2020 has been the year of Zoom, and with it came an abundance of desk time. It’s a good thing that this professional organizer loves being in her home office. It is the place I have virtual organizing sessions with clients, write blog posts, attend workshops, pay bills, and connect with family, friends, and colleagues. My space reflects a balance of the elements that are most important to me. When I’m here, reminders that help me focus, be productive, feel calm, creative, grateful, and supported surround me.

Organization at its best happens when our environment supports what we need and want to do. After all, when you’re struggling to find a pen that works, a paper to jot a note onto, staples to replenish your stapler or a cord to recharge your device, that searching adds undue stress in your life. When your surfaces are covered with non-essentials, they detract rather than help you focus on your intentions.

If your space lacks comfort, your body and mind will become exhausted. And if your place is void of the “you” factor, it won’t honor your uniqueness.

As we wrap up one year and head into the next, this is an excellent time to consider balance and its role in your physical environment. While I’m sure you have your list of what makes you feel organized and supported in your space, I thought you’d enjoy this behind-the-scenes view of my office and the elements that help me.

If you’re curious, you can read and see more photos of how my office space came to be in Dreams Need Help, Too. Continue reading for a behind-the-scenes look at Linda’s office.

10 Elements That Add Balance

1. Inspiration 

Inspiration is present in many forms. There are the small signs or words I display around my desk, like the Anna Quindlen quote card that says, “I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” 

My favorite inspirational books are perched visibly on the shelves, including Mindset by Carol Dweck. Other favorites include I’ll Carry the Fork by Kara Swanson, Mindfulness by Ellen Langer, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Resilience by Linda Graham, and The Little Book of Hygee by Meik Wiking.

These visuals encourage me to continue learning, be creative, and focus on what is meaningful.

2. Technology

My Apple device trio- the iMac, iPad, and iPhone helps me communicate and stay organized. They sync with each other, which helps with productivity. If a new contact or appointment is entered on my phone, it automatically syncs with my iMac and iPad. One of the keys to using technology is having confidence in your devices and knowing where and how to access the vast amount of information you are storing.

Tech balance comes from organizing my e-files for easy retrieval and having physical and cloud-based auto back-up systems. Over the years, I’ve become increasingly dependent on technology, which has its pros and cons. One way I manage that balance is by minimizing the beeps and dings so my devices don’t interrupt me when I’m working.

3. Comfort

While I’m committed to having non-desk time for activities like walking, yoga, or meditation, I’m actually at my desk a significant amount of the time. Part of balance includes being physically comfortable.

A few things make my desk life better. I have gel-filled wrist rests for my keyboard and mouse, a purple velvet footstool for my short legs, and a navy blue velour desk chair that is soft to the touch. Good-feeling fabrics and textures matter to me.

My lighting is also comfortable with various sources, including natural light. Don’t underestimate the value of improving a few physical office essentials to increase comfort. Your body and mind will thank you.

“Organization at its best happens when our environment supports what we need and want to do.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

4. Organization 

I can’t ignore the value of the physical organization of papers, files, and supplies in feeling balanced. My office was designed to hold all the items I use regularly.

There are filing cabinets for papers, open slots for ongoing projects, and closed cabinets to store supplies like the label maker, paper pads, printer cartridges, and notecards. There are drawers for stamps, mailing labels, and eyeglasses.

Everything has a place and is at my fingertips. Pens, stapler, sticky notes, scissors, and other frequently used supplies are visible and contained on my desk. 

5. Time

Managing myself involves being time-aware. This awareness enables me to be punctual for appointments, focus on projects, take breaks, and shift gears. The clocks and timers in my office support boundaries and balance.

My tech devices display the time digitally. However, it is my large yellow analog wall clock that I rely on most. I interpret time most easily when I can see the visual representation of time moving. I also use the Time Timer and the alarm setting on my iPhone Clock app to manage my time.

6. Family

When we talk about work, the phrases work-life balance or work-family balance often emerge. Having a space that inspires and supports your work is great. However, remembering that life isn’t just about work is key.

Spending time with the people I love is essential. On display are photos of happy faces snuggled together and beautiful moments spent with my husband and kids. They exude love. My family lifts my heart and brings balance, meaning, and joy into my life.

