Enjoy the latest release (v53) of the “What’s Interesting?” series, which features my most recent finds that inspire, spark curiosity, and connect to organizing and life balance. These unique, fresh start discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are an engaged, vibrant, and generous group. I am deeply grateful for your ongoing presence, positive energy, and contributions to this community.

I look forward to your participation and further contributions to the collection I curated.

What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Fresh Start Discoveries

1. Interesting Read – Fresh Start Goals

Bigger isn’t always better. Yet if you want to strive for an audacious goal this year, Dan Sullivan, coach and author of Who Not How – The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork, has a way to get there.

This philosophy hinges on changing the questions you ask. Stop asking, “How can I do this?” Forget working in isolation and doing everything yourself. Instead, Sullivan teaches you to ask, “Who can do this for me?”

He advocates focusing on the “whos in your life that give you the perspectives, resources, and ability to go beyond what you could do alone.” Replace “How can I accomplish this?” with “Who can help me achieve this?”

If you’re feeling frustrated and stuck, it could be the ideal time to build your ‘who’ team.

2. Interesting Experience – Fresh Start ‘Party’

Do you have any “boring tasks” you’re procrastinating on? If so, you are not alone. Thanks to one of my clients, I learned about a Business Insider article that describes a new trend offering a fun solution to this challenge.

Instead of staying stuck and alone while trying to get things done, consider hosting an “admin night” party, as Business Insider editor Tess Martinelli did. She invited her friends over to work on their to-do lists or anything that was causing mind clutter, while also having time to socialize.

She kept things casual and as “low effort” as possible. While there were few rules, Marinelli set several parameters to help make the evening flow better, including:

• Dress comfortably.

• Bring your own snacks.
  Provide a beverage (optional).

• Give some structure, such as working for 30 minutes and socializing or resting for 10 minutes. Repeat that cycle two or three times.

• After each “round,” talk about what you accomplished.

3. Interesting Article – Fresh Start Decluttering

One of the top ten New Year’s resolutions is to be more organized. An essential part of getting organized is decluttering. This involves letting go of:

• things that have overstayed their welcome

• no longer support your current reality, or

• don’t want or need.

In The Washington Post article “How to reduce visual clutter for a calmer, more functional home,” the case is made for how taxing visual clutter can be on the brain. My clients often describe their clutter (physical or visual) as paralyzing or overwhelming their thoughts and actions.

Corey Pence from The Container Store defines visual clutter as an “overwhelming or excessive amount of visual elements in a space that make it difficult to focus on important information or executing tasks.” Clutter can also make it hard to feel calm and relaxed. Imagine a bedroom with clothing piled everywhere, or a living room with books, toys, and dishes strewn about.

The article suggests many ways to eliminate visual clutter, such as:

• choosing furniture that encloses objects, such as a nightstand with a drawer instead of an open shelf

• editing routinely

• designating a home for objects

• using coordinated bins on open shelves

• carefully curating decorative objects, with an emphasis on having fewer

For a great fresh start, declutter until you find that sweet spot for the level of visual clutter your brain can handle.

4. Interesting Product – Fresh Start Planning

My go-to source for paper pads is Levenger. Their designs are streamlined, and the paper is smooth and easy to write on. If you’re looking for a new way to capture and prioritize your thoughts, check out Levenger’s Think and Plan Priority Manager Pad.

The pad comes in two sizes with two columns and four sections. The left column is great for brainstorming and list-making. It includes:

• A ruled checklist

The right column is for prioritizing tasks using the Eisenhower method. It has three boxed sections for tasks:

• Urgent and important

• Urgent and not important

• Important and not urgent

Download your brain, sort your to-dos, and give yourself an organized way to focus on your new beginning.

