There are numerous ways to describe our experience of time. We talk about wasting, spending, or investing time. We ponder the ways time moves slowly or quickly, depending on the situation. We think about not having enough time in the day or having too much time on our hands.  We consider the length of time projects take or procrastinate with the time we have. Yet, we know that every person has the same 24 hours each day to manage and live life.

With our time, we do all kinds of things like working, playing, sleeping, relaxing, stressing, organizing, traveling, relationship-building, meditating, gardening, walking, running, dancing, learning, loving, reflecting, worrying, creating, driving, eating, connecting, talking, writing, emailing, Zooming, and many other “ings.”

I came across a quote by Atomic Habits author, James Clear, who offers a direct perspective about time. He said, “Your life is purchased by where you spend your attention.”  How powerful is that? 

“Your life is purchased by where you spend your attention.”

— James Clear

When you look at where your time and attention go, it tells the story of your life. Where do you invest? If you did a time audit for the week and noted what you do each hour, what would you discover? For many of us, approximately one-third of our time is spent sleeping. What about the other two-thirds? There are a million discoveries to make by analyzing where your attention goes. You might be surprised.

Why does this matter? If you want more or less of something in your life, doing a time audit can help you figure out how to make a change. For example, if you feel overwhelmed by clutter, a time audit could help you understand why the clutter is stuck. Perhaps you have included worrying, but not actual decluttering into your days.

“Every person has the same 24 hours each day to manage and live life.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

One of the things I admire so much about my virtual organizing clients is their dedication to change. Each week they intentionally invest time with their organizing goals through our sessions and the independent work they do on their own. They are shifting their attention from collecting and piling to letting go and organizing.

What will your time audit reveal? Even if your balance is the way you want, an audit can still be illuminating. It gives you the confidence to keep doing what you are doing. But if things are not as you desire, do some investigating. I’m excited about the discoveries you will make. I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

One of the things I love about living in the northeast is experiencing the change of the four distinct seasons. Every three months, nature’s cues offer us an opportunity to rethink, reset, and regroup. With the arrival of September and fall quickly approaching, this is an ideal time of year to prepare for successful organizing outcomes and other significant goals. Combining specific actions with mindfulness perspectives can enhance your success. While there are many ways to gear up for success, I’ve compiled a short list of five useful ideas for you to experiment with. I’m excited for you and all of the success that you are about to experience. Which of these concepts will help you in the next few months?

5 Powerful Ways That Will Prep You for Organizing Success & More . . .

1. Do one thing.

When we’re in pursuit of a goal, we can quickly become overwhelmed by the enormity of what we want to accomplish. The end isn’t visible. And guess what? When overwhelm takes hold, it can stop us from moving forward. Instead, we feel stuck. We procrastinate. It’s like being immobile at the intersection, continually waiting for that red light to turn green. What’s helpful in these situations is to do one tiny, small action that will move us toward our organizing or other goals. Take your foot off of the break, go through one pile of papers, drop off the no longer needed bag of clothing at the donation center, or set-up an appointment with your professional organizer. Use that one small success to get you going and encourage more. Build from there.

2. Open up thinking.

So often when we’re in the midst of change, we desire something different, but we don't know what that will look or feel like. So instead of being open to the new, we dig in and hold on to what we know. While I understand this and believe me, I’ve had my share of digging in, being open to possibilities will lead to successful outcomes. Mindful awareness comes first. Pay attention to when you are gripping tightly to the known. Notice when you are dismissive of a new opportunity, possibility, or idea. Stop. Slow yourself down. Take a few deep breaths. As you exhale, notice your body relaxing and letting go. With each out-breath, imagine your hold loosening. Remind yourself that success often involves doing or thinking about things differently. In this more relaxed state, you will be poised and ready to consider a new perspective that will lead to unimagined success.

3. Say “yes” to now.

One of the conflicts that my organizing clients frequently encounter is the pull between the past and the present. They are deeply connected to the emotions and physical possessions from the past. At the same time, they feel burdened and weighed down by all of their stuff. They are in conflict between holding on and letting go. It can be an internal tug of war, and a painful one at that. One of the ways to ease this challenge is by focusing on the present. Use the “you are here” locator icon to decide which of your belongings support who you are and what you are doing today. Everyone has a past. While the past has created who we are, not all accouterments from previous times need to remain with us in the present. Saying, “yes” to now can encourage more successful decision-making as we organize and create the life we truly want.