“Having a space that inspires and supports your work is great. However, remembering that life isn’t just about work is key.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

7. Color

Color affects my mood. Even as a young girl, the color was how I interpreted the world. When curious about a place or thing, my first question was often, “What color is it?” By age five, my favorite color was purple, and it still is.

When it came time to design my office, I wanted to incorporate my color. I combined different violet hues, such as the red-violet pullout keyboard tray, the blue-violet cabinets, the muted purple filing cabinets, and the blue-fleck quartz desktop.

Being surrounded by my favorite color makes me feel happy, grateful, and balanced. How does color affect you?

8. Sparkle

Color is great, but color with sparkles is even better. I’ve always responded to light. There’s something so lovely about how sparkly things like glitter, glass, and other shiny objects reflect light. The undulating lightness brings balance and some whimsy to the darkness.

When I look around the office, my eye catches glimpses of shine from objects like the lavender glass cabinet knobs, the silver glitter-covered Eiffel Tower, or the purple sparkle pen cup.

Who says we can’t find balance in the sparkles?

9. Toys

Toys make me think about play, which is the opposite of work. A long tray of toys, which I affectionately call fidgets, is displayed under my computer screen. They include miniature buttons, clothespins, Legos, trolls, rubber ducks, maracas, egg timers, and other tiny objects. They represent a variety of colors, textures, and messages.

Why are they there? And what do they have to do with balance? When I’m in a meeting or on a call, playing with the objects helps me focus. Fiddling around in this tactile way improves my concentration. The other aspect has to do with my appreciation of small things and fun. My fidget collection provides a balance of focus and whimsy.

10. Nature

For me, feeling aliveness within extends into being surrounded by living things, like plants. So much is quiet and still in my office. Including greenery or fresh flowers adds vibrancy and balance to my space.

My oldest daughter, Allison, gave me a beautiful wooden stand that displays a miniature ceramic pot and an air plant. The plant is the sweetest little thing, and it makes me think of my daughter and how she has blossomed.

The tiny plant also reminds me to nurture and care for it and others. The balance lies in doing and not doing, watering but not overwatering, and nurturing but not smothering. 

As we end one year and shift to the new one, how will you bring balance into your life? Have you considered the ways your space supports or disrupts your balance? What one change can you make to improve your physical space? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

It’s fairly common not to notice. We get used to the environment we live in and ignore problematic areas and situations. Our piles of clutter blend in with the walls and furniture. Searching for misplaced belongings is our norm. Mindfulness becomes a missing ingredient in our days.

Something surprising happened to me recently, and it made me think about this idea of what we notice or don’t. It was a gorgeous weekend day. I was outside happily trimming one of our shrubs. After about ten minutes, slightly below my eye level, I was surprised by an enormous bright green praying mantis perched quietly on a leafy branch. Being almost the same color as the shrub, she blended right in. I took her photo and continued trimming as she sat. I moved around several times to cut other sprigs and then returned to see if the praying mantis was still there. It always took me a few seconds to find her because she was so well camouflaged. Yet in the next moment, nestled in the greenery, she came into my view.

Let’s revisit the mindfulness idea. What do you notice? What things are invisible, even though they are right before you? One of the questions I ask clients during our first conversation is, “What prompted your call?”  While the exact reasons vary tremendously, there is one common thread. They reached a tipping point where they could no longer ignore their overwhelm, clutter, or disorganization. The blinders were off, and their challenges were fully visible.

“For change to happen, we first need awareness.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

For change to happen, we first need awareness. Without being mindful about our challenges, we are like that camouflaged praying mantis. We can’t change what we don't see. Noticing isn’t enough, though. We also need a desire and motivation to change. Even with seeing our challenges, desiring change, and feeling motivated, we might also need help. So if you are at that point of overwhelm, awareness, and readiness, but are feeling stuck, reach out for help from a trusted friend, family member, or professional organizer like me. 

What has become visible to you that had been hiding from your view? In what ways does mindfulness influence your daily experience? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Have ever tried to change a habit like putting your keys in a designated spot, being punctual, eating more vegetables, cutting out sweets, reducing your digital device dependency, or pausing before saying “yes” to requests? If so, you know how hard a habit change can be. You often start out determined and mindful, yet can get quickly derailed when you’re stressed, discouraged, or distracted.  I’ve personally experienced the trials and tribulations around my own habit changes. As a professional organizer, I support my clients’ change of habits, environments, and transitions during their getting organized journeys and see firsthand how much effort lasting change takes.

