During the past few winter months, I’ve written about fresh starts and embracing change. Today is the first day of a new month, and my focus shifts to the next steps. I write more about this topic in chapter three of my book, The Other Side of Organized. Recently, I had a funny conversation with my husband that relates to the next step theme.

Steve was in the kitchen having a snack. I was working on my computer. He called out to me and asked, “These honeys don’t have to be out here, do they?” Something about trying to decipher what he was referring to and the way he phrased it made me go into a tears-rolling-down-the-cheeks fit of laughter.

The Takeaway

Here is my takeaway. The “honeys” he was referring to was not him, because I call him Honey, but the two jars of honey that had been sitting on our kitchen counter since December when our girls were home from their college breaks. The honey is normally stored in the pantry. As our girls enjoy putting honey in their tea, the jars were left out as a convenience for them. On this particular evening, Steve looked at those jars and thought, “Why are they still here?” After identifying the issue (the girls were no longer home. Therefore, we didn’t need to keep the jars out), he took the next step and returned the honey back to the pantry.

“These honeys don’t have to be out here, do they?”

— Steve Samuels

Your Next Step

That’s what the next steps are often about. We can easily go through our lives not thinking about what our goal or the bigger picture is about. Therefore, we don’t know what action to take because we aren’t thinking about making changes. Things end up in places they don't belong, or we continue habits that don't really serve us. We get complacent and stop questioning. However, once we give ourselves the space to become aware, these actions or next steps become very clear. The honey jars no longer served a purpose by being on the counter. What unnecessary thing is getting in the way of your bigger picture or goal?

As you try to figure out what to do next, perhaps Steve’s question will not only bring a smile to your face but also prompt you to question and act. “These honeys don’t have to be out here, do they?”

What next step will bring you closer to your goal? I invite you to join in the conversation and share your thoughts.

Lighten Up by Peter Walsh

January is Get Organized Month. According to Standolyn Robertson, NAPO Past-President, “Getting organized is one of the top 5 New Year’s resolutions people make…” What better way to wrap up this month than with a giveaway that’s designed to help you with your organizing goals?

For my Get Organized Month Giveaway, one lucky winner will receive a copy of the newly released book Lighten Up by the charming organizational expert, Peter Walsh. He’s a New York Times bestselling author and host of the new Oprah Winfrey Network Television series “Enough Already! with Peter Walsh.” The subtitle of Peter’s book says it all:  Love What You Have, Have What You Need, Be Happier with Less.

Sometimes the pressure of getting organized or working on your goals is so great that it prevents us from taking any steps forward.  For me, it’s valuable to use the change of seasons to create reflection and evaluation pauses. The goals I’m working on now will bring me through the winter. Once spring arrives, I will look back and then ahead to adjust what I’m doing. In my book, The Other Side of Organized, the seasons help my readers focus on particular ideas at specific times. Winter is about fresh starts, embracing change and taking next steps.

Please make your next step entering the Get Organized Month Giveaway.  The giveaway starts on January 24th. The winner will be picked on January 31st.  Follow the contest rules to win a copy of Peter Walsh’s book, Lighten Up:

1.    Comment on this blog post below with something you love or would be happier without.

2.    Comment about the giveaway on the Oh, So Organized! Facebook page

3.    Re-tweet the giveaway on Twitter and include @LindaSamuels when you do!

4.    Subscribe to the Other Side of Organized monthly e-newsletter for inspiration and motivation!

Do one or all of the above to enter. The more you do, the more times your name will be entered to win (up to 4 total entries!)

I look forward to hearing from you and sharing Peter’s book with the winner. Good luck!

Fortunately for us, we have the ability to perform multiple roles. When it comes to “help,” sometimes we are on the giving and other times on the receiving end. In my book, The Other Side of Organized, chapter eight is about enlisting help. Why did I choose to write an entire chapter on this topic? Many individuals are challenged by the organizing piece in their lives. Along with that struggle, they feel uncomfortable asking for help. Through writing, I hope to alleviate some of that conflict by reframing how we think about it.

At first glance, as a parent, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, volunteer, solopreneur, professional organizer and author, I more often view myself in the giving rather than receiving role when it comes to help. But as I examine this more closely, I realize that every time I am the giver of help, in return I receive help in the form of growth, understanding, satisfaction and more.  When I actively enlist help, I get the benefit of another person’s focus, expertise and compassion to assist me in an area I struggle with. When looked at this way, help becomes a two-way street. In the best cases, both parties benefit from the exchange.

You might be organizationally challenged to the degree that it’s having a negative impact on your daily life, your relationships or your job. You feel frustrated because you’ve tried to get organized on your own many times, but are dissatisfied and unsuccessful with your efforts. Perhaps this has been a long-term challenge of months, years or decades. By reaching out for the right type of help from a professional, family member or friend, you will not only be receiving assistance, but you will most likely be helping the other person in exchange. The helper in return may become more compassionate, creative, motivated and inspired. Who knew that asking for help was actually a gift to the other person?

As the summer is nearing its end, much of my time has shifted to helping our youngest daughter organize and prepare for going off to college. We’ve been going through all of her belongings and memorabilia to decide what stays home, gets released or goes with her to school. I am most definitely helping her to organize. But in the process of going through the 18 years of school work, photos, essays, cards, clothes, games, books and more, Cassie is most definitely helping me to prepare for this next phase of my life. She’s giving me the chance to relive some wonderful memories of her growing up, laugh a lot about things I’d forgotten, shed a few tears, enjoy seeing how much she’s grown and assist her mom through this transition.

So, in helping her, my girl is helping me. It’s a beautiful two-way street.

I’d love to hear about your giving and receiving experiences!

Why is it that we often feel like we’re cheating if we ask for help? Why do we think that we have to or should be able to do everything ourselves? We think that getting help is a sign of weakness. I’m not sure why this happens and am occasionally guilty of feeling this way myself. Over time, I’ve discovered that enlisting help is a great way to learn, minimize frustration and boost our self-esteem.

Let’s look at getting organized. Many of my clients are organizationally challenged and have hired me to help them. At times, they’ve expressed their disappointment or guilt saying things like, “Why can’t I do this myself?” or “What’s wrong with me?” They feel that because others can organize on their own without any help and they can’t, that they have failed, are inadequate or have something intrinsically wrong with them. This simply is not true. None of us are good at everything. Thank goodness we have different skills and talents to share.

Before I published my book, The Other Side of Organized, I knew I needed the help of others with publishing expertise. I hired a book coach, editor, designer and printer. In addition, I sought advice from many other professionals and continue to do so.  I still made mistakes along the way, but having a team of people to help guide and advise me, shortened the learning curve and minimized the severity of the errors. In addition, knowing that I had these professionals with me along the journey didn’t detract from but actually boosted my confidence.

Instead of fighting the desire for support, I embraced the concept of building a team of experts to help me grow and succeed.

So, the next time you find yourself struggling with getting organized or something else, consider reaching out for help. It isn’t cheating. This could be the best choice you make to end your frustration and bring you closer to your goals.

What help would be valuable right now to move you to the next step?