Over 13 years ago, the first blog post I wrote was Waiting for Something. I acknowledged how waiting is part of our daily lives and how we often meet these times with impatience or annoyance. I offered a perspective change. Instead of considering waiting as an inconvenience, what if we treated it as a gift?

While waiting, we have an opportunity for something wonderful to transpire.

• If we consider the waiting or transition time a gift, does that alter your experience?

• What happens when we remain open and available to change?

• Would you extend more love to yourself?

• Would you be more willing to navigate the frustrations and challenges pursuing changes can bring?

Recently, I read a quote that brings another dimension to waiting and change. Trust is an essential aspect of your journey. This encourages a deep belief in trusting yourself, the process of change, and all that’s available on the other side. I offer author Mandy Hale’s perspective to you- “Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming.”

When I work with my virtual organizing clients, we begin with their big why in mind. We clarify what is driving the changes they desire. And why now? Understanding the why is integral to the change process. It provides the anchor and motivation when the process of change becomes challenging.

Clients might find it easy to let go and move forward during one virtual organizing session. They experience the state of flow, where their actions align with their goals, and they feel and acknowledge the progress. At other times, they feel stuck, frustrated, and impatient. This is normal. We lean into trusting the big goal and adjusting the organizing process if needed.

“Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming.”

— Mandy Hale

Change is exciting, but it can also be difficult getting there. With some new tools available, you can trust yourself and the process, embrace the learning along the way, and bask in the joy that comes through your effort.

How do you navigate waiting? What enables you to embrace change? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

As we wrap up the year, some unique words and phrases describe 2022. They include the big quit, resilience hubs, nomophobia, goblin mode, sharent, quiet quitting, de-consumerism, infodemic, permacrisis, situationship, mys, and slow working. I frequently heard or witnessed three words: exhaustion, overwhelm, and hope.

Despite the challenges, we continued forward as we navigated the unknown, found untapped inner strength, extended compassion and grace to ourselves and others, and searched for balance and meaning in a continually changing landscape.

At this reflective time of year, I appreciate revisiting the past before moving ahead to the future. As part of my review, I selected highlights from each month’s favorite and best-loved organizing concepts of 2022. I hope you discover a seed idea to bring inspiration and balance to your New Year.

Where will you focus on creating the organization and balance you desire? Which people and projects will receive your time, energy, and attention?

12 Exciting Favorite and Best Loved Organizing Ideas of the Year

1. Fresh Start - 5 Guaranteed Ways That Will Make You Get a Hopeful Fresh Start

“Your blank slate is ready to be painted with a wash of gorgeous colors.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

2. Embrace Change - One Beautiful Idea Will Shift Your Perspective About Every Change

“Change is happening for you, in favor of you, and doesn’t that change everything?”

— Bethany Auriel-Hagen

3. Next Step - Use This Helpful Strategy Now to Feel More Motivated to Take Your Next Step

“While thinking is an integral part of progress, an action also needs to happen for movement to occur.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

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4. Letting Go - What Can You Easily Let Go of Now to Reap One Astounding Harvest?

“Progress happens when we finally lean into letting go.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

5. Clutter - 3 Brilliant Little Lessons ‘Magic Lettuce’ Taught Me About Clutter

“Clutter will increase if you don’t create intentionality and boundaries for your stuff.
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— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

6. Time Management - Has Your Time Arrived to Prompt a Supportive Pause?

“If you continually go without stopping, you’ll burn out.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

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7. Motivation - Discover One Surprising Solution When Doomerism Sabotages Your Motivation

“... the best way to spur action is to begin from a place of optimism - a belief that the thing you want really is possible.”

— Jane Coaston

8. Enlisting Help - What’s the Value of Enlisting Help as You Make a Positive Change?

“Reaching out for help is the secret sauce for success.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

9. Mindfulness - How to Joyfully Inspire Every Question with Mindfulness

“Is it necessary?”

— Yota Schneider

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10. Possibilities - What’s Achievable When You See Life as a Petri Dish of Astonishing Possibilities?

“Life is a petri dish of possibilities.”

— Chris Bianco

11. Wonderfully Human - How to Have Compassion Navigating Life’s Every Day Amazing, Awful, and Ordinary Experiences

“Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary.”

— L.R. Knost

12. Life Balance - Make a Happy Holiday Season Life Balance Inspired by One of Einstein’s Timely Ideas

“Build in some stillness and rest.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

My deepest gratitude for being an integral part of this vibrant community. We’ve had an incredible year of conversations and sharing. You bring learning, growth, support, and inspiration to every exchange. Thank you for regularly returning to participate and share the best of who you are.

What inspired you this year? Which organizing concept resonates most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

The newest release (v37) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature has my latest finds, which inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique, inspiring, possibility-thinking discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are a generous, communicative, and engaged group. I am deeply grateful for your ongoing presence, positive energy, and contributions to this community. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced.

