of clarity, resourcefulness, and conviction."

Yota Schneider, Life Transitions Coach

2. Respect Self

“I believe that resilience is a funny thing. Unfortunately, there are no absolutes to bouncing back when life hands you a curve ball.  Sometimes, we jump right back in stronger than ever while other times we need to move more slowly to resume our every day.  And I think that is the best way to approach those times. If you are aware, truly aware of what you need – time, quiet, friends, exercise or even just a refreshing ice tea to reset you – and you do it on your own terms in your own way, then the bouncing back will surely come.”

Leslie Josel, Professional Organizer

3. Make No Excuses

“If you want to ‘reboot’ yourself and recover gracefully just stop making excuses for almost anything and almost everything! Make a decision to rarely give an excuse again unless you are point-blank asked to do so or it's absolutely necessary and then, do it as truthfully as possible.”

Geralin Thomas, CPO-CD & Organizing Instructor

4. Activate Healthy Habits

“The ability to bounce back comes from our inner energy reserves. In the most difficult of times we often lose sleep, eat poorly and generally think negative thoughts. However, if we rely on good self care, including healthy habits and positivity, we not only bounce back more quickly, we can also ward off more stress.  This is why a good night’s sleep on a very regular basis is one of my own highest priorities.”

Ellen Delap, Certified Professional Organizer

5. Identify Needs

“An important component of the Minding Your Matters® Flexible Structure Method of organizing and productivity is to select success tools. There are three types of tools: Support, Supplies and Skills. At any given point in life, you may have to employ or shore up one or more of these tools. Understanding that the type and amount you use of each tool varies by circumstance is crucial to navigating the ups and downs of this life.”

Janice Russell, Productivity Strategist

6. Be Proactive

“Sometimes things go wrong due to your own actions or failure to act. Instead of giving up, think of what you can do to prevent it from happening again, then do it – immediately.”

Janet Barclay, Virtual Assistant, Web Designer, & Blogger

7. Draw from Past Successes

“Call it ‘mindfulness,’ ‘awareness,’ ‘observing’ or ‘noticing patterns.’ It’s about using what you know works, for you, not for your spouse or friend.

Find a quiet time and place to reflect. Think about other small or large surprises and changes from your past. Think about how you got back on track. Write down what’s worked for you in the past. If it was a person who helped, what was particularly helpful in what they said or how they said it? Or was it their listening that was most helpful? If you did it yourself, what got you there? What pulled you back?”

Sue West, Certified Organizing Coach & Certified Professional Organizer

8. Evoke Imagery

“To portray bounce back and resilience I use the image of bamboo. It is so tall and majestic, but can bend down to the ground in a storm and slowly, after the storm passes, bring itself up again. That's resilience, the ability to gracefully accept the ‘bending downs’ life brings us and slowly make our way up to the sky again.”

Helena Alkhas, Professional Organizer & Virtual Assistant

Life’s challenges come in varying degrees. When the unexpected happens, it’s useful to have some tools at the ready to increase our chance of successfully navigating forward. Come join the conversation. What is your best go to “bouncing back” tip? 

One of my weekend pleasures is going to the local farmer’s market on Saturday mornings with my friends. The tastes, scents, and colors are inspiring. The company and conversations are wonderful. On a recent visit, I took photos of vibrantly colored vegetables and shared them on Facebook. One of my friends commented on the string beans photo and said, “I would like to see these organized, please…right now, it’s all over the place. It makes me very uneasy.” He was joking around with me, but it started me thinking beyond the beans.

What do we need in a given day to help us feel successful? How does the organizing piece fit into that? How much chaos can we tolerate, especially when emergencies strike? Each of us will answer these questions differently.

When the unexpected happens, having some systems in place can help us navigate the surprises. Recently, I was driving home from a meeting when I heard a loud noise. It felt like I’d hit something, although I didn’t see anything in the road. Everything seemed fine, so I continued on my mission and headed to a nearby Starbucks for an iced tea. When I got out of my car, a man approached me to explain that I’d run over something that looked like screwdriver. It punctured my tire, which made it completely flat. Not fun.

Despite this unexpected and annoying snag, I decided to get my iced tea. I sat, breathed, collected my thoughts, and devised an action plan. I took out my iPhone, which had all my contacts and essential information stored. First, I called Mavis Tire, where I had purchased the tires, to see if they could fix the puncture and possibly tow me to their shop. They said they could fix it but could not get me there. Then I called AAA to come tow me to Mavis. Next, I called my husband to let him know what was happening. The tow truck arrived by the time I’d finished my iced tea. Mavis was able to patch the hole, which cost me nothing since my tires were insured. In less than two hours, everything was fixed, and I was home.

5 Success Tips for “Surprises”

1. Breathe – Panicking doesn’t help. Give yourself a moment to breathe, collect your thoughts, consider your options, and make a plan.

2. Care Take – Emergency situations use up additional energy. Take care of yourself to be better equipped to handle the challenges. This can be as simple as sitting, talking with a loved one, or slowly enjoying a beverage or healthy snack.

3. Reach Out – When surprises strike, we often need to enlist help from others. Help can come from professionals, family, friends, or even strangers.

4. Prep – We never know when an emergency will happen or what we might need. Having contact information organized in an easily accessible manner can make all the difference between feeling stressed or calm.

5. Appreciate – We often take for granted when life runs smoothly. Especially when the unexpected occurs, it allows us another opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation for what we normally don’t stop to think about.

