A new month just began. While it’s not spring yet, green growth is starting to emerge from the muted winter landscape. Signs of possibilities abound.

It’s an excellent time to check in and locate where you are. How are you doing with your organizing goals? Are you zipping along, moving projects forward, and making things happen? Or are you feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and unsure of your next step?

When people contact me for organizing help, the most common reason is they want to advance, but activation is challenging. The desire is there, but the overwhelm they’re experiencing prevents them from identifying their next step. Without doing next, progress stops.

The Progress Cycle

• Each tiny step you take is progress.

• Progress builds momentum.

• Momentum reinforces continued action, which propels you toward your goal.

One Strategy to Get Unstuck

When The Progress Cycle feels elusive, how can you get it started? What can you do when you’re overwhelmed?

To be mindful of the stress you may be experiencing, I’m simplifying the options and sharing only one strategy. Here is the strategy: To get unstuck, reach out for help to identify your next step.

There is no reason to go it alone. Support can come from a trusted, nonjudgmental family member, friend, colleague, or professional organizer like me. Together, we will identify your next step. Figuring out what happens next starts the cycle, enabling activation, progress, momentum, and movement toward your goal.

“To get unstuck, reach out for help to identify your next step.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

What Does a Next Step Look Like?

During virtual organizing sessions, I help my clients identify the next step and encourage action. We work on closing the gap between thinking and doing. Having a session with me adds motivation and accountability, which results in progress. Below is a small sample of the types of next steps clients identified and actions taken during their one-hour virtual organizing sessions:

• Cleared out and organized an email inbox

• Identified and committed to the next tiny steps of a large project

• Edited, organized, and cleared desk papers

• Set up a paper management system

• Created a list of home organization projects and determined where to begin

• Unpacked and put things back in order after returning from vacation

• Identified, discussed, and prioritized next step options

• Edited and organized dresser drawers

• Assessed and let go of some of your deceased loved one’s belongings

• Determined the need for and created a good sleep hygiene plan

• Edited and organized memorabilia

• Decluttered a chair covered with books, papers, and clothes

Progress was made during the organizing sessions and continued between sessions. Using a combination of support, focus, and small blocks of time, your next step will happen.

Have you ever reached out for help about your next step? If so, what was your experience like? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you want guidance with your next step, I’m here to help. Please email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or click here to schedule a Discovery Call. Progress is possible, especially with support.

Proactive change is a fascinating thing. It’s the type of change you seek when you desire a shift in your life. You might have identified an area you want to improve, a behavior you want to stop, or a wish you want to manifest. You are ready for a transformation but may feel overwhelmed with where to begin or what to focus on. Change is possible through desire, small steps, and support.

This week, I attended the educationally stimulating ICD Virtual Conference, “Shining a Spotlight on ADHD.” There were three terrific speakers- Melanie Sobocinski, PhD, PCC, Sharon Saline, Psy.D, and Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA. They shared a wealth of information. I’m focusing on three ideas I learned about change that I thought would be especially helpful.

3 Useful Changes

1. Task Activation

Have you ever wondered why a task isn’t happening? In Melanie Sobocinski’s presentation, Mastering the ADHD Trifecta to Manage Task Salience, she said the key to activation hinges on using strategies in three areas:

• High Interest – May need to be boosted or toned down

• Urgency – Can be overused, but can be beneficial when used in small doses

• Other People – Can provide support, including focus and problem-solving, or can be an obstacle if it erodes the client’s autonomy

Task activation can be improved by understanding which elements are interfering. While Melanie shared excellent strategies for each area, there was one for High Interest that caught my attention.

To boost “Interest,” you can introduce novelty with a micro-change. Melanie shared a worksheet by Casey Dixon, PCC, who defines micro-change as “the smallest possible change you can make to have a task or solution feel new again.” These tiny changes will “catch your brain’s attention and help a task feel fresher and more rewarding, without creating utter chaos.”

Use Micro-Change to Introduce Novelty

• Try a new tool or resource, such as a new app.

• Change your location or placement of objects, like working at a coffee shop.

• Select a new color for writing with or on.

• Use a new sound for alarms.

• Adjust your position or lighting by walking during a call or switching the lighting intensity.

2. Confidence Formation

Have you ever felt nervous, anxious, or lacked confidence in social situations? Are you curious about one strategy that can change your experience? In Sharon Saline’s presentation, Strategies and Solutions for Social Anxiety in Neurodivergent Adults, she described social anxiety disorder as a “debilitating fear or judgment, humiliation, or rejection.” There can be a “disconnect between how a person actually appears to others and their own exaggerated perception of themselves.”

Sharon delved into Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), Perfectionism, and Imposter Syndrome. One of the strategies she offered when discussing Imposter Syndrome was to develop and name your “inner ally.” Negative self-talk can run rampant. Call upon your inner ally to provide support, compassion, and belief when you’re feeling nervous, doubtful, or ruminating with unhelpful thoughts. Sharon calls her ally “Tina Trailblazer.” What name will you give yours? What words of support will they offer?

While I haven’t named my ally or identified her as such, I have relied this year on my 2024 motto to lift me when I run into a challenge. Her voice says, “You got this.” Those words help me get over myself and move forward with confidence. After learning about the inner ally concept, I feel inspired to give my ally a name.

“Yes starts the process of change; Yet keeps it going.”

— Sharon Saline, Psy.D.

3. Sleep Foundation

Do you get enough sleep? Is that an area of your life you want to change and improve? Ari Tucker’s presentation was ADHD Makes Sleep Worse – And We Probably All Need More Sleep. He said, “No one is bringing their A-game after a bad night of sleep.”  

Lack of sleep negatively impacts mood, efficiency, effectiveness, focus, and attention. Consider how you feel after good or bad sleep days. There are many solutions for sleep deprivation, which include establishing a consistent bedtime, limiting caffeine, minimizing kid and pet disruptions, or stopping naps. For more strategies, read Ari’s ADDitude article, 9 Sleep Deprivation Solutions for Adults with ADHD.

While there are numerous ways to address good sleep hygiene, Ari suggests focusing first on quantity. If you establish the ‘right’ number of sleep hours you need, the quality of your sleep will probably be fine. If the quantity of sleep is good and you’re still having sleep challenges, then it’s worth investigating your sleep quality. Talking with a doctor who can advise about any medical challenges affecting your sleep could be beneficial.

Small changes in your sleep habits can significantly improve your daily experience.  

“Partial progress is still progress.”

— Ari Tuckman, Psy.D.

Which ideas resonated with you? Are there areas of change you want to focus on? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you want guidance with the changes you desire, I’m here to help. Please email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or click here to schedule a Discovery Call. Change is doable, especially with support.

You are more than halfway through the first month of the new year. Have you leaned into the energy boost a fresh start brings? Or are you feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and weighted down by your clutter? Clutter can keep us frozen in time, be demotivating, and make activation challenging. Physical clutter can include things like paper piles punctuating counters and surfaces. There can also be mind clutter, internal thoughts, and ideas swirling around the brain. Clutter can be time-related. It can infiltrate calendars and is visible as over-committed schedules with no breathing room.

One of the focus areas this month with clients has been helping them clear a variety of clutter. They want to feel calmer, happier, and more in control of their space, time, and thoughts. I’m continually thrilled by how much progress clients make during their one-hour virtual organizing sessions. They further their goals by working independently in between sessions, too. Relief and joy are typical feelings they experience due to their decluttering efforts.

When clutter is released, you increase your capacity to attend to what is most essential and fully embrace the life you want.

Declutter Physical Things

I recently worked on my own physical and mind clutter that weighed on me. It felt great to make space for the new year. For decluttering the physical things, I

• Removed and archived last year’s papers

• Made new file folders for the current year (I love my Brother PTouch label maker!)

• Edited papers I no longer needed

• Shredded and recycled

• Bagged household items to donate

“When clutter is released, you increase your capacity to attend to what is most essential and fully embrace the life you want.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Declutter Thoughts

Because my mind was cluttered and filled with too many competing thoughts, I needed help focusing and getting clear. To release mind clutter, I

• Wrote in my journal

• Reviewed past journal entries

• Shared my thoughts out loud with a few people (I’m a verbal processor)

• Engaged in email exchanges to tease out more thoughts

• Filled out the Three Things Reflection (a set of questions to review the previous year and future-think about the current one)

• Practiced patience while allowing ideas to percolate

• Meditated

• Practiced yoga

Like my clients, I experienced relief, clarity, and joy after decluttering my things and thoughts. My physical and mental capacity has improved. The slate feels clear and clean. I chose to embrace this fresh start with renewed energy and open arms.

If you feel frozen and overwhelmed by clutter and want help, I’m here for you. Please email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or click here to schedule a Discovery Call. Experience the joy, relief, and clarity decluttering and organizing brings.

In Essentialism, author and business strategist Greg McKeown says, “Research has shown that of all forms of human motivation the most effective one is progress.” How powerful is that? McKeown continues with, “Why? Because a small, concrete win creates momentum and affirms our faith in our future success.”

Have you experienced overwhelm or lack of clarity about a project or next step? Instead of being motivated, overwhelm creates inaction and paralysis. While keeping the big picture in mind can be helpful, it can also feel impossible to achieve. Think about the house you want to clear out to downsize and sell or the boxes of mementos and photos you have accumulated over decades that you need to edit and organize. You feel stuck and de-motivated because of the sheer volume of tasks and perceived time required to reach your goal.

Let’s return to the idea that progress is one of the most effective motivators. Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer developed the Progress Principle, resulting from a year-long study with hundreds of employees and over 12,000 analyzed diary entries. It highlights the essential role of progress in motivating people and improving their inner work lives. Here are some significant discoveries from the Progress Principle and its positive effect on motivation:

• Progress contributes to a positive inner work life (psychological state), which leads to more progress and increases creativity, engagement, productivity, and performance.
  
  

• Progress is the most significant indicator of employee happiness and performance, regardless of size. Even incremental progress has a positive effect on motivation.
  
  

• The Progress Principle draws on our innate human need for achievement and growth. When people feel they are making progress, they experience fulfillment and satisfaction, which motivates them to continue striving.
  
  

• The Progress Principle isn’t limited to the workplace. It can also be used for personal development and self-improvement. You can stay motivated and continue progressing toward your goals by recognizing and celebrating small wins.

“... of all forms of human motivation the most effective one is progress.”

— Greg McKeown

Are you struggling with motivation and activation? Are you stuck and finding it difficult to move forward? Advance one tiny action at a time. Notice how that boosts your motivation, builds confidence, and encourages a cycle of more movement. Trust the process. The act of doing creates momentum, motivation, and progress.

If you want help to figure out and take your next steps, contact me, Linda. Call at 914-271-5673, email linda@ohsoorganized.com, or click here. I’m here for you.