Success is such a personal thing, even when it comes to organizing success. We view and define it differently. Some of us are excessively hard on ourselves and barely allow any acknowledgment of success or progress.

Sometimes we’re so focused on our goal that we rush through the tiny successes along the way, barely noticing them. What I see most often with clients is how overwhelmed, especially at the beginning of a large organizing project, can color their definition and expectation of success. In those situations, “completely done” is what success means to them, and until that happens, they remain in a very negative place. As I said, success is personal. We experience it differently.

What does organizing success look and feel like for you?

While I recognize that we each define organizing success differently, when working with clients, I help them celebrate and acknowledge the small successes along the way. Because let’s be honest. No project gets done in one simple stroke. Projects only get done by working consistently over time, piece by piece, and by changing some habits and behaviors in the process. It’s essential to cheer yourself on, do a happy dance, or shout out some “woohoos!” with each small success. These will help you relive the success and propel you forward for more success. You’ve heard this before, and it’s worth repeating: Success breeds more success.

Remember that organizing success has a range in what it looks like. Here are some recent client and personal organizing successes that have brought about high fives, big sighs, and huge smiles:

• Editing a box of old papers

• Labeling toy bins

• Deciding to let go

• Creating a resource list for an organizing project

• Decluttering the corner of a living room

• Clearing and organizing papers and “stuff” from kitchen surfaces

• Packing for an upcoming trip

• Preparing tax information for accountant

• Unpacking and organizing the last few boxes from a recent move

• Editing and organizing child’s clothing closet

• Handling daily incoming mail

• Hiring an onsite shredding company to shred decades worth of papers

• Organizing a pile of papers from the office desk

• Making a to-do list for a massive organizing project

• Organizing past event papers into accessible files

• Seeing donates, trash, and recycling taken away by hauling company

• Hiring professional organizer to help with an organizing project

What does organizing success look and feel like for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

We could all use a bit more happiness in our lives, couldn’t we? While traveling recently, I noticed someone reading a Time magazine special edition, The Science of Happiness. The cover was splashed with happy-looking emojis. I finally got my hands on a copy and read it, with yellow highlighter in hand, from cover to cover. I’m generally a happy, positive person most of the time. Even so, I loved the idea of learning about the science behind happiness and the possibility of finding ways to experience even more joy.

Some researchers think that genetics are behind 50% of the variations in happiness and 10% are due to life circumstances. This is great news because it means the remaining 40% presents opportunity for you to increase your happiness. We can break that down to small, manageable parts. As author Margaret Wander Bonanno said,

“It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis.”

3 Ways to Help Increase Your Happiness . . .

Mindfulness

Being present, refusing to multitask, and bringing your full attention to what’s happening right now is one way to increase happiness. This can be challenging to do with so many sounds, people and thoughts vying for your attention. It requires practice, like exercising a muscle, to be mindful. One suggestion made by Emma Seppala, Ph.D. author of The Happiness Track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success is to take technology breaks. She suggests,

“One of the greatest ways to find joy is to spend a half-day or whole day on a technology fast. That means no screen time. None.”

Generosity

Doing good in the world can translate into donating money to causes and organizations we believe in. According to Michael Norton, co-author of Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending, bringing this idea closer to home can boost your happiness even more. He says,

“While giving to charity brings more happiness than spending money on yourself, our research finds that doing things for people you know makes you happiest.”

Gratitude

Have you noticed that you’ve become more grateful as you’ve aged? One study discovered that for each 10 years of life, gratitude increases by 5%. In addition, according to writer Ellen Seidman, research suggests that people who are regularly grateful, those that are actively aware of the “goodness in life and the sources of it – are generally healthier and happier.” To experience the full benefits of gratitude, you need to both feel the love, like recording your appreciation in a gratitude journal and show the love as in writing a letter (the more specific the better) to express gratitude to your friends and loved ones. Robert Emmons, Ph.D., psychology professor and author of Gratitude Works! says,

“When people are grateful, they feel more alert and alive.”

Do any of these increasing happiness concepts resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

It’s the month of books, lots of new books! Most of my latest acquisitions are about clutter. I don’t know about you, but I love books, as does the family I come from. I grew up in a house of books. There were books in every room. Family excursions would often include hours spent “browsing” at bookstores like Rizzoli in New York City. Every time my mom returned from a trip, she’d bring back more books filled with places she traveled or art she’d seen. Sundays were often spent sitting around reading The New York Times, listening to music and reading books.

I’ll admit that when I was younger, I wasn’t as avid a reader. I preferred drawing, painting and dancing. But over the years, I have turned into my mother. What can I say? I have a lot of reading to catch up on.

While the books in our home are neatly stacked and stored on shelves, we have a lot of them. To visitors they might seem like clutter or too much stuff. To us, they are treasures. There are periods when I’ll scour the rooms with a bag in hand, hunting for books that can be released and donated. As I look, I rediscover some great “old friends,” which I can’t part with. However, there are some that I’m ready to let go of and put into the “donate” bag. Each book released represents a small success.

The newly published book, Junk – Digging Through America’s Love Affair With Stuff  by journalist and author Alison Stewart, is one of the books that recently joined my collection. About a year and a half ago, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Alison. The inspiration for her book came from her experience emptying her parents’ home after they passed away. She became fascinated with why we hold on to things. This led her to a three-year journey investigating all about our culture’s obsession with stuff: collecting it, releasing it, and upcycling it.

Alison cites resources like the Institute for Challenging Disorganization and interviewed many people including junk removers, some of my colleagues and me. She used part of my interview in her book and quoted me saying,

“I don’t think it is so odd that we define ourselves by certain objects. If you think about your space, you have things around, colors you like. What you see is the variation in the volume. And whether the stuff is enhancing your daily experience or it is causing stress. That’s the dividing line. Is it preventing you from living the life you want, doing what you want, causing problems with your family? That’s the slippery slope.”

The need to hold on and collect is a common phenomenon. As Alison asks, “Why do smart, successful people hold on to old Christmas bows, chipped knickknacks, VHS tapes, and books they would likely never reread?”

“Why do smart, successful people hold on to old Christmas bows, chipped knickknacks, VHS tapes, and books they would likely never reread?”

— Alison Stewart

Junk has many great stories, facts and connections with our shared experiences. It’s well worth adding this book to your collection or borrowing it from a friend.

Is your home filled with things that are too good to let go of, yet they no longer are serving a purpose? Have they become clutter? Do they represent postponed decisions? How do you decide if something is a treasure or clutter? I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Come join the conversation.