Posts tagged to-do list
Here Are 5 Most Interesting and Best Happy Human Discoveries – v52

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 workshop7 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.

Getting organized is possible, especially with real human support.

 
 
Here Are 5 Most Interesting and Best Finding Help Discoveries – v51

Enjoy the latest release (v51) of the “What’s Interesting?” series, which features my most recent finds that inform, inspire, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique enlisting help 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 additional contributions to the collection I’ve sourced.

What do you find interesting?

 

 

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Finding Help Discoveries

1. Interesting Read – To Do Help

Do you have a project you’re procrastinating on or a to-do list that’s a mile long? Life requires you to get sh*t done. That’s all fine when you’re in the flow, checking off the ‘done’ tasks, and making progress. But what happens when you feel paralyzed before getting started or completing your goal?

In To Do – 41 Tools to Start, Stick With, and Finish Things, authors Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler share many techniques to help you be more productive and fulfilled. They encourage you to choose the strategy that best fits your unique situation. Some will help enhance your work when you’re highly motivated, while other tools will give you the push you need to get started when you’re procrastinating.

They say, “…we don’t ‘get things done’ the same way every time. Sometimes we’re bursting with energy…at other times we falter, unsure if we’re on the right path, even questioning the whole project.”

Some of the techniques covered include:

  • The Pomodoro Technique – Use focused, time-limited ‘work’ sessions, which help you “avoid distractions and get started on something.”

  • Rapid Prototyping – Apply the approach for building models or prototypes to your tasks. Focus on “good enough,” release perfection, solicit input as needed, and make adjustments as needed.

  • Kanban – Use this tool when you experience “to-do overload.” It’s a visual method to clarify “what you’re planning to do, what you’re doing right now, and what you’ve already done.”

  • The 5-Second Rule – Use it when you need help with “activation energy.” Do a simple “countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … and do the right thing.”

  • The 5/25 Rule – This tool helps you identify the five most important goals you want to achieve in life and let go of the other twenty you won't have time for.

  • The Law of Reversed Effort – Apply this approach when your goal feels like an obstacle. Instead of chasing that goal now, let it go and focus your attention on something else. After at least six months, revisit your goal to decide if you still want to pursue it, or if there’s another way to accomplish it.

Which task or project are you currently stuck on?

 

 


2. Interesting Resource – Repair Help

Living in a “throwaway culture” means that repairing broken items happens less frequently. People often prefer the convenience of buying something new, rather than fixing what’s broken. Also, since getting broken things fixed isn’t as easy as it once was, discarding and buying something new can seem like the only option.

However, if you are committed to keeping things out of landfills and getting more use out of your stuff, I have some good news. A client of mine recently shared this resource with me, and I couldn’t wait to tell you about it.

Repair Cafe community events happen locally and internationally. Bring your broken item, and a volunteer repair coach will help you fix it. Not only will your belongings get repaired, but you’ll also gain hands-on experience.

Repair coaches can help fix a variety of items, including lamps, clocks, chairs, small appliances, digital devices, clothing, textiles, toys, jewelry, and more.

The next time something breaks, consider seeking help and engaging in the repair revolution.

Which of your things could be repaired?

Asking for help is valuable and shows strength, not weakness.
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

 

3. Interesting Study – Activation Help

Several years ago, Real Simple published an article about clever ways to increase your energy. One of the suggestions was to “shake up your routine.” They referenced a brain study in Nature Communications. The experiment found that when the nucleus accumbens, the part of the brain linked to motivation and pleasure, isn’t stimulated in a particular way, a signal is sent that causes drowsiness.

Alice Boyes, PhD, author of The Healthy Mind Toolkit, said, Changing your routine in the tiniest ways can have an effect on sluggishness.” The routine shift can also “spark creativity.” Small changes can include “Rearrange the furniture. Sit somewhere different. Pour the milk into the bowl before your cereal.”

Are you feeling tired and struggling to activate? If so, what small change can you make to your routine?

 

 

Life requires you to get sh*t done.
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

 

 

4. Interesting Product – Storage Help

One of my favorite organizing tools is the mesh zipper bag. They are:

  • Versatile

  • Lightweight

  • Durable

  • Colorful

  • Affordable

The bags featured here have handles, making them even easier to carry. You can use them to store books, puzzle pieces, small toys, board games, craft projects, office supplies, papers, and more. Use these pouches at school, home, office, or while traveling.

