This is the newest release (v43) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature, with my latest finds that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique, inspiring, fresh start discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

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

What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Fresh Start Discoveries

1. Interesting Workshop – Clutter-Free Fresh Start

Do you feel overwhelmed with the clutter and disorganization in your life? If you answered “yes,” you’re not alone. Help is here! The New Year is an excellent time to change how you approach decluttering and organization.

Join me, Linda Samuels, Professional Organizer, for an empowering workshop – My Simple Organizing Plan, on Thursday, February 8th, from 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern. Together, we’ll uncover the impact of clutter, master motivation, and create a personal decluttering plan.

During this one-hour Zoom workshop, you’ll come away with a transformative, ready-to-implement strategy to make immediate positive changes in your life. Say goodbye to chaos and hello to a calmer, organized you. Reserve your spot now!

2. Interesting Trend – Immersive Fresh Start

Color drenching is a design trend that has emerged in recent years. Amy Wax, an internationally recognized color expert, describes a color-drenched interior as “designed with one color in mind, and that color doesn’t just coat the walls…it’s everywhere…a real color-drenched interior means that the ceiling, trim, railings, doors, and sometimes even the floor all have the same color.”

Are you wondering about the connection between the color-drenching trend and a fresh start? I thought you might. Words describing this trend include daring, saturated, adventurous, all-consuming, harmonizing, sensual, and calming. As you begin this New Year and embrace your fresh start, which words speak to you? Do you want more adventures and boldness, or would you like more calm and harmony? Select a theme to ‘drench’ your year that can be a guiding force for your choices and goals. What color or word speaks to you?

3. Interesting Read – Peaceful Fresh Start

Do you desire a more peaceful, calmer life? We now have 24-7 access to people, places, and things. Life has become complicated, noisy, and distracting.  

A Simpler Life – A Guide to Greater Serenity, Ease and Clarity by The School of Life provides a path to “the simpler lives we crave and deserve.” We’re at an unusual juncture where the yearning for simplicity is historically reasonably new. “We long to unburden ourselves of excess, to have more straightforward relationships, to declutter our homes, and to avoid noise, complexity, and fuss. Simplicity has grown central to our vision of happiness.”

The book focuses on five areas to simplify- relationships, social life, lifestyle, work, and culture. If your fresh start includes the desire to release the excess, you’ll appreciate the suggestions explored. “Simplicity isn’t so much a life with a few things and commitments in it, as a life with the right, necessary things, attuned to our flourishing. Our lives will feel – and be – simpler when we’ve probed our minds to yield…the knowledge of what we truly want.”

“Your fresh start is ready for you to lean in, activate, and thrive.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

4. Interesting Product – Focused Fresh Start

During a session with one of my virtual organizing clients, she showed me an adorable gift she purchased for the holidays. Toast is marketed as a night light. However, she and a few of her friends use it differently. They turn it on to help them focus when working. It has a warm, dimmable glow, an adjustable timer, and a ‘friendly’ face.

I couldn’t resist, so I purchased a mint green one to see if it would help me. To my delight, it does. As a matter of fact, while writing this post, I brought my Toast nearby to keep me company and hold my attention. I didn’t use the timer feature, but I found the gentle light worked for me.

Check out this little fellow if you want your fresh start to include more focused work and improved concentration.

5. Interesting Thought – Promising Fresh Start

What is the best thing about the New Year? It allows you to reset, rethink, and reimagine how you want the next twelve months to be. If you want to make tiny tweaks or strive for those big, audacious goals, you have the spaciousness to make things happen. Let go of what doesn’t work, learn from your mishaps, and activate the hope-filled ‘blank canvas’ the New Year brings. Your fresh start is ready for you to lean in, activate, and thrive.

Do you have an interesting, fresh start-related discovery? Which of these resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Here’s to you and a happy, healthy, joy-filled, and organized New Year!

As organizers and coaches, the work we do with our clients is change-focused. We’re present as our clients navigate the joys and challenges of pursuing their goals. Change doesn’t happen without motivation. I’ve experienced the positive influences of being around motivated clients. I was curious if others had similar experiences. To understand more I reached out to this wonderful group of organizing and coaching colleagues – Margo Brown, Seana Turner, Stephanie Deakin, Ellen Delap, Andrea Sharb, Janet Barclay, Rachel Seavey, Helena Alkhas, Yota Schneider, Diane Quintana. I asked them, “How has your client work personally motivated you to take action?” I know you’ll love their inspiring, thoughtful responses as much as I do. My gratitude goes to each of them for sharing their personal stories about how their clients motivated them. Are you wondering how to get motivated? Keep reading to discover some wonderful surprises.