4. Embrace “niksen.”

Many of you are probably familiar with the popularized Danish word, hygee, which is a mood of coziness, contentment, and well-being created by enjoying the simple things in life. There is also, lagom, the Swedish concept of approaching life with an “everything in moderation” mindset. Now there is a Dutch idea that is trending. Niksen is the act of doing nothing or being idle as a way of managing stress and burnout. It encourages an antidote to busyness. You dial things down by just hanging out, looking at your environment, or listening to music without multitasking. The idea is doing something without a purpose. So how does this relate to success?  Sometimes in the quest for our goal, we become hyper-focused at the exclusion of everything and everyone else. Our disconnectedness can lead to exhaustion, frustration, and discouragement. Adding niksen or doing nothing into the mix can rejuvenate us. After a break, we can return to goal chasing with renewed clarity and energy.

5. Acknowledge uncertainty.

When we are chasing a goal, whether that is how we edit and organize our stuff or how we select the priorities included in each day, we are shifting the status quo. While we might be uncomfortable, which is why we are pursuing something new, our shift in habits and patterns along the way, can be unsettling. We can feel unprotected like jumping out of a plane without a parachute. What will happen? Will we land in one piece? The simple acknowledgment that you are doing something unfamiliar, scary, and different is essential. It doesn’t diminish the anxiety you might feel. And I’m not suggesting that you actually jump without a chute. But acknowledgment of your circumstance can ease some of your stress. Recognize that uncertainty is key to growth and change. It’s ok to be uncomfortable. It’s ok to be unsure. In the pursuit of a fresh challenge, you can experience the confidence and satisfaction that comes with successfully reaching a goal.

Whether you take action, a break from it, open the mind to new ideas, or simply recognize the uncertainty that comes with change, you have the opportunity to prepare yourself for organizing success and more. Which ideas resonate with you? What has helped you with reaching goals? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Given that it’s the era of iPhone, iPad, iThis and iThat, I thought that it would be interesting to add a few more iThings to the list. How about iHelp and iAskforhelp? These are very different yet equally important. We tend to lean more heavily towards one “i” than the other. Which direction do you gravitate towards?

Let’s dig deeper by asking some questions.

iHelp

• When was the last time you helped someone?

• Was it months ago? Years ago?

• Was it today or yesterday?

• Were you asked to help or did you volunteer to help?

• How often do you find yourself in the helping mode?

• Who do you help? Do you help family, friends, colleagues, or clients?

• What are the benefits you receive from helping others? 

“It’s impossible to do everything ourselves.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

iAskforhelp

• When was the last time you asked for help?

• Do you freely ask for help?

• Do you feel guilty asking others for assistance?

• Do you feel like things will get done better, faster, or more efficiently if you do them yourself?

• When you aren’t sure about the next step, do you procrastinate or reach out for help?

• What type of help are you most comfortable asking for? Is it for home repairs, life guidance, organizing help, or family care?

• What type of help are you most uncomfortable asking for?

• What prevents you from enlisting help?

• Last time you asked for help, what was the outcome?

• What are the benefits you receive by enlisting help?

While I would like to have a combination of both helping and enlisting help, I’m more often in the helping others mode between clients that are in need of organizing help, coordinating care as my mom ages in place, and my role as President for ICD.

Yet even though I’m often in the iHelp mode, I recognize the value of asking for help. It’s impossible to do everything ourselves. I’m a huge advocate of teams, especially building teams. The energy of a focused group can accomplish way more than the energy of one.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What is your relationship to helping and enlisting help? Come join the conversation!

Sometimes next isn’t obvious. Other times we know what next is, but procrastinate. We’re too tired. It’s late. We don’t feel like it. We’d rather be doing something else with our time. While I don’t find myself in this situation frequently, I have experienced knowing the next step then have activation challenges actually taking it. Have you experienced this?

As a matter of fact, I found myself in this situation just before I wrote this post. While my plan had been to write when I returned from organizing at my client’s home, other business and personal issues were handled instead. The late afternoon quickly morphed into evening and I still hadn’t written anything. This wasn’t good since I prefer to write earlier in the day when my brain is most alert.

I had several options and chose to continue as planned, which is why you’re reading this post. To make “next” more doable, I set the mood. I made a hot cup of tea, put on my comfy clothes, and plopped myself in front of a blank page.

I let go of my original plan. I let go of the fact that I wasn’t writing at my best time. Instead I just focused on next: the next word, the next sentence, and the next paragraph. And well, you see what happened. By creating the mood for next, next got done.

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