“For a great fresh start, declutter until you find that sweet spot for the level of visual clutter your brain can handle.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

5. Interesting Thought – Fresh Start Magic

There’s something magical about fresh starts and new beginnings. You might feel hopeful, curious, excited, eager, joyful, empowered, or inspired. However, I’ve heard from many people recently that they’re having a very different experience. With the fresh start of the new year, they’re feeling anxious, apprehensive, pressured, disoriented, overwhelmed, or stuck.

Believe me, I get it. I’ve felt all of these ways at different points. On the one hand, I embrace and love a clean slate. It’s an opportunity for a reset and reimagining. Some years, like this past year, I just wasn’t ready to do ‘new.’ Instead, I was in the thick of finishing projects from the year, which overlapped with the time I typically review and plan.

Wherever you are right now, consider these possibilities:

• If you’re ready, let the wonder of a new year help you move forward.

• If you’re not ready, be gentle with yourself and ease the pressure to make big new plans for now.

Stay open to activating a fresh start (and its magical powers) at any time: a new day, month, or season.

The Fresh Start Advantage

There’s still time to make this first month of the new year work for you. Lean into the energy and newness of this season. Use the clean slate to your advantage.

Which of these discoveries resonates most with you? Which would you like to add? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized? I’m here to help. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized is possible, especially with a fresh start and compassionate support.

This is a wonderful time to reflect on the past twelve months before the new year begins. In 2025, we had emotional, enriching, and deep conversations on the blog.

We walked together, shared tumultuous times, made exciting discoveries, and navigated life balance. In our free-flowing exchanges, insights, new perspectives, and hope emerged.

Meaningful Conversations

Our conversations about life balance, change, clutter, letting go, time management, motivation, organizing, hope, and more brought comfort, connection, learning, and joy.

Thank you for being part of this community. You inspire me to show up, write, think, and engage.

Deepest Gratitude

I am profoundly grateful for your thoughtful words and generous sharing. Based on your comments this year, I curated twelve of my favorite insights from you. Thank you, Diane Quintana, Ellen Delap, Hazel Thornton, Janet Barclay, Jill Katz, Jonda Beattie, Julie Bestry, Kim Tremblay, Melissa Gratias, Sabrina Quairoli, Seana Turner, and Yota Schneider.

You are consistent voices and participants who bring our conversations to life. I am grateful to you and to everyone who reads the blog, contributes to our discussions, or shares the posts. You infuse this community with hope, humor, curiosity, perspective, and learning.

Enjoy the year in review, one quote at a time!

12 Inspiring Quotes from Our Conversations This Year That Will Make You Feel Hopeful

1. Fresh Start | 3 Ways to Take a Slow Exhale & Refocus Energy for a New Fresh Start

“Giving yourself permission to downshift, reset, and refresh is the best way to pave the way for the next project.”

— Ellen Delap

2. Embrace Change | One Clarifying Question to Help Embrace Change in Your Life

“Change can be hard. Focusing on one small thing at a time can help.”

— Kim Tremblay

3. Next Step | How to More Easily Approach the Next Thing by Not Imposing Toxic Preconditions

“I was just in the middle of talking myself out of doing something because of uncertainty. Okay, time for a deep breath and some rational thinking.”

— Melissa Gratias

4. Letting Go | One Fun and Informative Letting Go Exploration with Organizing Colleagues

“People are more likely to let go of items if they know they are going to a good place.”

— Jill Katz

5. Clutter | 7 Inspiring Resources to Quickly Motivate You to Declutter Now

“Focusing only on the next step keeps me from becoming overwhelmed by decluttering and other large projects.”

— Janet Barclay

6. Time Management | How a Helpful Productivity Reframe Makes More Time for Fun

“As for productivity, no, it isn’t a dirty word, but neither is setting it aside for a while. I get a lot of satisfaction from completing my to-do list and from giving myself to the activities that soothe my spirit.”

— Yota Schneider

7. Motivation | 7 Powerful Motivation Quotes to Make You Feel Inspired When You Need a Boost

“Waiting to feel motivated never works for me. It’s more like I start, and then the motivation catches up.”