How has your client work personally motivated you to take action? . . .

Motivated to Face Fear

“My clients have motivated me to say ‘yes’ to challenges. They bring to light the fear they face as they step out of their comfort zone. Often, they take on life’s challenges with a willingness to move forward and openness to learning. In the past, I would have declined the opportunity to guest blog or said 'no' to a speaking engagement. Instead, I reflect on their courage and their ability to say ‘yes’ in the face of fear. In doing so, I too have said ‘yes’ to many wonderful opportunities that I would normally shy away from.”

Margo Brown – Productivity Coach & Author

Motivated to Start

“Ready, Set, ACTION. It sounds so easy! Yet the reason I get called in to work with clients is largely because it can be quite difficult indeed. Helping clients has reminded me that change is all about getting started. My husband and I had wanted to redo our front walkway – for a couple of years. After a client session I came home and thought, ‘I just need to take the first step...what would that be?’ I made one call and after that simply kept answering the next question until it was done. I’m so glad I started.”

Seana Turner – Professional Organizer, Blogger & Life Coach

Motivated to Change Habits

“So many of my clients struggle with guilt and shame, and are unable to make sustainable change. I believe that this is in large part because people don't understand their relationship to their possessions. So I set out to learn about our emotional attachments to our stuff. Why is it so hard for some people to let go? What happens inside them when they have to part with their things? What I learned surprised me, and motivated me to examine my own attachments in a new light and make some positive changes in my own habits and attitudes.”

Stephanie Deakin – Professional Organizer, Speaker & Trainer

Motivated to Simplify

“Working with my clients reinforces my focus on simplicity. Our work together requires energy, and keeping my personal life simple helps me keep energized for our sessions.  My clients help me verbalize my commitment to simplicity in sharing what works for me and how they can gain new perspectives on simplifying as well. Paper management is one specific area that I especially simplify at my home and office, shredding and recycling daily. My favorite mantra is Keep It Simple Sweetie!”

Ellen Delap, CPO® – Certified Professional Organizer, Certified Family Manager Coach, Productivity Consultant & Blogger

Motivated to Meditate

“As a coach, I’m honored to serve as witness to my clients’ progress. In doing so, I can’t help but be motivated by their successes to take action of my own, especially if the changes they’re focusing on are similar to changes I’m also focusing on in my life. Just yesterday I shared with a client who is experiencing success with making morning meditation a priority, what an inspiration she’s been to me in bringing regular meditation back into my morning routine.  It's hard to not be motivated as a coach.”

Andrea Sharb, CPO-CD®, ACC®, COC®, CPO® – Professional Organizer & Productivity/ADHD Coach

Motivated to Enhance

“One of the disadvantages of my line of work is ‘shoemaker’s children syndrome’ – updating and enhancing my own website usually takes a back seat to my client projects. However, when clients request certain features on their sites, it often helps me to consider exciting new possibilities for my own, propelling me to move forward with work that might not have felt terribly appealing otherwise.”

Janet Barclay – MVA, WordPress Designer, Blogger & Virtual Assistant

Motivated to Re-Purpose

“I’m constantly inspired by the dedication and hard work of my clients. But it’s their resourcefulness that motivates me to make changes in my own life. Though I’ve always been an avid “recycler,” my clients have inspired me to reuse more and waste less — especially with paper and plastic. Now I re-purpose items that otherwise would have gone in the trash. I’ve also realized possessions don’t make you happy, people do. I prioritize the things money can’t buy, like time spent with loved ones. And I appreciate the simple parts of life, like a walk on a beautiful day.”

Rachel Seavey – Professional Organizer, Extreme Cleaner & Recording Artist

Motivated to Exercise

“I have been working more and more with seniors and they all have one thing in common that made me pause and review how I want to reach that stage of my life: they're all healthy and very active. Our appointments are always scheduled for ‘after’ their classes. They're committed to it. I am known for disliking to exercise but working with these couples has been an eye opening experience to me and made me incorporate walks and breaks in my daily life.”

Helena Alkhas – Professional Organizer

Motivated to Get Unstuck

“Recently, I watched a client of mine take the leap and make a dramatic change in her life. It was long due and her self-respect depended on it. Watching her take off and claim her identity, inspired me to evaluate a situation I’d been stuck in for a while and make some changes myself. When I work with a client who is struggling to navigate through a life change and is plagued by self-doubt, I try to look at myself and evaluate where I stand. I want to make sure that, what I’m sharing or encouraging my client to consider or do, come from a place of integrity and authenticity.”