When you practice and repeat the behavior you desire, it becomes a habit. Most experts agree that simple habit changes generally take 21 days to establish, while more challenging ones such as weight loss or mindfulness practice can take at least six months.

 A while ago, I took a habit change course from the insightful psychologist and author, Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. He is co-founder of the Center for Mindful Living in Los Angeles. I appreciate his direct approach. In the seminar, he described six habits that lead to lasting change, which I will share with you. 

6 Helpful Habits That Will Boost Lasting Change

1. Relax

When you are relaxed, your focus, learning, thinking, and decision-making improves. These conditions create an environment that is conducive to lasting change. Develop awareness around feeling relaxed. Notice when you brace. Does it happen at specific times of the day or when you are around certain people? When you find yourself bracing, soften your body. In turn, it will relax and soften your brain.

2. Mindfulness & Focus

Practicing mindfulness reduces mind busyness, improves the clarity of thoughts, and increases productivity and the ability to focus. One way to practice mindfulness is to single-task. If you are doing an email, just email. If you are eating, just eat. If you are exercising, only exercise. Developing mindful awareness will be a benefit to the changes you seek.

3. Trust in Yourself

Self-compassion and forgiveness grow your emotional intelligence. When you trust yourself, it will quiet your inner critic, improve your sense of self-worth, and increase your resilience when you encounter obstacles. Take self-compassion breaks. Understand what you need to self-soothe. Forgive yourself for regressions, remain curious, and invite yourself to begin again. The route to new habits is not a straight path.

4. Savor

Positive emotions like joy, gratitude, and awe increase resiliency during challenging moments, improve physical health and increase happiness. Take joy breaks by savoring the good moments. Practice gratitude by making a daily list of things like the health of your family, lying down in your cozy bed, feeling the sun warm your body, or thinking about the loved ones in your life. Practice relational joy, which is witnessing other people experiencing good moments. Mentally send encouraging thoughts to them.

5. Accept Change

There will be ups and downs when it comes to change. Accepting the undulating pattern will help you get unstuck sooner, be more grateful at the highs, and more graceful at the lows. Stay present-focused. Get perspective on what matters right now. This will help you align actions with intentions.

6. Connect

Feeling connected is often the missing piece to sustaining change. When you are connected to others, you will feel naturally inspired to change, receive more support and accountability for your habits, and learn from others. A coach, mentor, family, or friend can be in your connection circle. Increase your sense of connection and positive emotions through journaling or doing loving-kindness meditation. When you visualize the link you have with others, you actually feel the connection. Do a relationship inventory. Think about the top ten people you are in contact with most frequently and rate them from one to ten. Ask, “Does this person inspire me to make positive changes in my life?”

The hidden success driver to make lasting change comes from not going it alone. Seek regular, ongoing guidance and accountability from a group, coach, family member, or friend. What helps you create positive habits? Do any of these ideas resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to leave a comment and join the conversation.

Are you a change embracer, or do you avoid change at all costs? Maybe your attitude is contingent on whether you are driving change or if a change is being unwillingly thrust upon you. What have you noticed? Whether you approach change positively or negatively, letting go is an integral component. Seeking change will fuel the letting go process. We can’t move forward if one foot is planted in the past. We can’t engage in the present if we’re holding on too tightly to the way things used to be. We can’t grow if we aren’t willing to let go and experiment.

In this two-part Smead podcast, my friend John Hunt interviewed me about Signals for Change. We talked about eleven different cues or indicators that let you know when it might be time to make a change. As you watch the videos, consider this question:

What do you need to let go of to embrace change?

The Signals for Change – Part 1

How do you know when it’s time to make a change? In Part 1, I review five change indicators:  Boredom, spark, sleeplessness, drama, and dings. What role does letting go play in the changes you seek?

The Signals for Change – Part 2

Letting go is an integral part of the change process. In Part 2, I review six additional change cues:  Lateness, plateau, pain, environment, opportunity, and the “whoa” factor. What benefits will you experience by letting go?

Change and letting go can be stressful and challenging or exciting and freeing. Our attitude and circumstances influence how we navigate these experiences. Noticing a change indicator prepares you for the letting go process. What have you observed? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.