We’ve all experienced emergencies. What success strategies work for you? Come join the conversation and add to the list.

Last fall, I came across an article in the New York Times by Paul Tough called, What if the secret to success is failure? It was about rethinking how students should be taught and evaluated. Especially as a parent, I find this idea of allowing space for our children to fail along the journey as essential. It's challenging for many of us to do because we don't want to see our children suffer or struggle. However, if we can step back, encourage, and let our kids figure life out with some guidance and minimal hovering, amazing growth will occur.

This was an unusual week for us. We watched as both of our daughters’ successfully navigated major transitions. We were there to provide emotional and minimal hands-on support, but they orchestrated all of the decisions, even when they weren’t 100% sure.

Our youngest daughter negotiated her first apartment lease for her and three roommates, organized (including her shoe organizing solution for her bedroom without a closet) and packed all her belongings, moved in, and set-up her new digs a few days before starting her fall semester of college.

Our oldest daughter, a recent college graduate, networked, explored many next step options from teaching English in South Korea to working on a farm in Oregon, was offered a job in her field (textiles) in New York, organized and packed her apartment, rented a truck, and moved back to New York all within three days.

We raised our kids to be independent and encouraged them to try even when they weren't sure. We invited them to make the best decisions possible based on the information and knowledge they had at that time. We also let them know that if the outcome wasn’t as they hoped, they could make changes. We always looked at failures, both theirs and ours, as learning opportunities.

We have all experienced our share of disappointments, failures, and mishaps. Whatever you call them, they are unavoidable. They are in fact, necessary. Our failures tell us as much about what we don’t want as they reveal about what we do want. If we allow them, our failures teach us how to tweak, to explore, and to be less fearful of making mistakes. We can then experience the joy of success.

The next time you feel the need to rescue someone, take a deep breath, and give them room to explore and fail their way to success. What are your thoughts? How have your failures influenced your success?

It’s that time of year. Leaves are turning, classes are starting, and new school supplies are flying off store shelves. The other day I came across an old pre-printed pad, “A Note to School from Linda Samuels,” which I no longer use since our daughters are in college and beyond. Seeing the notepad made me think about all the years of excited anticipation we had preparing for school to begin.

Are you and your kids ready for the transition? Take a deep breath. Getting that organizing piece working for you can make a big difference in your days running more smoothly. Here are my top seven tips for an organized, joyful school year.

7 Organizing Help Tips for Back to School

1. Cycle

Giving closure to the previous school year helps us get ready for this year. Sort through last year’s school papers (preferably with your kids.) It’s an excellent opportunity to review what was accomplished and what they were most proud of. It gives you a chance to create a mini time capsule representing last year. Be ruthless when you sort. Save what’s most meaningful and recycle the rest. Store the “keepers” in a large envelope. Write your kid’s name, grade, and year on the outside. Store the envelope in a larger container. Add a new envelope at the end of each school year. 

2. Capture

Establish a place to put the current school papers as they enter your home. You can use bins, binders, boxes, or any container that’s easily accessible. As art, graded papers, or programs come in, put them in their designated spot. You might want a separate container for each kid. When the container gets full, you can do some editing. Then the “keepers” can be stored in their year-end envelope, as described above.

3. Land

Create a place for backpacks, coats, and notes to reside. When kids come home, they will know where to put their belongings. Cubbies work well, as do hooks. Make them easily accessible in terms of their physical placement in the home and the heights at which you place things. The easier you make it, the better chance you will establish the “place it here” habit. Consider adding a whiteboard or other communication center in this area to leave notes, messages, and essential items for kids to remember. Before bed, have your kids make sure that all needed items are ready in the “land” area for the following day.

“Giving closure to the previous school year helps us get ready for this year.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

4. Center

One of the essential ingredients for school success is establishing a place to do homework and readily available school supplies. When it’s time to do that science project, it’s no fun if you have to hunt for the markers. Review your current supplies to see if any items need to be replenished. Create a zone for the supplies to reside. If your kids like to move around to various locations to do their homework, put together a portable tote, bin, or rolling cart to hold the supplies. Whether they prefer working on a desk, bed, or the kitchen table, the supplies can “travel” with your kids. 

5. Assess

Fall is a natural time to review clothing needs. Organize with each kid separately. Go through their closets and drawers. Remove any items that no longer fit, they won’t wear, need repair or cleaning. With the “do not want or fit,” donate or save for younger kids if appropriate. Make a shopping list of items that are needed. Remember that less is easier to maintain than too much. Factor in how often laundry is done. Especially if it’s done frequently, you may not need as many clothes. Getting dressed is so much easier and less stressful when everything fits, is clean and organized.

6. Resources

This is the time of year when back to school tips and suggestions are abundant. Many of my organizing colleagues have great wisdom to share. Some of my favorite tips and posts are Leslie Josel’s Student Organizing Pinterest board, Helena Alkhas’ school paper organizing system, and Ellen Delap’s Back to School Tips to Organize Your Home. You can also find inspiration on my Pinterest board, Oh, So Organized School Days!

7. Perspective

With transitions come new patterns, more to-dos, and extra stress. Reminding ourselves to enjoy the moments can be helpful. They go so fast. A few years ago, I wrote a guest post for Working Mother, Moms’ ‘To Do’ Lists about getting things done, parenting, and appreciating the various stages of our children’s lives.

What are some of your favorite ways to stay organized for the school year? I invite you to join the conversation and to share your best tips and resources.