We often set our intentions at the beginning of each year to make this year better. Some of us are still in the intention phase, while others have moved on to make “good” on our goals. Deciding to make changes whether that’s getting more organized, eating more healthfully, or switching careers, takes a lot of energy and motivation. Some changes are forced on us, but others, we choose to embrace. Deciding to do something different is the first step, but then there’s the actual doing or adopting new habits. It’s your consistency in engaging new habits that will bring about your desired change.

Have you identified the change that you want? If so, that’s terrific! If not, stay open to the possibilities. If you’re ready for change but can’t quite get activated to do something, I suggest trying out some of these pump priming strategies to help you move forward.

7 Pump Priming Strategies for Encouraging Change

1. Read – Find information that relates to the change you desire. One of my goals was to reestablish my daily mindfulness meditation practice. I primed my pump by reading lots of books that discuss the various aspects and benefits of mindfulness practice. Just reading the language readied me to engage in beginning again.

2. Write – Collect your thoughts around the changes you seek in a journal or other writing outlet. Doing this gears your mind in a forward-moving way. It also can help you work through challenges around change and ways to encourage the cheerleader within. I used both my personal journal and public blog to help me commit to making a change. Writing can be a form of accountability.

3. Watch – If you have the opportunity to watch any programs or movies in your desired area of change that can also help. For example, I went to a movie, In Pursuit of Silence, which included a talkback with the director. Aside from it being a wonderful movie (go see it if you can,) it supported the value of integrating quiet into your life. This aligned beautifully with my goal to reestablish my mindfulness practice.

4. Review – Looking back on other times that you were engaged in positive habits or when you successfully made changes is a great way to prime your pump for change. Remembering that success breeds more success gets you ready and in the “I can” mode.

5. Search – Don’t underestimate the value of finding a community of like-minded people who value and understand the changes you seek. Investing time to find “your people” is a way of priming your pump. I recently attended an Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness retreat led by Amy Reyer, Ph.D. She shared many local mindfulness meditation resources including local meditation groups. Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., co-founder of the Center for Mindful Living, said, “Human connection is the ultimate ‘x’ factor in creating a sustainable practice.”

6. Connect – Talking with others about the changes you seek and the challenges you’re encountering can move you to act. It can be inspiring to talk with others who are pursuing similar changes. Supportive conversations are affirming and let you know that you’re not alone.

7. Learn – Signing up for courses that emphasize what you’re interested in changing is another great way to prime your pump. Sounds True recently sponsored a free 10-day online Mindfulness & Meditation Summit. It featured the top leaders and researchers in the mindfulness movement such as Sharon Salzberg, Kelly McGonigal, Daniel Goleman, Pema Chodron, Richard Davidson, and Jon Kabat-Zinn. After many hours of learning, it was impossible not to be excited about getting back to my practice.

These strategies do work. After a concentrated effort of pump-priming, I have re-established my daily mindfulness meditation practice. You can use these same strategies to bring about the change you seek.

What change are you ready for? What strategies help you to make the changes that you seek? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

The first of the year installment (v17) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature is here with my latest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring fresh start-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are such a wonderfully engaged group and I am so grateful for you. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? . . .

1. Interesting Read – Fresh Start Rituals

With many of us feeling the hectic pace of the New Year, there is an alternative way to live. Instead of going faster, your fresh start could include slowing down. I recently finished reading this small and lovely book, Destination Simple – Everyday Rituals for a Slower Life by Brooke McAlary, an Australian writer and podcast creator of Slow Your Home. Brooke says, “… by being intentional with your daily actions you can create the simpler, happier life you want. And you can do this by harnessing the power of rituals and rhythms.” She shares five rituals to integrate into your day including single-tasking and unplugging. In addition, she suggests ways of establishing morning and evening rhythms, like routines, but more fluid and flexible.  Even if you don’t adopt every suggestion, even making one change can add more calm and happiness to your life. Brooke’s marching orders are to create a slower, simpler days and then, “… go enjoy life.”

