Have you ever felt challenged when making a big or small change in your life? If so, did you encounter periods of doubt, stress, frustration, or overwhelm? Many experiences around change include discomfort at some point in the journey. After all, if we’re lucky, growth and insight happen along the change path. And usually, those don’t occur without some struggle.

In the latter part of last year, I embarked on a new project to combine and redesign my two websites into one. It wasn’t the first time I had done this type of project, so I knew it was accomplishable. In the end, while I am thrilled with how the new ohsoorganized.com site looks and feels, going through the change process had its challenges.  Now that I’m on the other side of it and have had time to reflect, I thought it seemed like a good time to share what I learned about going through change. Maybe you are making a change in your life. If so, I hope that something here will resonate and be helpful to you.

7 Lessons Learned About how to Navigate Change

1. Gather Your Team

You can make changes on our own, but I learned that creating a support team enhanced my experience. When you seek something different, you can significantly benefit from the expertise and wisdom of others. For the website project, I worked with the talented web designer, Tanya Moushi, who specializes in creating Squarespace websites. She clarified the project phases, explained what was or wasn't viable, and led me through the design phase to the launch of the new site. A while back, I hired the marvelous Word Press web designer, Janet Barclay, to evaluate my websites. While Janet didn’t directly work on my redesign project since she only does Word Press sites, the evaluations Janet did were useful guides as I considered the changes I wanted for my new website. Just as essential to my team were family, friends, clients, and colleagues. They helped me notice the things I overlooked, provided sanity checks, and gave me moral support during times of doubt.

2. Expect Some Mess 

During a conversation with Tanya in the early design phase, I expressed some frustration with how that process was going. I wasn’t happy with the initial color and mood board. She gently said that the “Creative process is very messy.” I loved that reminder because while I knew it was accurate, I had forgotten it at that moment. This is similar to what my organizing clients experience. When we are organizing a space, it often looks worse before it improves. If they feel discouraged, I remind them that things get messier before they get better. And clearly, that goes for redesigning websites too. I remembered other design projects I’ve done, like designing my book, creating previous websites, or redesigning my logo. There was always trial and error. These are not one and done processes. What I appreciated about Tanya was that she hung in there and experimented with me until we got the colors, images, fonts, layouts, and functionality working as I wanted. And yes. It was messy. But from the experimentation and chaos, we created something beautiful and functional.

3. Adjust Expectations

Projects won’t always go as planned. When I received the initial proposal for the website redesign, the timeline showed slightly less than a one-month turnaround from design to final launch. The schedule included three phases. There was technical (like transferring domain name and importing files,) design (such as gathering design inspiration and building a preview site,) and quality assurance (as in back end training and going live.) The phases took longer than anticipated. The elapsed time was over four months. Like most projects, unexpected things came up. So as the deadlines changed, Tanya and I discussed them, course-corrected, and readjusted the expectations. This was critical. In the end, the timing worked out great because I launched the site as the year and decade changed. So even though that hadn’t been the original plan, it ended up being a terrific outcome timing-wise.

4. Work Those Lists

It helped me to have several lists for a redesign project of this magnitude. There were the updated password lists, things to discuss with Tanya lists, design comments and idea lists, site review lists, how to work the back end lists, and, ultimately, the final punch list. The lists kept me on track and also provided places to record thoughts and ideas in an organized way. It was Tanya’s idea to upload the punch list to Google docs so that we could discuss and cross off items as completed. It was a collaborative way of communicating, which worked out beautifully. I remember when that last item was crossed off. It indicated to me that things were completed and it was time to embrace the change fully.

5. Be Patient With Learning

One of the issues that had prevented me from redesigning sooner was knowing that I needed time to invest in learning a new platform. I migrated my sites from Squarespace 5, which I knew how to navigate, to Squarespace 7, which has an entirely different back end. I had confidence that I could learn it, but I didn’t know how much time it would take me. Tanya did several walkthroughs with me and also created a few how-to videos for making edits and creating blog posts. Also, Squarespace has excellent tutorials and customer support. It was awkward at first but got more comfortable with each edit. The upside is that I love learning. Having to add a new set of skills to my toolbox has been one of the fun surprises of this process.

6. Acknowledge Loss

While the website redesign was needed and desired, I was surprised by some feelings of loss that I experienced. The othersideoforganized.com site, which no longer exists, was created when I wrote my book ten years ago. I started blogging on that site and enjoyed many wonderful conversations with my readers. It was a familiar and happy place to visit and converse. The previous ohsoorganized.com site was redesigned in 2011 from the original site that launched in 2001. Even though with the website change, I was gaining many positives like being mobile-friendly, moving to the updated Squarespace 7 platform, and having a more modern design, I liked what I had. It worked. However, due to technical issues and an old platform, it was time to change. I knew that. Even so, part of me wanted to hold on to what was comfortable and familiar. During the process, even though I was pushing myself to be open to new possibilities, I also recognized that I was digging in and trying to hold on to what I had. Acknowledging and noticing these feelings of loss during growth and change was helpful. I could see, feel, and appreciate them. And then I let go so that I could embrace the new.

7. Appreciate the Blooms

The big website change has happened, and I am thankful. After months of designing, technical maneuvering, and collaborating, the new ohsoorganized.com launched at the beginning of the year. Below you can view the welcome-to-the-new-site video. It took a combined effort to get the website to this stage. I’m so happy with the look, feel, and content. But more importantly, it is getting the results I hoped for. People are engaging, taking action, and feeling inspired. Within 24 hours of the launch, a new client hired me because of how the site made her feel- welcomed and understood. After watching one of my videos and reading a few of my posts, another new client was inspired to take action. She organized a corner of a room that had been bothering her for a long time. Feedback has been positive from colleagues, clients, family, friends, and strangers. The theothersideoforganized.com blog community quickly found their new home at ohsoorganized.com/blog. The group continues to thrive as they generously share and engage in our wonderful conversations about organizing, life balance, mindfulness, letting go, motivation, change, and more. I am grateful for what was, what is, and what will be.