What could you store in your mesh bags?

 

 

 

 

5. Interesting Thought – Getting Help

Do you ask for help when you’re stuck, or do you tend to remain stuck and frustrated on your own?

It’s remarkable how much progress and growth can occur when you find the right support. Asking for help is valuable and shows strength, not weakness.

Everyone needs assistance at times, especially if you’re:

What kind of help do you need right now?

 

 

 

Finding the Right Help

Sure, you can go it alone. However, there are times when reaching out for help can make an enormous difference to your sanity and progress. It’s worth creating a go-to list of people, strategies, and product resources to support you in pursuing your goals and tackling tasks. That way, you won’t have to struggle by yourself.

Who or what is your favorite source of support? Which of these discoveries resonates most with you? 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.

Getting organized is possible, especially with support.

 
 
Feeling Stuck? Start Here: Small Organizing Steps That Empower Motivation

Feeling stuck is a common experience. Do you wait to feel motivated before starting a project or task? You might think you need to be in a good mood, have the right energy, or be completely clear about your plan before beginning. However, like with organizing and in life, waiting can keep you stuck. The reality is that motivation doesn’t always come first. More frequently, it follows the act of starting.

When you take that first tiny step, whether it’s decluttering one surface, recycling some papers, or making a short to-do list, you build momentum. Beginning helps you to":

  • Break through mental clutter.

  • Build confidence.

  • Turn what’s overwhelming into something manageable.

Just starting reinforces that progress doesn’t begin with having everything figured out. Getting unstuck starts with taking one small step.

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time, I encourage you to let go of perfection and take action today. The smallest effort can spark the motivation you’ve been missing.

As James Clear said, “Whenever you are stuck searching for the optimal plan, remember: Getting started changes everything.”

With these ideas in mind, what can help you change everything?

 

 

27 Ways to Get Started: A Motivation-Boosting Organizing Checklist

Nike’s iconic motto is “Just Do It.” Similarly, but with a twist, the suggestions in this checklist encourage you to just start with small actions that will help build significant momentum.

Use this checklist when you’re feeling stuck. Completing even one small task can boost the motivation needed to keep going.


THE MOTIVATION-BOOSTING ORGANIZING CHECKLIST

Home Clutter

  • Make your bed.

  • Declutter one corner of your desk.

  • Organize just one category, like shoes, coffee mugs, or bathing suits.

  • Empty and edit the contents of a tote bag or bin.

  • Declutter five items from any drawer.

  • Take out the recycling.

  • Place a donation bag somewhere visible.

  • Put five items into the donation bag.

  • Declutter one shelf or surface.

  • Recycle ten old magazines, papers, or receipts.

 

Digital Clutter

  • Delete or archive ten emails from your inbox.

  • Clear your desktop of old files.

  • Remove five phone apps you don’t use.

  • Unsubscribe from three newsletters you never read.

  • Turn off dings, pop-ups, and alerts.

 

Time-Induced Starts

  • Set a 10-minute timer to declutter anything.

  • Schedule 15 minutes this week to start your next project.

  • Take five minutes to decide on the “maybe” items.

  • Spend five minutes reviewing your to-do list and pick the top three tasks you want to accomplish today.

 

Quick Wins

  • Toss all the non-working pens in your pencil cup.

  • Clear the kitchen sink.

  • Put dirty laundry in the hamper.

  • Follow up on one item from your ‘pending’ pile.

  • Label one shelf, bin, or folder.

  • File or shred a small group of papers.

  • Clean out your purse.

  • Remove the trash from your car.


  

What Small Actions Help You Get Started?

Don’t underestimate the positive impact taking small steps has on motivation. Relief and progress are within your reach. How does starting influence what happens next? Which items from the getting started checklist resonate most with you? What additional items would you like to add to your checklist?

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

 

The smallest effort can spark the motivation you’ve been missing.
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

 

  

How Can I Help?

Would you like some support with motivation, activation, or organization? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. You can:

Organizing and sustaining motivation is possible, especially with support.

 
 
Here Are 5 Most Interesting and Best Letting Go Discoveries - v49
Best letting go discoveries

Enjoy the newest release (v49) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature with my latest finds that inform, inspire, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique letting-go discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme and time of year. Spring is a season for growth, change, and letting go of what no longer serves you.