What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Possibility-Thinking Discoveries

1. Interesting Workshop – Conquering Clutter Possibilities

Are you overwhelmed by clutter? If so, you’re not alone. One in four people have challenges with clutter, which can affect their anxiety levels, relationships, sleep, and ability to focus. Help is here.

I’m so excited to offer a lively one-hour online workshop – How to Conquer Clutter, on October 20th @7:00-8:00pm EST. You’ll discover where clutter comes from, why it’s so hard to let go, and what you can do about it. Come away with energizing possibilities, manageable clutter-reducing strategies, and powerful insights. Register now!

2. Interesting Perspective – Reframing Possibilities

I frequently hum and sing. The funny thing is I don’t realize I’m doing it. In addition, I often unknowingly sing the incorrect lyrics. Recently, I learned a word for that. Mondegreen is a misheard word, phrase, saying, lyric, or slogan that makes sense in your head, but is entirely incorrect. Check out this infographic with some commonly miss-sung lyrics for a good laugh.

What does mondegreen have to do with possibility thinking? Let’s revisit the mondegreen definition of words, which make “sense in your head, but…are entirely incorrect.” How often have you repeated a negative message to yourself that is no longer true? You get stuck in old thought patterns or beliefs and forget to change the script. Clients often share these negative messages with me, which sometimes were ingrained since childhood.  A parent might have said, “You are like a tornado leaving stuff everywhere you go.” However, they learned organizational strategies over time and are no longer “messy” or “disorganized” kids. They didn’t adjust the lyrics.

Singing the wrong words to songs is harmless, but repeating negative, untrue messages about yourself is damaging. What possibilities become visible when you change the script?

“When you imagine possibilities, your thinking becomes open and expansive. ”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Interesting Read – Grounding Possibilities

In The Practice of Groundedness – A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds – Not Crushes – Your Soul, author, researcher, and coach Brad Stulberg rejects conventional measures of success, which he says do not support long-term happiness. As an alternative to feeling like “you are never enough” or having “a compulsion to keep chasing the next thing,” Stulberg draws from modern science and lessons from ancient wisdom traditions to encourage the cultivation of habits and practices to live a more grounded life.

Stulberg says, “Groundedness is unwavering internal strength and self-confidence that sustains you through ups and downs.” His six principles of groundedness are acceptance, presence, patience, vulnerability, community, and movement. Sharing specific practices and new ways of thinking, Stulberg inspires us to choose “acceptance over delusion and wishful thinking…presence over distraction…patience over speed…vulnerability over invincibility…community over isolation…movement over sitting still.” How will grounding yourself influence what’s possible?

4. Interesting Product – Capturing Possibilities

Have you noticed when you shower, ideas, to-dos, and possibilities start to flow? The relaxing effect of water stimulates your thoughts. Do you easily forget those brilliant ideas you had in the shower? It used to happen to me, but not anymore. One of my favorite products is AquaNotes waterproof notepad. Their tagline says, “Never let another great idea go down the drain!” When a shower-inspired thought pops into my head, I make a note on the pad with their special pencil. Post-shower, I transfer the idea to the appropriate list. The notepad is also an excellent place to exchange messages with my husband.

5. Interesting Thought – Welcoming Possibilities

When you imagine possibilities, your mind goes into an open, expansive growth mode. When you say the word problem, your thoughts constrict and bring a negative focus to the situation. You can get stuck in the problem’s details. Challenges definitely exist. However, if you shift your thinking towards possibilities, you will find a more productive, positive path when you encounter issues.

Do you have an interesting possibility-thinking discovery? Which of these resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Time passes with the ticking of the clock. We measure our lives in seconds, hours, years, and decades. We also feel the passage of time by marking life’s milestones. Where does our time go? More importantly, what are you doing with the time you have? We prioritize our lives intentionally through what we choose to do or not do. When you think about how you prioritize your days, what comes up?

Are you spending time with people who make you happy? Are you working on projects that fulfill you? Are you caring for others and neglecting your self-care? Are you making time to reflect, learn, and grow? Are you organizing the aspects of your life that prevent you from living your best self?

As a professional organizer, I help my clients work through their organizational challenges and hiccups to get unstuck and create a better flow. Getting organized isn’t their end goal. Being organized creates a smooth base, so they have more time to focus on what is truly important to them. We remove the organizational chaos to make space for life’s joys.

In the process of becoming organized, life doesn’t stop. There will be many significant moments to celebrate. Lean into the joys life offers. Take time for the quiet moments of beauty, like when the sun first rises in the morning or the colorful pops of summer flowers grace the landscape. Appreciate life’s significant milestones like graduations, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries. Celebrate and treasure them.

“We prioritize our lives intentionally through what we choose to do or not do.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Feeling so grateful today for this celebratory weekend. Our youngest daughter turned 30. My husband, Steve, and I are celebrating our 39th anniversary. And to all the wonderful dads, here’s to the vital role you play in our children’s lives. Wishing you a Happy Father’s Day!

Time passes. Notice moments, celebrate milestones, and embrace all life’s love, happiness, and joy.

How do you spend your time? What are you celebrating now? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.