We’ve all heard the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don't fix it.”  That goes along the same line of thinking as something being good enough. If it is good enough, is it worth disrupting to make it better?

However, what if something is broken? Is it worth fixing? Broken can include things that no longer work like that DVD player, missing pieces to a game, or favorite a sweater that is well (really well) worn. It can even include negative relationships that only bring angst.

There is also the proactive approach like Gerald Nadler’s. His philosophy describing breakthrough thinkers is,

“Fix it before it breaks.”

Of course, that isn’t always possible.

Our decisions and their effectiveness are based on the quality of the questions we ask. This is true while we’re going through the organizing process, when we’re making big life decisions, or when we’re navigating relationships. So what are the possibilities between good enough and broken? How do we weigh them? How do we know which path to take?

Just to be clear, I’m not advocating that we live our lives without striving. It’s a matter of selecting where our effort gets invested. There are times when good enough is enough and when broken things don’t need to be fixed. Being able to identify those situations can be freeing because it gives us the space to focus on what we feel is most important and meaningful.

I’ve put together a list of questions to get you started. There are no value judgments here. This is simply a guide to help you with decision-making. It can be applied to many different situations. I’m sure that you will think of other questions to add to the list. I welcome your ideas and additions. Please include them in the comment section at the end of the post.

How do we weigh the possibilities between good enough and broken? 

Questions to Ask When Things Are Good Enough . . .

• What will I gain from changing what’s good enough?
• Do I want to make those changes because I’m not satisfied with good enough?
• Do I have the time to invest in making things better than they already are?
• Do I have the motivation to make improvements?
• Instead of fixing what’s good enough, are there other things/situations/people that could benefit more from my attention?
• Where does my desire to improve things originate?
• Is perfectionism involved?
• What are my thoughts about good enough?
• Does the phrase continual improvement resonate with me?
• How does continual improvement relate to good enough?

Questions to Ask When Things Are Broken . . .

• Is it worth fixing?
• If so, why?
• How long has it been broken?
• What would happen if I let it go?
• Is there a value in repairing it?
• Is it worth the time, energy, and resources (financial and/or emotional) to fix it?
• What if I don’t know how to fix it or where to start?
• Would it be more cost effective, time efficient, or less stressful to start with something new, rather then to repair what’s broken?
• What old habits and behaviors might be preventing me from letting go?
• Do I want to invest my time in fixing what’s broken?
• Do I want invest my energy elsewhere?

As we enter this new season, revisit the things in your life that are just right, need fixing, require letting go, or beg for more attention and focus. You’ll find the answers in the questions you ask. Possibilities are waiting. What are you noticing? I’d love to hear your thoughts along with any questions you’d like to add to the lists. Come join the conversation!

The newest installment (v20) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature is here with my recent discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring success-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme. You are such a fabulous, 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 – Accelerating Your Success 

The Happiness Track by Emma Seppala, Ph.D.

If you are struggling with how to achieve the success you desire, this book has some helpful ideas and strategies that are opposite to what most of us have been taught. In The Happiness Track – How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success, science director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University, Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., shares ideas backed by research which support that happiness is “not the outcome of success but rather its precursor.”  Seppälä explores six keys to happiness and success that include living in the moment, tapping into your resilience, managing your energy, doing nothing, being good to yourself, and showing compassion to others. She says, “… you already have all it takes to be happy and successful; that a stress-free and fulfilled life is not only possible but also the secret to personal and professional success.

2. Interesting Season  – Organizing for Success

The truth is that every season is a great season to get organized. In fact, the change of seasons presents us with an opportunity to reset our organizing goals, redefine what success looks like, and bring some balance back into our lives. With fall just starting, the cues for change are all around us. If you want to get organized, but are feeling overwhelmed and stuck, find an organizing buddy. Your buddy can be a compassionate and non-judgmental friend, family member or professional organizer like me. You’ll be amazed with how much you will accomplish in a short amount of time when you work side-by-side with someone else. I’m here to help and am just a phone call (914-271-5673) or email (linda@ohsoorganized.com) away.

3. Interesting Product – List for Success

There are so many approaches to and preferences for managing to do lists. Some of us like paper and others prefer digital reminders. One thing I’ve noticed is that no matter what the list form is most of us crowd them to the point that we become overwhelmed and stuck. So instead of getting a few things done, we do nothing. How can we be more successful list makers? Give Knock Knock’s Reality Checklist a try. The customizable list adds humor and focus to accomplishing not just what’s most important, but what’s truly realistic. 

4. Interesting Video – Secrets of Success

If you’re curious about why people succeed, you’ll enjoy watching this short Ted Talk by analyst Richard St. John. He spent seven years interviewing 500 people and asked the question, “What leads to success?”  The research was distilled into eight common factors (passion, work, focus, persist, ideas, good, push, and serve) that every successful person he interviewed had in common. 