What has helped you navigate change? What change is currently engaging your time? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment and join the conversation!

Positive anticipation is a beautiful thing. When we look forward to doing things that bring us joy, we increase our happiness quotient. When we spend time engaging in favorite activities and being around people that we love, it energizes and rejuvenates us. Every summer for the past eight years, I’ve gone on a beach getaway with three of my girlfriends. It’s something I look forward to all year long. I just returned from this wonderful time away and can still feel the warmth from not only the sun but also from hanging out with my friends.

It’s a low-keyed weekend. We spend as much time as possible at the beach reading, talking, sunbathing, and jumping the ocean waves. This year perhaps more than any other, I noticed how I allowed myself just to be. While I brought a book and my journal, I spent less time reading and writing than I usually do. Instead, I felt content to sit in my beach chair, feet wiggling in the sand, sun warming my body, listening to the sounds around me, taking in the ocean scents, and getting up every so often to immerse myself in the sea.

I needed to be. No agenda. I needed time without the pressure to do and accomplish. I needed the time to reflect, relax, and renew. All thoughts of future plans, to-dos, and lists were suspended for those few days. Time felt slower and luxurious.

How do you like to pause and spend your break time? What renews you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation!

We’ve all heard of, and some of us actually use to-do lists. They help us focus on our daily priorities, better manage our time, and increase our productivity.  Using these lists gives us an added benefit. We experience an endorphin rush, a ping of happy hormones when we cross off a completed task.

To-do lists are great, but have you considered making a to-don’t  list? In the article, 12 Things to Put on Your “To-Don’t” list Today, Marina Khidekel, editorial director at Thrive Global suggests adding to this list, “what you don’t actually need in your life, and which areas you can scale back on. The items on your to-don’t list are the tasks you should avoid for the sake of your focus, performance, and well-being.” Below are several to-don’ts Marina shared from the Thrive Global community:

Thrive Global Community’s To-Don’t List

• Don’t finish a book or movie you don’t enjoy

• Don’t do tasks that can be delegated

• Don’t work late all of the time

• Don’t go to every social event you’re invited to

• Don’t spend time with negative people

While my to-don’ts still reside in my brain, there are time management and productivity to-don’ts in addition to the ones mentioned above that I have on my internal list. 

Linda’s To-Don’t List:

• Don’t check my email when I first wake up

• Don’t let my priorities always come last

• Don’t show up late without letting the person know I’m running behind schedule

• Don’t automatically say “yes” to a request without considering if it’s feasible given my current schedule and commitments

• Don’t make an appointment without entering it on my calendar

• Don’t return from vacation, shopping, or the day and not put away my things

• Don’t leave the house without my watch unless it’s a no-watch-day

• Don’t worry about things that may never happen

• Don’t work continuously without taking water, bio, nature, or snack breaks

• Don’t wish away time

• Don’t rush through life

As I develop my to-don’t list, I’ll continue to add ideas. Do you have a to-don’t list? Do you see a value to creating one? Even if you haven’t made a list yet, what single item would you include? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation!

The newest installment (v20) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature is here with my recent discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring success-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme. You are such a fabulous, 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 – Accelerating Your Success 

The Happiness Track by Emma Seppala, Ph.D.

If you are struggling with how to achieve the success you desire, this book has some helpful ideas and strategies that are opposite to what most of us have been taught. In The Happiness Track – How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success, science director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University, Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., shares ideas backed by research which support that happiness is “not the outcome of success but rather its precursor.”  Seppälä explores six keys to happiness and success that include living in the moment, tapping into your resilience, managing your energy, doing nothing, being good to yourself, and showing compassion to others. She says, “… you already have all it takes to be happy and successful; that a stress-free and fulfilled life is not only possible but also the secret to personal and professional success.

2. Interesting Season  – Organizing for Success

The truth is that every season is a great season to get organized. In fact, the change of seasons presents us with an opportunity to reset our organizing goals, redefine what success looks like, and bring some balance back into our lives. With fall just starting, the cues for change are all around us. If you want to get organized, but are feeling overwhelmed and stuck, find an organizing buddy. Your buddy can be a compassionate and non-judgmental friend, family member or professional organizer like me. You’ll be amazed with how much you will accomplish in a short amount of time when you work side-by-side with someone else. I’m here to help and am just a phone call (914-271-5673) or email (linda@ohsoorganized.com) away.

3. Interesting Product – List for Success

There are so many approaches to and preferences for managing to do lists. Some of us like paper and others prefer digital reminders. One thing I’ve noticed is that no matter what the list form is most of us crowd them to the point that we become overwhelmed and stuck. So instead of getting a few things done, we do nothing. How can we be more successful list makers? Give Knock Knock’s Reality Checklist a try. The customizable list adds humor and focus to accomplishing not just what’s most important, but what’s truly realistic. 

4. Interesting Video – Secrets of Success

If you’re curious about why people succeed, you’ll enjoy watching this short Ted Talk by analyst Richard St. John. He spent seven years interviewing 500 people and asked the question, “What leads to success?”  The research was distilled into eight common factors (passion, work, focus, persist, ideas, good, push, and serve) that every successful person he interviewed had in common. 

5. Interesting Thought – Bluntness for Success

We can be our own worst enemy when it comes to success. And why is that? We tend to have a litany of reasons why we aren’t good enough or smart enough or worthy enough or fill-in-the-blank-enough to succeed. We decide even before we begin that “it” won’t work. So why try? Let those excuses go. You deserve all the small, medium, and large successes that are waiting for you to experience. 

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