Yota Schneider – Life Coach & Mentor, Blogger & Retreats Facilitator

Motivated to Clarify Goals

“Being involved with my clients as they endeavor to make tough changes in their lives by tweaking their organizational systems (sometimes creating organizational systems from scratch), reworking habits, and daily routines continually motivates me to be clear about my goals – both work and personal. They inspire me to continually do my best to honor and work toward my stated goals. When I’m tempted to procrastinate working on a project or defer making a decision I think to myself what would I say to my client in this situation. Often that’s just the push I need to move myself forward.”

Diane Quintana, CPO®, CPO-CD® – Certified Professional Organizer, Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization, ADD & Hoarding Specialist

My hope is that after reading these stories, you’ll catch some motivation mojo too. I’d love to hear from you. What are your thoughts, stories and ideas about motivation? How have other motivated you? I invite you to join the conversation!

It’s a popular time of year to reflect back and imagine forward. If you’re thinking about change and balance, you’re not alone. Finding a balance that feels right for you includes combining a mix of ingredients. I was interested in looking at a range of perspectives on this topic, so I reached out to a generous group of colleagues (Joshua Becker, Leslie Josel, Erin Doland, Andrea Sharb, Judith Kolberg, Janine Adams, Janet Barclay, Ellen Delap, Sue West, Aby Garvey, Yota Schneider). I asked them, “With the arrival of the New Year, what do you want more of and less of to create your desired balance?” Their responses are interesting and motivating. My deepest gratitude goes to each of them for digging deep and sharing with us their plans for next year. If you’re wondering how to create more balance, keep reading for some inspired ideas.

With the arrival of the New Year, what do you want more of and less of  to create your desired balance? . . .

More Focus : Less Distraction

“More focus on the important things. Less distraction on the little.”

Joshua Becker – Founder of Becoming Minimalist

More Quiet : Less Noise

“My perfect balance would be MORE time, patience, deliberate decision-making, gratitude and quiet.  I could use a lot LESS useless noise, reactionary decision-making, pressure and distractions.  With those in place, the rest would hopefully fall into place!”

Leslie Josel – ADHD Coach, Author, & Speaker

More Sleep : Less Deprivation

“When you regularly get the sleep your body needs at night, you have more energy and are a better decision maker during the day. It's even easier to put things away after using them and keep up with chores when getting good sleep. With a three month old, I haven't been getting the sleep my body and brain crave to function at their best. In 2014, I need more sleep. I need to go to bed earlier each night so I can better accomplish my goals and feel better during the day. Good, quality sleep is like gaining super powers. I recommend it for everyone, not just moms with children.”

Erin Doland – Editor-in-Chief at Unclutter.com

More Simplicity : Less Stuff

“I'm at a point in my life where I'm actively embracing the idea of less and am pursuing a ‘smaller’, more focused life: less stuff, simpler lifestyle, and fewer activities & commitments.  Having a less complicated lifestyle will yield more time and energy for what matters most to me these days: personal connections, healthy living, following my curiosity, learning, practicing and continuing to create a business model that most authentically represents my values and appeals to the needs of my clients.”

Andrea Sharb, CPO-CD®, ACC®, COC® & CPO® – Professional Organizer & Productivity/ADHD Coach

More Sacrifice : Less Stress

“If we're too tipped to the side of fun in life and we neglect our work commitments, that is a kind of imbalance that can cause all sorts of stress such as unpaid bills, debt, not seeing things through, or a reputation for being unreliable. On the other hand, if we work ourselves to death and don't tip things over to the fun, relaxing, recreating side of life, we can likewise be unhappy and stressed. So balance is important. I tend to take a long view on balance. For instance, when I'm writing a book, I can sacrifice friends, family, and fun because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. So my life can be terrifically unbalanced in favor of work, but I know it’s only temporary. When I travel, I hardly do any work. I'm fine with knowing projects await me after I'm done goofing off. Try to be as proactive as you can about when you will deliberately unbalance your life in favor of work or leisure. And take a long view – life will balance out over the longer term. And oh yea, keep that light at the end of the tunnel nice and bright!”

Judith Kolberg – Award-winning Professional Organizer & Humble Thought-Leader

More Research : Less Tolerance

“In 2014, I want to do more family history research. Over the past couple of years I've become more serious about genealogy research (and started the blog Organize Your Family History), but I'm still not spending as much time researching my family history, as I'd like. I'd also like to tolerate small annoyances less. Life gets so much better when I take the time to move or reorganize or fix things, rather than just put up with them. This year, I want to take action to change, rather than passively tolerate, the little things that make me frustrated.”