— Seana Turner

8. Enlisting Help | Here Are 5 Most Interesting and Best Finding Help Discoveries – v51

“I have my people to call for different types of help – the ones who just let me vent, the ones who want to help me brainstorm and plan, and the ones who are on my doorstep almost immediately. ”

— Jonda Beattie

9. Virtual Organizing | 5 Focused Ways a Virtual Professional Organizer Can Help During a Move

“Virtual organizers can pull out the essential steps and manage them, helping the client feel more in control of their time during this stressful moment.”

— Sabrina Quairoli

10. Possibilities | What Becomes Immediately Achievable When You Get Out of Your Own Way?

“I love reframing! One of my favorites is this: Instead of thinking ‘I’m anxious,’ or nervous to do something, think ‘I’m excited!’ to do it.”

— Hazel Thornton

11. Wonderfully Human | 5 Life Lessons I Learned About Patience and Promising Progress

“Tolerating discomfort, in particular, means that waiting is so much easier when you can focus on the fact that any uncomfortable situation is temporary. ”

— Julie Bestry

12. Life Balance | How to Nurture Joy, Reduce Anxiety, and Bring Balance to the Holidays

“I love the idea of embracing fun! It’s easy to get bogged down by the minutiae and to forget to look outside our to-do list and notice things around us.”

— Diane N. Quintana

Past Reflections and Future Possibilities

What was most significant to you this year? Which quote resonates most? What do you want to focus on in the New Year? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Let’s make 2026 a fabulous year! Do you want support in creating a better balance, letting go of what no longer serves you, or getting more organized? I’m ready to help. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward - Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized is possible, especially with support.

I wish you a happy, healthy, organized, and joy-filled New Year!

Enjoy the latest release (v52) of the “What’s Interesting?” series, which features my most recent finds that inform, inspire, and connect to organizing and life balance. These unique, wonderfully human discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are an engaged, vibrant, and generous group. I am deeply grateful for your ongoing presence, positive energy, and contributions to this community. I look forward to your participation and further contributions to the collection I’ve sourced.

What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Happy Human Discoveries

1. Interesting Workshop – Human Organizing

Are you feeling burdened and overwhelmed by clutter or disorganization? If you answered, “yes,” you’re not alone.

Research shows that cluttered spaces often contribute to stress, fatigue, anxiety, and even depression. But there’s good news—help is here!

If you’re ready to explore a kind, compassionate, and more human approach to decluttering and organizing, you’ll love this! Join me, Linda Samuels, Professional Organizer, for an engaging and transformative workshop—7 Easy Ways to Practice Mindful Organizing.

One workshop with your choice of two dates:

• December 2nd at 7:00-8:00pm Eastern or

• December 4th at Noon-1:00pm Eastern

By the end of the one-hour Zoom workshop, you’ll have strategies for immediate change. You will:

• Gain valuable insights about gentle organizing.

• Learn seven mindful organizing practices.

• Receive personalized support.

This is a great opportunity to prepare for the new year. When you bring more mindfulness and purpose to organizing, you can create calm, clarity, and breathing room. Reserve your spot today!

2. Interesting Resource – Human Helping

Last month, I went on a field trip with some of my Westchester NAPO Neighborhood group organizing colleagues to The Sharing Shelf in Port Chester, NY.

This remarkable nonprofit provides clothing, school supplies, and other essential necessities, including new socks, shoes, underwear, and hygiene products, to children and teens in Westchester County.

They offer a Wardrobe Pack, which includes a week’s worth of seasonally appropriate clothing tailored to a child’s needs. They also have a Teen Boutique, a free store where teens can “shop and select their own clothing with privacy and respect.”

The Sharing Shelf reports that children facing clothing insecurity “often miss school.” The research shows that “Nearly 14% of Westchester children are chronically absent from school, and clothing is one critical cause.”