2. Interesting Research  – Fresh Start Effect

The beginning of the year is the time when many of us set goals. It turns out that the first day of the year is a temporal landmark, which signals the beginning of a new and distinctly different period of time. Research from The Wharton School shows that these landmarks help us feel the fresh start effect, which gives us a motivation boost to help us achieve our goals. While January 1st is a common temporal landmark, there are many others we can access like a new day, new week, new month, new season, birthday or holiday. If you missed the fresh start effect on January 1st, harness the power of your next, new something. You can activate your fresh start anytime you want.

3. Interesting Experience – Fresh Start Mornings

Are you ready for a truly fun and unique way to bring a fresh start to your morning? I couldn’t resist sharing this one with you. Daybreaker creates morning events for communities in about 15 cities worldwide that infuse dance and exercise into the start of your day. Their fun formula with five core values of wellness, camaraderie, self-expression, mindfulness and mischief are wrapped in a two-hour dance experience with guest speakers and performers. It’s basically an early morning dance party. Maybe starting your day by dancing with 400 strangers isn’t your thing, but how about cranking up the music and dancing in the privacy of your own home to give your day an energizing fresh start?

4. Interesting Product – Fresh Start List

While goal setting happens several times throughout the year, there’s nothing quite like the start of a New Year to reenergize us to aim for new or reset previous goals. One of the most effective ways of hitting our goals is to write them down. This cheery #Goals pad from Knock Knock makes it easy to capture your daily, weekly or life goals. Give yourself the gift of time, grab a pen, and let your ideas fly. This blank slate will give your goals a fresh start boost. I’m excited for you just thinking about what you’ll accomplish in the coming year. Care to share with us?

5. Interesting Thought – Fresh Start Your New

The beauty of a fresh start is that you can use it to alter your perspective, shift your focus, build from your past successes, and energize yourself to experience new outcomes. What will your “fresh” bring?

What are your interesting finds? Which of these resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

If you’re anything like me, you might think, “There’s no possible way I’ll ever get to inbox zero.”  Over the years, I’ve read many articles and books and even attended seminars with advice about the value of having zero emails in your inbox. I’ve commented on many posts, “I greatly admire your ability to get to zero and would love to do it myself, but don’t see how I can realistically get there…ever!” I’ve imagined how it might feel to be unencumbered by old emails and an inbox that felt more like a “to-do someday list.”

While I haven’t set all of my 2018 goals in motion or even decided what they will be, one of the goals I committed to this year was my project “inbox zero.” I wanted a fresh start and a clean slate to grow from. With this new goal of “zero” in mind, I was curious if I could achieve it. I also wondered how to make it happen.

So, I set a simple plan in motion. I remembered some advice I learned, which helped me create a doable plan. Using the breaking-down-large-projects-into-small-parts thought process, I set up a few basic rules.

Linda’s Rules for Project Inbox Zero

Set a completion date. I opted to have this done by January 1st. Guess what? That didn’t happen, but it did happen a week later. It’s good to remember that deadlines are great motivators, but be flexible. As it turns out, I needed that extra time to complete my goal. And if I needed more time, I would have made another adjustment.

Create some parameters. With hundreds of emails and decisions to process, I knew I’d need more than a day to get through them. I used small time blocks daily to process the old emails while keeping up with the new ones. The beauty of doing a little bit each day was that decision-making wasn’t overwhelming. If I experienced decision fatigue, I stopped. I aimed for progress, not completion. That kept me motivated and ready for the next email session.

Establish the “dump” buckets. That may seem like an odd term, but it’s what it felt like. Reviewing each email, I decided which “bucket” to “dump” the email or information into. My favorite bucket was the trash. If the email was no longer relevant, I let it go. Another bucket was my “to-do” list. Anything that required action or follow-up got assigned a date on my list to review later. A third bucket was contacts. Some emails required transferring stats or information to my contact system. The other types of emails are related to current or past projects. Those went into archive buckets. These archives are digital folders with specific project or topic category names.