5. Interesting Thought – Bluntness for Success

We can be our own worst enemy when it comes to success. And why is that? We tend to have a litany of reasons why we aren’t good enough or smart enough or worthy enough or fill-in-the-blank-enough to succeed. We decide even before we begin that “it” won’t work. So why try? Let those excuses go. You deserve all the small, medium, and large successes that are waiting for you to experience. 

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

To be fair, there are many elements that contribute to organizing success. In fact, I write about some of them in my article, Top 10 Organizing Success Secrets. However, there is one aspect that is essential to the organizing process. Without it, there is no moving forward. With so many engaged members of this community who are professional organizers or pursuers of organization, I bet you’re guessing and wondering which “key” I’m thinking about. The most important action that contributes to your organizing success is letting go. Without the willingness, strategies, and ability to do that, it’s going to be pretty much impossible to experience the organizing success you’re looking for. 

Why is that? Organizing isn’t just about setting up systems, putting things in containers, and making things more accessible. It’s not just about rearranging what you already have. Organizing is about assessing and creating an environment that supports who you are, how you live, and what you do. That happens only when you’re willing to let go of the things, ideas, habits, and behaviors that don’t support your goals and values.

Letting go is essential.

Just because it’s essential doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. I know this from personal experience.

This past year, I spent a lot of time letting go as I cleared out and prepared my parents’ home of 57 years for sale. It wasn’t easy sorting through all of the memories or letting go of the stuff. But in order to organize what remained, get the home ready for a new family, and move on, letting go had to happen. In the process, I learned a few things that I shared along the way on my blog. In addition, I had the opportunity to talk with my buddy, John Hunt from Smead about these ideas for the Keeping You Organized podcast.

In this 2-part series, we talked about the . . .

Ten Ways That I Learned to Let Go.

 Ten Ways That I Learned to Let Go: Part 1 - Linda Samuels

Ten Ways That I Learned to Let Go: Part 2 - Linda Samuels

What do you think is the most important key to your organizing success? Is letting go at the top of your list, or is there something else? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

While fall won’t officially arrive for another few weeks, all signs point heavily to its unofficial start. School buses are once again visible, parents are adjusting to new schedules, and kids are toting new supplies and backpacks. The last few summer gatherings and BBQs have been enjoyed. For the northeasterners, some leaf color changes are beginning to appear. We’re in the midst of transition, which for most of us can feel uncomfortable.  We finally adjusted to summer and now everything is changing, yet again. This is the perfect time to do a success check-in. You might be wondering what is that? I’m glad you asked.

A success check-in is a way of revisiting past successes, appreciating and learning from any failures, and building upon those discoveries to reset for the next phase. You’ve heard this before that success breeds more success. Drawing on your positive experiences will be the fuel needed to help you navigate transitions more easily. 

The Success Check-in

Here ‘s the good news. The success review doesn’t have to be time consuming or formal. It can be fun! All that’s needed is your willingness to do a bit of thinking. Consider this like taking a walk down memory lane. I like to write thoughts down, but that’s not essential. Just thinking is valuable too. Another thing that might help jog your memory is to look at any photos you took over the summer. That helped me and had the added bonus of getting to relive some of those happy experiences again. Do what works for you. There are no rules here, but if it helps, here are a few questions you can use to get things going.

Think about  . . .

What did you do this summer?
What projects did you start?
What projects did you complete?
Where did you travel?
What new learning did you have?
Did you spend time with family or friends?
Did you have time for yourself?
What kind of self-care did you engage in?
What was your favorite day?
What made it significant?
Was there anything you noticed?
What failures did you have? 
What did you learn from them?

What Made Summer a Success?

I’ll admit that I loved this summer and that I’m not quite ready to say my goodbyes. After having an intense year, I appreciated the ease of this season.  For me, summer had a great mix of experiences. Some were solitary and others were spent enjoying and helping people.  I had time with family and friends, traveled, explored new places, hiked up a mountain, had a tag sale, spent time at the beach, dipped my toes in the Croton River, digitized our home movies, started some house projects, helped clients with their organizing projects and goals (virtually and in-person), completed a new webinar about change for the ICD (Institute for Challenging Disorganization) that I’ll be presenting in a few weeks. I ran out of time to kayak on the Hudson River, visit Playland, take more walks, and complete some home projects. The good news is that I get to reset my goals and plan for the fall.

Creating a new webinar about change for ICD's virtual conference was one of my summer projects. To learn more about it, check out this interview . . .

Exploring new places like Monhegan Island in Maine was one of the summer highlights

One of my favorite days was exploring Monhegan Island with my husband. I loved the beautiful landscapes and quiet, since there are no cars allowed on the island. It was such a peaceful place. When my mind gets busy, I think back to sitting on top of the cliffs overlooking the sea with only the sounds of the waves crashing, the gentle breeze blowing, and the seagulls squawking. 

With thoughts of summer successes on my mind, I’m ready now to embrace the new season of learning and adventure. I encourage you to do your success check-in. What was your favorite summer experience or moment? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!