Donations of new or gently used clothing in all sizes, from newborn to adult XXL, are accepted. Items should be clean and in good condition. Pieces that are stained or damaged will be sent to textile recycling. The Sharing Shelf has a Target registry and an Amazon wishlist, so you can order items they need.

“When you bring more mindfulness and purpose to organizing, you can create calm, clarity, and breathing room.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Interesting Read – Human Doing

You’ve probably heard of FOMO, the fear of missing out. Have you heard of the opposite, JOMO, which is the joy of missing out?

In The Joy of Missing Out – Living More by Doing Less, Tanya Dalton, a productivity expert, author, and speaker, discusses the overwhelm many women experience due to:

• Striving to do too much

• Inability to say no

• Being unclear about priorities

• Not knowing where to start

Tanya encourages a mindset shift, saying, “We have to begin finding the joy of missing out on that extra noise in our lives and instead find happiness in a life centered around what’s truly important to us.” She encourages us to “stop the glorification of busy” and to stop worrying that we’re not enough or are not doing enough.

In this four-step liveWELL Method, which Tanya developed for herself, she now uses it to help others create a blueprint for reclaiming their time and living the life they desire. The steps are:

• Discovery – Identify your unique purpose, life priorities, and North Star.

• Clarity – Align your projects and tasks with your goals and priorities.

• Simplicity – Design systems that make your life easier, enabling you to manage it with less effort.

• Harmony – Build upon the first three steps to create harmony and the life you love.

Tanya says, “We need to discover the priorities that are unique to us, but first we have to take hold of the truth: we must be willing to not have it all.”

“We have to begin finding the joy of missing out on that extra noise in our lives and instead find happiness in a life centered around what’s truly important to us.”

— Tanya Dalton

4. Interesting Product – Human Curating

One of my favorite things to organize is cabinet drawers. The more chaotic, the better. A disorganized drawer presents an opportunity to edit, organize, and create order. Why does it matter?

Imagine the feeling of opening a drawer and finding exactly what you need right when you need it. No more searching or stress. It’s a good feeling, and a time-saver, too.

Recently, my husband asked me for drawer organizers and a design for his desk drawer. I recommended these lovely gray open bins, Terra Recycled Drawer Organizers from The Container Store. They also come in white and a variety of sizes. I liked them so much that I purchased more to organize a drawer in our shoe cabinet.

5. Interesting Thought – Human Experiencing

Let’s face it. Life can be stressful and chaotic. You make plans, and things change. You start a project, and something goes wrong. Your schedule is packed with little or no downtime.

However, even knowing this, you can experience joy in everyday moments. Let yourself be open to those tiny, ordinary moments. They can replenish your reserves, reinforce your gratitude wells, and help you feel more alive in a uniquely human way.

What can these joy-infused moments feel or look like? There are a few I recently experienced:

• Hearing a client acknowledge and feel positive about their progress.

• Seeing the afternoon sun backlight the red and orange leaves as the gentle breeze moves them softly against the blue sky.

• Holding hands with my husband.

• Experiencing progress, completing projects, or making purposeful choices in the service of growth and change.

• Taking the first flavorful bite of a new vegetarian chili recipe I just made, and it was delicious.

• Feeling warm water pouring over me as I shower.

• Seeing the autumn light fill the sky with a soft pink and orange glow.

• Hearing the voices of my loved ones, seeing their faces, or hugging them.

• Getting into bed at the end of a long day and feeling the comforting weight and softness of the bedding.

Human Organizing Experience

In a world flooded with AI, it’s important to keep the human connection strong and vibrant. I highlighted several ways to tap into your uniquely human qualities to improve organization, balance, gratitude, and generosity.

Which of these discoveries resonates most with you? Do you have any you’d like to add? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized? I’m here to help. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized is possible, especially with real human support.

It’s no fun to feel stuck, stressed, or overwhelmed. Remaining that way for a long time isn’t good for your mental health or well-being. Take a moment to check in with yourself and see how you’re feeling. Do you need help making a change right now?