Be Realistic. The most challenging emails to decide about were those I hoped to have done something with someday but hadn’t. I used the “how long I’ve been ignoring this email factor” to determine the likelihood of ever attending to that thing. In most cases, those emails ended up in the “trash” bucket. A few were archived or added to my to-do list. However, I tried to be as realistic as possible before they were kept. The point of achieving inbox zero wasn’t just to empty the box but also to make realistic assessments about the contents.

“Use small time blocks daily to process the old emails while keeping up with the new ones.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Do it now. Some emails required more immediate action, like signing up for ICD’s new teleclasses. The time needed to complete those tasks was minimal. However, once the task was completed, the email could be deleted. So, I opted to handle any quick action emails right away rather than adding them to my to-do list.

As you’ve figured out by now, with these simple rules in place, I got through hundreds of emails within a few weeks, routed them to their buckets, and arrived at inbox zero. It’s a little strange to see my empty inbox. It looks kind of lonely. I’m still expecting hundreds of messages every time I open the program. Along with the strangeness, I feel liberated with a positive feeling that fresh starts often bring. There’s a certain clarity and focus when attending to the few new ones that pop in.

I’m looking forward to other types of letting go in the coming months. There are papers to shred, files to clear out, and general “stuff” to release. Emails were just the beginning.

What is your relationship to your inbox? Have you struggled with managing email? What works or doesn't work for you? What has your experience been with inbox zero or fresh starts for this year? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation!

We straddle two zones as we wind down this year and gear up for the new one to begin. The days are an odd mixture of parties, paperwork, and preparation. What mode are you in? Are you planning, relaxing, or maybe doing a combination of both? One of my favorite things to do before moving forward is to reflect on the past. This gives me insights into what was and clues about what’s possible. In that spirit, I’ve gathered for you highlights from the most popular posts and organizing concepts of 2017 and also created a short video. If you’re curious to learn more about one of my quotes, click on the link to read the original post. My hope is that you’ll discover a seed idea that will inspire you as you embark on your organizing journey for the New Year.

What area will you focus on to create the level of organization and balance that you desire? Which people, projects and things will you give your time, energy and attention to?

Watch, read, and then join our conversation!

WINTER 2017

Fresh Start

“Let go of the shoulds. Ground yourself in the here and now.”

How to Practice Mindfulness for a Compassionate Fresh Start

Embrace Change

“In small ways each day, I can see and feel change happening.”

How to Embrace the Changes with Awareness and Delight

Next Step

“Finding next often takes less effort than you think it will.”

How to Pass the Human Test and Quickly Unlock Next

SPRING 2017

Letting Go

“The powerful method to reduce overwhelm … is to let go!”

Reduce Your Overwhelm & Increase Zen With One Powerful Method

Clutter

“Facing our clutter is a process. It begins with noticing...”

How to Use This Mindfulness Invitation to Better See Your Clutter

Time Management

“In this corner of our world that is fixated on doing more … the pause is essential.”

Make Time to Get Benefits of the “Pause”

SUMMER 2017

Motivation

“As your mind and body gets more sleep, notice the positive affect on your motivation.”

Do You Nurture or Sabotage Your Motivation?

Enlisting Help

“Practicing mindfulness … can be huge in helping us to navigate transitions...”

How to Get Great Mindfulness Help for Anxiety with Change

Success

“It’s essential to cheer yourself on … with each small success.”

What Does Organizing Success Look Like for You?

FALL 2017

Possibility Thinking

“Possibilities open up when your space is clear.”

What Are The Possibilities When You Clear Your “Space?”

Wonderfully Human

“Connecting with the human side of organizing brings the process to an entirely different place.”

What Treasures Will Be Discovered When You Are Organizing?

Life Balance

“Balance is … not always level, but in a constant state of motion that requires thought and action.”

How to Immediately Put Back More “B” in Balance

My heartfelt gratitude goes to you for being part of this vibrant community. We’ve had a rich year of conversations and sharing of ideas and resources. You bring learning, growth, support, and wonder to every day. Thank you for coming back again and again to participate and share your best.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, organized and joy-filled New Year!