What happens when you lose your groove? Do you know what I mean? You’ve established a habit. You’ve committed to a habit and then life gets in the way. How do you come back? How do you re-motivate yourself to return to that thing, that habit that you know and love?

As I sat to write my weekly post, I realized that this is exactly what I’ve experienced. It’s been three weeks since my last post. In the past five plus years, I’ve written one blog post per week with a few exceptions. It’s a habit I enjoy, find creative and have been committed to.

However, I’ve faced some challenges in these recent weeks that forced me to let go of certain commitments (as in writing the weekly blog post and engaging as actively on social media) so that I could handle others. Yes there was guilt. Yes there was disappointment. But it was also necessary to let go to make room for some emergencies and out of the ordinary challenges.

Here are some reminders I gave myself about motivation:

• I can come back at any time.

• I need to be flexible because there are only 24 hours in a day.

• Some of those 24 hours are needed for sleep, which is essential for recharging.

• If I’m exhausted, I won’t have the energy or motivation to do anything.

• Return to your source for centering. Water and sun restore me.

• If I’ve gotten way off track, take one tiny step towards that “project” or habit and it will feed my motivation.

• Practice self-compassion.

• Listen to your cheerleaders.

• Just start.

• Let go of perfect.

Needless to say, I’ve missed all of you. I’ve missed our conversations. I’m glad to be back after taking a break to tend to some family and professional challenges. I get that I expect a lot from myself. Does this sound familiar? I get that there’s a balance between doing and not doing. I’m working on that.

What about you? Does any of this resonate? Has life ever gotten in the way and thrown you off course? It’s temporary. What do you do to re-motivate? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

During a local errand run, I came across a luggage tag that grabbed my attention. Written in bold, clear lettering it said,

“Collect moments NOT things.” 

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a collector of things. I derive pleasure in looking at and playing with fun, colorful objects like my floating pens, Pez dispensers and miniatures. But what I am a deeply appreciative of are the brilliant moments that life offers us at every turn.

The key is allowing the time to pause and acknowledge what we’re seeing, hearing, feeling, or noticing. Maybe the moment is the slight breeze cooling you off on a hot day, the scent of the rich, brown earth after a heavy rain, hearing the soothing voice of a loved one, the taste of that first morning sip of coffee, or sensation of your body exhaling as you lay down to relax after a long day. The list of wonderful moments goes on. Which moments fill your time? Which moments are there to appreciate?

While some moments are solitary, we also have shared ones with our friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances, and strangers. Who are the people that you share your time with?

Linda Goldfarb and Linda Samuels - ICD 2009

Our time is limited. This was made all too clear as I mourn the recent loss of my friend and colleague, Linda Goldfarb. She passed away this week and will be deeply missed. Over the last fifteen years, our paths crossed many times at NAPO-NY, NAPO National and ICD events. I had the great pleasure of working with her on several projects for ICD. She was a woman of her word, creative, patient, focused, and always delivered on her promises. Linda was passionate about traveling, spending time with her husband, Bob and being a foster parent to dogs waiting to be adopted. She was a giver. Her moments counted.

While I’ll continue to collect a Pez dispenser here or a miniature there, the larger focus will be on collecting and appreciating amazing moments both simple and deep, solo and shared, because life is made up of those tiny instances. Time goes all too quickly. These moments are waiting for us to embrace.

Amazing moments are the ones we notice. Which moments fill your time? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation. 

Last month, we focused our conversations on the topic of clutter. This month, we’re shifting gears to discuss time —how we manage it, how we manage ourselves, what our challenges are, and more. Today, I’m thinking about what happens when we have so much going on every day that there’s no time left for not doing.

We’re so busy that we don’t give ourselves any transition time. We’re overscheduled and overwhelmed. Does this sound familiar? Do you wake up each day knowing that you can’t possibly accomplish all the items on your list?

In general, I’m a pretty good manager of my time. However, something surprising happened to me this past weekend. My husband and I sat down to discuss our summer plans and activities. Even though I was looking forward to all the things we wanted to do, I found myself getting very stressed, even a little freaked out. As we started looking at dates, I saw weekends disappearing.

One of my goals for 2015 is to be more conscious of the white space in my calendar. To me, that white space represents unplanned time. It’s a potential time when I can relax, do, or not do. I can say “yes” to something on a whim because there’s the space to do that. The white space is like a free pass. With the many commitments that I do have, that white space becomes essential for my sanity and well-being.

As Steve and I planned, instead of feeling happy and excited, I felt anxious. This wasn’t pleasant to experience or watch. However, it was important to identify what I was feeling, understand the significance, and embrace being uncomfortable. By doing that, I realized that I am the guardian of my own white space. Duh. No one is saying, “Linda, you have to schedule every waking moment on your calendar.”  In fact, my body had a visceral reaction when I thought I was going to overschedule my time. My response was so intense (and impossible to ignore) that it prevented me from making all of the decisions we wanted to make.

Here’s what happened. We prioritized. We made a few plans. We kept some weekends free. We might choose to secure a few more dates on the calendar, but for now, I’m guarding that white space. What my mind understood earlier this year, my body reminded me of loudly and clearly.

How much white space do you need? How do you manage and protect your time? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join our conversation.

There’s something so luxurious about a long weekend, isn’t there? Just knowing we have one extra day makes it seem like time is suspended. For me that additional non-work day makes me feel less rushed. Do you know what I mean?

The “less rushed” feeling also extends to my inner thoughts. Slowing the pace down, for even a little bit, helps me manage my mind clutter.  This past weekend I was able to ignore my running list of to dos that occupied my thoughts. I’ll admit that I began the weekend with a very long list of things I hoped to accomplish. In the end, there were very few I actually did because frankly, I needed a break from my list. Have you ever experienced that?

Instead of pursuing the joy of getting my list done, I opted to ignore the list and let the days unfold- guilt-free. It felt like a vacation. I spent most of the weekend outside doing yard work with my husband, Steve. I enjoyed not doing anything from my list. I wondered what life would be like if one day I didn’t have a list. Was that even possible? If I had nothing to do, how would that feel? Would I invent things to do because I’m used to being busy? It was hard to even imagine. These days especially there’s always something to do. There’s always next. I’m never done.

This past weekend, I was able to let go of the mind clutter by letting go of the need to work my list.  I loved being outside with Steve, using my hands, digging in the dirt, planting flowers, trimming trees and shrubs, and taking breaks when I felt like it. The pace was just right. There was nothing pulling me in another direction. The zen of the moment worked its magic on my mind clutter.

As I get ready for the week, my list is long, but my mind is clear. I’m relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready for the days ahead.

How do you manage your mind clutter? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.