Janine Adams, CPO®, CPO-CD® – Professional Organizer, Speaker, & Blogger

More Planning : Less Guilt

“I believe that more planning will be the key to balance for me in the New Year. Deciding in advance how I’ll spend a particular block of work time will make me more productive and profitable, and I’ll experience less guilt from not focusing on my priorities. Similarly, by planning my leisure time, I’ll face less frustration because instead of simply frittering those hours away, I’ll be filling them with pleasurable activities, which will bring me more enjoyment and fulfillment.”

Janet Barclay – Blogger, WordPress Website Designer, & Virtual Assistant to Professional Organizers

More Connection : Less Commitments

“Focusing on more and less helps me prioritize.  We can’t have more of everything in our lives.  In 2014, I want more time with colleagues and community through social media and community involvement. I plan to spend less time on larger commitments and more on smaller ones that require just one or two small tasks for completion.”

Ellen Delap, CPO® – Professional Organizer, Productivity Consultant, & Blogger

More Flexibility :  Less Doubt

“Sue West’s ‘life balance’ ingredients: intuition I listen to, understanding of who I am and what I stand for (values, strengths, character), acknowledging that I have choices more often than I don’t have them, embracing that I have limited time on Earth and in my days, wisdom, creativity, perspective to respond but not react, and curiosity so I challenge, learn and grow. Mix ingredients differently each day to sustain whatever balance looks like in those moments. When I 'have' balance, I feel it. When I don’t feel it, I know how to get back there.”

Sue West – ADHD & Life Management Coach, Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization®

More Veggies : Less Carbs

“A few years ago, my family and I decided to change the mix of ingredients in our diet. We decided to subtract out one meat-based dinner per week, and add in one vegetarian meal per week. Over time, we have cut out most of the red meat, pork and poultry from our diet. This has been great...except that we've gotten out of balance with carbohydrates. As we head into the New Year, one of my goals is to bring back the balance in my diet, by subtracting out some carbs and adding in more veggies and plant-based proteins.”

Aby Garvey – Professional Organizer, Author, & Online Class Instructor

More Playtime : Less Worry

“This past year I’ve been confronted with the inevitable endings and new beginnings that made me want to hide. My father’s passing and my mother’s failing health juxtaposed my twin daughters entering their junior year and madly preparing for college. No dress rehearsal for parents of twins; it all happens at once. My coaching practice, growing parallel to my daughters, is demanding a new level of creativity, focus, and discipline. What I need more of are trust, playtime, and reaching out. I can do with less worry, doubt, and hiding. Key words for me; simple, clear, immediate, meaningful, loving.”

Yota Schneider  - Seasons of Change Certified Master Coach & Life Transitions Coach

Isn’t it fascinating how differently everyone answered the question? Responses ranged from specific to general, and from brief to more elaborate. I feel so inspired by their clarity and conviction. They will be wonderful guides as I define my next steps. What resonates with you? What would you like more or less of for this coming year? I invite you to to explore with us. Join the conversation.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, successful, joy-filled, New Year with your right mix of more and less!

I like many things. One of them is Yogi Tea. While the tea is delicious, what I like most are the sayings they put on every tea bag hangtag. Each time I make a cup of tea, it’s like opening a fortune cookie, which I also love. There is a moment of anticipation as I grab my glasses to read the Yogi Tea wisdom. I pause to reflect about the idea.

At a recent teatime, the hangtag said, “True wealth is the ability to let go of your possessions.”  Since we’ve just begun our first full month of spring and my blog will be focusing this month about letting go, it seemed like the ideal time to share the Yogi Tea bag story.

It’s an interesting quote because in our society, the message emphasized is often about collecting, gathering and acquiring bigger and better. Marketers encourage us to accumulate more money and stuff.

In contrast, as a professional organizer for almost 20 years, I’ve been helping people manage, organize and de-acquire their things. The amount of papers, toys, clothing, collections and supplies have become overwhelming for many.  People crave simplicity and calm both internally and externally. The acquisition and management of those possessions is often at the root of much of their daily stress and anxiety.

The Yogi quote also made me think about who we are in relation to our things. Do our possessions define who we are? Or, is our true self worth deep within, having nothing to do with what we own, how we dress, or the things that surround us?

Lastly, I wonder if our things have taken over our lives to the degree that they are preventing us from moving ahead. What about the idea of letting go in order to be able to go forward? Are your things preventing growth? Are they taking up too much mental energy, time and space? Are they taking you away from what is most important to you?

All I wanted was a cup of tea. I got so much more.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on letting go, the tea quote or anything else you’d like to share. What are you thinking?