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 additions to the collection I’ve sourced.

What do you find interesting?

 

 

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Letting Go Discoveries

1. Interesting Workshop – Letting Go of Clutter

Do you feel burdened and overwhelmed by the clutter in your life? This transformative workshop can help. Spring is a wonderful time to let go and thrive.

Join me, Linda Samuels, Professional Organizer, for the empowering workshop – My Simple Organizing Plan. One workshop with your choice of two dates:

  • April 22nd at 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern or

  • April 24th at Noon-1:00 pm Eastern

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

Let go of the chaos and say hello to a calmer, more organized you. Reserve your spot now!

 

 

 

2. Interesting Article – Letting Go for Spring

Homes & Gardens article: Spring organizing and decluttering based on your Zodiac sign

Have you ever chosen a decluttering, letting go, or organizing project based on your Zodiac sign? Are you curious about which project aligns best with your sign? If so, you’ll love this!

In the Homes & Gardens article, What to easily organize this spring based on your Zodiac sign – it’ll turbocharge decluttering and banish motivation blockers, writer Ciera Cree explores star sign-adjacent organizing projects based on recommendations from astrologers and professional organizers (including me).

Ciera shares the astrologers’ advice and says, “Aligning your decluttering mission with your star sign will maximize efficiency...”  For example, if you’re an Aries (March 21st – April 19th), astrologist Rebecca Gordon suggests doing a “closet refresh.”

Based on Rebecca’s advice, I suggested, as a professional organizer, “To get your closet ready for spring, begin by removing darker, heavier clothing to make space for lighter, more colorful seasonal pieces.”

What is your sign? I’m a Scorpio. The astrologer suggests organizing my to-do list for spring home maintenance tasks. Which spring decluttering and letting go project are you looking forward to?

 

 

 

3. Interesting Read – Letting Go of Overwhelm

Overwhelm by Brigid Schulte

Feeling overwhelmed is the top reason people reach out to me for support. Their overwhelm comes from having:

In Overwhelmed – Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time, author and award-winning journalist, Brigid Schulte explores why we’re so stressed out and overwhelmed and ways to create time for what matters most.

Schulte shares neuroscience research that “when a human is pressed for time, rushed, and caught up in overwhelm, that yellow blob [prefrontal cortex] does something alarming: It shrinks.” In addition, “when children are exposed to stress – often stemming from the overwhelm of their parents – it can alter not only their neurological and hormonal systems but also their very DNA.”

This is sobering stuff. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Schulte also provides readers with compelling research, stories, and many strategies. She advocates for:

What can you reimagine or let go of when you're feeling overwhelmed?

Let go of the chaos and say hello to a calmer, more organized you.
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

4. Interesting Resource – Letting Go to Help Someone Else

The Bra Recyclers - Bra and underwear recycling

As you declutter and let go this spring, do you have bras you no longer wear that could benefit someone? Finding a good home for your belongings is a helpful strategy for letting go. You’ll feel better and more at peace when your things go to someone who will appreciate receiving them. In the organizing industry, this is known as providing safe passage.”

A terrific non-profit organization, The Bra Recyclers, repurposes old bras and new underwear and gives them to people in need. Repurposing also keeps textiles out of landfills.

They accept regular bras, sports bras, nursing bras, and new ones with tags or women’s panties and men’s boxers and briefs in the package. With their “hassle-free solution,” The Bra Recyclers makes it easy to get your undergarments to them with this three-step process:

Let go to help people and the planet.

 

 

 

5. Interesting Thought – Letting Go of What’s Keeping You Stuck

What is holding you back? What is keeping you stuck? What is no longer necessary in your life?

If you sense it’s time to let go, give yourself permission. Close your eyes and settle. Take a deep breath, hold it briefly, exhale slowly, and let it go. Repeat two more times.

Can you identify a part of your life that needs help letting go? It could include physical items, negative thoughts, overly busy schedules, or unhelpful habits.

How will you benefit from letting go?





New Season Inspires Letting Go Opportunities

When you release what is no longer needed, you make space for possibilities, calm, and what’s most valued.

What will you let go of this spring? Which of these discoveries resonate most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want help getting unstuck, reducing overwhelm, letting go, and getting organized? I’m here to help. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – local feel with global reach.

Please email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Letting go is possible, especially with support.