The good news is that you can make minor adjustments. These tiny shifts can have positive influences on your energy and overall well-being. I’ve often written about ways to calm and ground yourself.

For me, activities like walking in nature, journaling, eating nutritious foods, and getting enough sleep are my go-to methods for boosting energy and improving my mood. They also reduce stress and overwhelm and help you get unstuck. 

Recently, I discovered several new energy-changing strategies to help reduce morning stress, create momentum, and embrace relaxation.

 

3 Easy Ways to Help Shift Your Energy and Get Unstuck

1. Help Reduce Morning Stress

“Just give your brain 10 minutes to wake up.”

— Jay Shetty

In a recent issue of Real Simple, Jay Shetty, author and On Purpose podcast host, advises against checking your phone first thing. Allowing your brain a few minutes to wake up without that distraction will have a positive effect on your entire day.

Jay says, “You would never wake up and let 100 people into your bedroom before you showered or brushed your teeth. But when you look at your phone first thing in the morning, you’re letting 100 people into your mind. Then you end up chasing dopamine the rest of the day. Just give your brain 10 minutes to wake up. If you do that, your whole day will be different and you’ll have less anxiety. Try it for seven days, and you will feel so much better.”

I’ve been working on this. One challenge I face is that I meditate first thing in the morning using an app on my phone. My goal is to meditate with the app before checking email, texts, or social media. I notice a clear difference in my practice when I meditate first. However, when I get distracted by other inputs, it’s harder to settle into my meditation.

As I consider Jay’s strategy to “just give your brain 10 minutes to wake up,” I’m reaffirming my commitment to my morning routine. I will meditate first before doing any other phone-related activities. 

2. Help Create Momentum

“Clear enough space for momentum to arrive.”

— Oliver Burkeman

In one of Oliver Burkeman’s newsletters, The Imperfectionist, he wrote, “If you’re stuck in a rut, and you feel like you’ve stopped making progress on things that matter, it could be that you need more immediacy in your life.”

He discussed ways to build momentum through concrete actions, like recycling the “300 articles I’d saved to read later.” How many things have you saved for someday—things to do, read, or take care of? Those piles of unfinished projects, unread books, clothes you’ll never wear, or gadgets you’ll never use occupy valuable physical and mental space in our homes and minds.

To get unstuck, create momentum, and spark creativity, do some “stuff” clearing. Oliver said, “It was as if I’d been assuming that what I needed was to collect sufficient resources to create momentum, when what I really needed was to clear enough space for momentum to arrive.”

What can you release, recycle, or donate today?

3. Help Embrace Relaxation

“Rushing tends to trigger the stress response, and slowing down helps switch it off.”

— Nicola Jane Hobbs

In a recent Real Simple article about how to relax and unwind, especially at the start of your vacation, Nicola Jane Hobbs, a psychologist and author of The Relaxed Woman, offers excellent advice. She understands how difficult it can be to switch from the stress and fast pace of your work life to taking time off and relaxing. I don’t know about you, but when I’m on vacation, it usually takes me a day or two to transition from go-go-going to just being.

One of Nicola’s strategies is simple and can be helpful beyond just vacations. She explains that slowing down even the smallest parts of your daily routine can act as a reset. “Rushing tends to trigger the stress response, and slowing down helps switch it off.” Slowing down your “daily actions” will “help your mind and body relax.”

Some ways to slow down (as in doing these things more slowly) include:

• Walking

• Chewing

• Drinking

• Breathing

• Stretching

• Washing your hands

• Brushing your teeth

Next time you feel stressed or overwhelmed, try slowing down a small action and watch how it changes your experience.

What Helps You Get Unstuck?

There are so many ways to get unstuck, reduce overwhelm, or shift your mood. What are some of your go-to strategies? Which strategy that I shared resonates with you the most?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized? I’m here to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. I’m easy to reach. 

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized is possible, especially with support.