Recently, one of my friends used a term I’d never heard before which caused me to think about our unique sources of motivation. While driving together and seeing a dumpster in one of the neighbor’s driveways, she exclaimed, “I have dumpster envy!” I’d never heard that expression before so I asked her to explain what she meant.

My friend shared that when she sees dumpsters, she becomes envious of the organizing and editing work other people are actively doing. It makes her think about her own projects she’d like to be tackling, like emptying the attic. This increases her desire to move forward too.

While I don’t have “dumpster envy,” I have experienced similar situations. When I see renovations going on or clients working hard on their organizing goals, I feel inspired and motivated to do more too. Have you experienced this?

The dumpster is a strong visual. It’s a huge container that gets filled with things that no longer are needed. Filling the container means that areas inside the home are emptying and getting lighter. The dumpster becomes the container for letting go.

Seeing the dumpster not only represented action, but it represented the hope of what action and letting go can bring. For you, maybe it’s not a dumpster, but another object. What will inspire or motivate you to take action with the clutter that's weighing you down in your life?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

Isn’t time interesting in that we identify it using certain markers? Our markers can include annual traditions like the arrival of birthday cards or preparing supplies for the new school year. Time markers can be from big life events like births, graduations, or moves. Time markers can even include things like our daily wake-up alarms or buzzers ringing when the cookies are done baking.

One of the time markers that have delighted me for the past several years is the blooming of the hydrangeas. They are the visual punctuation, which lets me know that my special vacation at the beach with my girlfriends has arrived. It’s a time to relax, to reconnect, and to enjoy doing and not doing. It’s a time to have fun, to be silly, and also engage in reflective thoughts and conversations.

There are many different types of time markers and ways to honor or recognize the passage and meaning of time. There are also ways that we purposefully want to lose track of time like when we sleep or when we’re on vacation.

My husband recently shared with me an interesting tool from timeanddate.com that helps you measure time from when something happened to a certain date (like today.) I can see this being useful in many instances, especially because we often forget things like how long we’ve been married or lived in our homes or have been at a job or in business. I don’t know about you, but the longer I live, the harder it is to fathom how long I’ve been doing certain things. Using the tool, I confirmed that . . .

• 33 years and 10 days ago I was married
• 26 years, 1 month, and 28 days ago I became a mom
• 23 years, 5 months, and 28 days ago I launched Oh, So Organized!
• 1 year, 11 months, and 28 days ago I became President of ICD (Institute for Challenging Disorganization)
• 3 days from now I’ll become Immediate Past President of ICD

What I do know is that time goes all too quickly. It’s important to savor the moments, to celebrate the markers, to be mindful of the present. Before you know it days will pass, then years, then decades. Life is a wonderful journey with many bumps along the way. Enjoy the joys and the challenges.

What time markers have you noticed? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

Time whooshes by, as evidenced by the anniversary my husband and I just celebrated. Thirty-three years ago, on June 19th, I said, “I do” to this wonderful man. Since then, we’ve traveled, raised a family, hosted many parties, and experienced the heartaches and joys that life brings.

Something we learned from both parents, who were married over 60 years, was to honor, savor, and create treasured moments together. They understood that shared, happy memories make your relationship stronger and easier to navigate life’s challenges.

So, in the tradition of our parents and their sage wisdom, each anniversary, Steve and I celebrate and carve out time just for the two of us to play and enjoy. My mom refers to this as “the good stuff.”

This past weekend, we did just that. We made  . . .

Time for Love

From holding hands to conversing to writing each other love notes, we shared our love with one another.

Love is an active expression of words and actions, which doesn’t happen unless you devote time to your relationships.

Time for Noticing Details

There was plenty of time to slow down to notice the details. The days were leisurely. I had so much fun taking pictures of cityscapes, country-scapes, people-scapes and more.

Removing the schedule and list of to-dos helped us both see the world around us in new ways.

Time for Communing With Nature

Being in nature rejuvenates us. We took time to wander through gardens, walk along the river, smell flowers and trees, listen to birds chirping, and sheep baaah-ing.

We felt the strong sun and enjoyed finding shady spots with gentle breezes. We made time to enjoy nature.

Time for Relaxing

From sleeping late to sharing leisurely meals to hanging out on the High Line lounge chairs, we took time to relax and slow our motors down.

We removed the rush, rush of our normal days and savored the relaxing moments.

Time for Exploring New Places

While we’ve lived in the Hudson Valley for over 30 years, there are places we’ve never been. This past weekend, aside from visiting some favorite spots like the High Line and Red Hat, we also explored new places we’ve always wanted to see, like Wave Hill and Rockwood Park, both with magnificent Hudson River views.

Time for Just Being

I intentionally left my watch at home. This helped me detach from time. Normally, I’m hyperaware of time. There are appointments to keep and deadlines to meet. It was such a gift to suspend time, even for a few days. Breaks are essential to our well-being, our relationships, and our lives.

We each have the same hours in the day. We have obligations and commitments. There are ways to savor and honor the beautiful moments. How do you like to savor your time? Do any of these resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

Sometimes, we discover new things on our own. Other times, we learn through conversing, listening, or reading. In my case, what seemed like an innocent conversation with a friend has become a new way of being. As a result of that conversation and my willingness to try something new, I have gained time management, relationship, confidence, and health benefits. Are you curious? Continue reading, and I’ll share my discoveries with you.

Have you heard of subscription food or meal kit services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh? These companies deliver fresh food, all the ingredients needed, and detailed, easy-to-cook recipes directly to your home. Several months ago, my husband and I signed up for Blue Apron.

11 benefits we’ve noticed so far:

• Save time by not having to shop for food.

• Save time and stress by knowing what to cook for dinner.

• Learn new cooking tips and techniques.

• Enjoy more time together by tag teaming it in the kitchen.

• Eat at a more leisurely pace.

• I am more confident in our cooking skills.

• I appreciate how well-organized the packaging and recipes are.

• I am more experimental and more willing to try new foods.

• We have reprioritized cooking together and sharing meals.

• We are eating more healthfully.

• We’re having even more fun with lots of high-fiving each time we make a new recipe.

“Save time and stress by knowing what to cook for dinner.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

I love the communal use of time, doing a fun activity that yields a delicious result. Plus, I get to hang out and cook with my husband. This is simple, basic stuff that I had been missing.

If you want to try Blue Apron, I’m happy to offer you a “free” one-week trial. I'll send an invite to the first three people who email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com. I don’t get anything by sharing the offer, only the satisfaction of knowing that you might enjoy the benefits I’ve been enjoying, too.

Have you tried a meal kit service? If so, what has your experience been? Is it a time-saver? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation!