Enjoy the newest release (v49) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature with my latest finds that inform, inspire, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique letting-go discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme and time of year. Spring is a season for growth, change, and letting go of what no longer serves you.

You are an engaged, vibrant, and generous 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 Letting Go Discoveries

1. Interesting Workshop – Letting Go of Clutter

Do you feel burdened and overwhelmed by the clutter in your life? This transformative workshop can help. Spring is a wonderful time to let go and thrive.

Join me, Linda Samuels, Professional Organizer, for the empowering workshop – My Simple Organizing Plan. One workshop with your choice of two dates:

• April 22nd at 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern or

• April 24th at Noon-1:00 pm Eastern

  By the end of the one-hour Zoom workshop, you’ll have strategies for immediate change. You will:

• Uncover the hidden impact of clutter on your emotional well-being.

• Learn how to harness motivation to propel your decluttering journey forward.

• Acquire the skills to design a simple, personalized decluttering plan tailored to you.

Let go of the chaos and say hello to a calmer, more organized you. Reserve your spot now!

2. Interesting Article – Letting Go for Spring

Have you ever chosen a decluttering, letting go, or organizing project based on your Zodiac sign? Are you curious about which project aligns best with your sign? If so, you’ll love this!

In the Homes & Gardens article, What to easily organize this spring based on your Zodiac sign – it’ll turbocharge decluttering and banish motivation blockers, writer Ciera Cree explores star sign-adjacent organizing projects based on recommendations from astrologers and professional organizers (including me).

Ciera shares the astrologers’ advice and says, “Aligning your decluttering mission with your star sign will maximize efficiency...”  For example, if you’re an Aries (March 21st – April 19th), astrologist Rebecca Gordon suggests doing a “closet refresh.”

Based on Rebecca’s advice, I suggested, as a professional organizer, “To get your closet ready for spring, begin by removing darker, heavier clothing to make space for lighter, more colorful seasonal pieces.”

What is your sign? I’m a Scorpio. The astrologer suggests organizing my to-do list for spring home maintenance tasks. Which spring decluttering and letting go project are you looking forward to?

3. Interesting Read – Letting Go of Overwhelm

Feeling overwhelmed is the top reason people reach out to me for support. Their overwhelm comes from having:

• Too much clutter

• Too many projects and people to manage

• Unwieldy to-do lists

• Lack of time or

• Inability to focus on what’s valued most

In Overwhelmed – Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time, author and award-winning journalist, Brigid Schulte explores why we’re so stressed out and overwhelmed and ways to create time for what matters most.

Schulte shares neuroscience research that “when a human is pressed for time, rushed, and caught up in overwhelm, that yellow blob [prefrontal cortex] does something alarming: It shrinks.” In addition, “when children are exposed to stress – often stemming from the overwhelm of their parents – it can alter not only their neurological and hormonal systems but also their very DNA.”

This is sobering stuff. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Schulte also provides readers with compelling research, stories, and many strategies. She advocates for:

• Letting go of unrealistic expectations

• Creating flexible work schedules

• Establishing parenting and domestic parity

• Setting technology boundaries

• Slowing down

• Having more leisure time

• Practicing gratitude

• Playing more

• Embracing ‘good enough’

• Taking intentional breaks

• Focusing on the present

What can you reimagine or let go of when you're feeling overwhelmed?

“Let go of the chaos and say hello to a calmer, more organized you.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

4. Interesting Resource – Letting Go to Help Someone Else

As you declutter and let go this spring, do you have bras you no longer wear that could benefit someone? Finding a good home for your belongings is a helpful strategy for letting go. You’ll feel better and more at peace when your things go to someone who will appreciate receiving them. In the organizing industry, this is known as providing “safe passage.”

A terrific non-profit organization, The Bra Recyclers, repurposes old bras and new underwear and gives them to people in need. Repurposing also keeps textiles out of landfills.

They accept regular bras, sports bras, nursing bras, and new ones with tags or women’s panties and men’s boxers and briefs in the package. With their “hassle-free solution,” The Bra Recyclers makes it easy to get your undergarments to them with this three-step process:

• Wash it

• Fill out the online form

• Mail or drop it off

Let go to help people and the planet.

5. Interesting Thought – Letting Go of What’s Keeping You Stuck

What is holding you back? What is keeping you stuck? What is no longer necessary in your life?

If you sense it’s time to let go, give yourself permission. Close your eyes and settle. Take a deep breath, hold it briefly, exhale slowly, and let it go. Repeat two more times.

Can you identify a part of your life that needs help letting go? It could include physical items, negative thoughts, overly busy schedules, or unhelpful habits.

How will you benefit from letting go?

New Season Inspires Letting Go Opportunities

When you release what is no longer needed, you make space for possibilities, calm, and what’s most valued.

What will you let go of this spring? Which of these discoveries resonate most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want help getting unstuck, reducing overwhelm, letting go, and getting organized? I’m here to help. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – local feel with global reach.

Please email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Letting go is possible, especially with support.

Are there times when figuring out your next step is challenging? Maybe you need more information, fear making mistakes, or feel overwhelmed with decision-making.

If the next step is a one-and-done task, it can seem more manageable. However, the next step can feel elusive and unclear when working on a long-term project or making a significant life change.

There are many ways to approach finding next, which I’ve written a lot about. Some of these ideas to get unstuck and determine what’s next included:

• Releasing your negative list

• Making time to regroup

• Focusing on “small awe”

• Working The Progress Cycle

• Taking small steps

• Engaging in mindfulness

Recently, I discovered an inspired question, which approaches next in a refreshing way.

Making Next Transformational

In James Clear’s “3-2-1 Thursday” newsletter, he posed this thought-provoking question:

“What single habit if implemented consistently for the rest of this year, would transform your life the most?”

I love this question for three reasons:

Reason 1. The query focuses your attention to developing just one new habit. Most of us tend to take on too much at once, making it difficult to make progress on anything.

Reason 2. The question encourages you to consider which habit change would have the most impact. You are investing your time in doing something different. Selecting the habit that will be most transformative will give you the most for your efforts.

Reason 3. The ask supports consistent, small efforts that will result in monumental, positive change over a specific, doable time frame, “rest of this year.”

““What single habit if implemented consistently for the rest of this year, would transform your life the most?””

— James Clear

What Will You Invite In?

Let’s remember and imagine.

Remember - Think about a time you successfully developed a new habit. What did you learn from that experience? Is it a habit you still engage in? What positive affect resulted?

Imagine - Future think to the end of this year. What positive change happened as a result of your consistent habit? Which area of your life did it affect? Was it related to your relationships, finances, health, work, home, personal development, or another category?

As you consider what new habit to adopt, remember that your future self will thank you.

One Significant Habit Change

I’ve changed many habits in my life, including my reading habits. I love reading and typically do so at night before bed. However, that’s also when I’m most tired. When I’m sleepy, I read more slowly, read fewer pages because I drift off, and don’t retain the material as well.

One morning, after meditating, I changed things up and read before getting out of bed. I was motivated to finish the book, which I had almost completed the night before. Reading while fully awake was such an uplifting experience that I integrated this new habit into my morning routine.

It’s been amazing! Not only am I enjoying and assimilating what I’m reading even more, but I’m also reading twice as many books. This habit supports my thirst for learning and understanding, which I highly value.

What area of your life would you like to change? What new habit can enhance your life? What will be next for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support organizing, developing new habits, or figuring out your next step? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Change is possible, especially with support.

Making a change in your life can be challenging. Have you ever wondered why? Here are some common obstacles you might encounter:

• Feeling unsure about how to create the change you desire

• Feeling defeated as the change you desire appears unattainable

• Feeling a lack of energy or resources to manifest the change

• Feeling overwhelmed by other responsibilities in your life makes focusing on intentional change seem unrealistic right now

• Feeling frustrated by the time needed to create change

• Feeling unclear about the change you want to make

• Feeling resentful that you want to make a change but would rather focus on less stressful activities

• Feeling the absence of a support system

Yet, despite these potential difficulties, you still want to make a change. Change is possible when you’re in a negative, stress-filled state, but it’s more challenging. What if you could create a starting point that is more conducive and encouraging?

I recently discovered something that could be a game-changer (no pun intended).

The Value of a Morning Activation Ritual

In Joseph Nguyen’s book Don’t Believe Everything You Think – Why Your Thinking is the Beginning & End of Suffering, I read a passage about developing an “activation ritual.” While Nguyen applied this concept to reduce stressful thoughts, I can see how the idea of rituals could be useful for facilitating change.

Nguyen says, “Most of us are used to spending the majority of our day in a state of stress (thinking).” However, when you stop thinking and stressing, that energy can be redirected elsewhere. Without channeling it elsewhere, you will likely revert to a thinking and stressful state.

He suggests creating a morning activation ritual that helps you “get back into a state of non-thinking and flow. It can be an activity that helps you feel grounded and allows you to practice getting into a state of non-thinking.”

Consider centering activities such as meditating, exercising, journaling, or making tea. “An activation ritual enables you to build momentum in a positive direction immediately when you wake up so that it’s easier to stay in that state of non-thinking for the rest of the day.” Nguyen suggests that it’s possible to “channel the newfound energy into our goals of inspiration.”

“An activation ritual enables you to build momentum in a positive direction . . .”

— Joseph Nguyen

Create Your Activation Ritual

Do you start your day gently with a nourishing and grounding routine? Or are your mornings often rushed and chaotic?

You have the opportunity to create a centering morning ritual that will energize you, reduce stress, and enhance your ability to make the change you desire.

Here is one approach to creating an activation ritual:

• Establish a consistent wake-up time.

• Select one grounding activity before beginning your day, such as exercising, meditating, or journaling.

• Do this for one week.

• Observe what happened.

• Depending on what you discovered, continue or alter your activation ritual.

Beginning the day feeling grounded and nourished will cultivate an internal state that promotes the change you want.

What change would you like to make? How can a morning activation ritual benefit you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support creating routines, organizing, planning, or inviting positive change? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Change is possible, especially with support.

How is it already February? The past few months have been intense, and time has flown by. Based on recent conversations and my own experience, many people want to make changes but feel stuck.

Conflicting emotions include an urgency for change, confusion about what to change or how to move forward, and exhaustion even before starting. Additionally, the desire for change and the fear of the unknown can create further paralysis.

These feelings can show up in many ways, including:

• You are dissatisfied with the status quo.

• You want to make a shift but don’t know how to go about it.

• You’re exhausted from the news, endless possibilities, and uncertainty.

• You are unable to focus.

• You feel overwhelmed.

• You feel stuck and can’t figure out how to move forward.

• You want things to change but have no energy to make it happen.

• You want to press pause and postpone change.

• You want to take action but are afraid of doing it wrong.

• You don’t want to live this way anymore but lack clarity about changing things.

The Clarifying Question

Before making any change, selecting one area to focus on is essential. It can be tempting when pursuing change to get overly ambitious. There is nothing wrong with that. However, dividing your attention in too many directions can be overwhelming.

In The Power of Letting Go by John Purkiss, he poses this powerful and clarifying question:

“What do you want to change in your life?”

While you may have a long list of items, I encourage you to choose only one thing at a time. Don’t worry about what change to make or how or when you’ll make it. Release that noise. Begin with the question.

Which Change Will You Pursue?

You might want to pursue changes in several of the categories below. However, as mentioned, focusing on one area and one specific change at a time is most effective.

Change categories include:

• Career and Work

• Family and Relationships

• Finances

• Fun and Recreation

• Health and Wellness

• Personal Growth

• Physical Environment

• Spirituality

Here are some examples:

• If Fun and Recreation is the first category you focus on, you might add one fun activity each month, such as going to a movie, ice skating, or having a pizza and game night.

• If Health and Wellness is the first category you focus on, you might establish better sleep hygiene over several months. Establish consistent bedtime, reduce the ambient light, put away digital devices a few hours before bed, and take a warm bath.

• If Physical Environment is the first category you focus on, you might declutter and organize one area each month, such as the kitchen, clothing closet, or bathroom.

Integrate one change before pursuing additional ones.

“Integrate one change before pursuing additional ones.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

How to Work with the Clarifying Question

You know the clarifying question. Here’s one way to work with it:

• Find a quiet place to reflect.

• Close your eyes if that helps.

• Sit with John’s question: What do you want to change in your life?

• Notice what arises.

• Capture your thoughts.

• Scan your list.

• Note which categories your changes are in.

• Select one category and one specific change from that category to focus on first.

• Allow the other ideas and chatter to recede into the background for now.

• Once the change is well established, revisit your list to select the next change you want to pursue.

Do you feel more prepared to embrace change? Was the clarifying question helpful? What are you considering? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support organizing, planning, or clarifying changes to pursue? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – A local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Change is possible, especially with support.