What Are Today's Interesting Finds? - v3
Tuesday, September 16, 2014 at 7:16AM 
It’s time for another installment (v3) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature where I share my latest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. Included are fun, inspiring, and interesting success-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme. You’re a wonderfully engaged group. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced for you. What do you find interesting?
What’s Interesting? . . .
1. Interesting Read – Home Organization
Hot off the press is the new e-book, Room by Room Organization For the Home, from my friends at Smead. It’s a collaboration of organizing tips from Professional Organizers from around the country (including yours truly.) It’s a wonderful collection of quick tips to help you experience organizing success. Click here to download your free copy.
2. Interesting Product – Gadget Organizer
Cocoon’s organizing products are an inventive line of bags and cases that are designed to store, carry, and protect your gadgets and accessories. One of my favorites is the laptop backpack with built in GRID-IT® organizer. Replace cord and gadget clutter with organized tech success!
3. Interesting Assessment – Strengths
Working from your strengths is a success strategy. What if you aren’t sure what your strengths are? One strengths assessment is Clifton StrengthsFinder® 2.0. Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D., who is the father of strengths-based psychology, created it. To learn about your top five strengths, invest in an assessment and your success. Are you curious about my top five strengths? Just ask me below in the comments section and I’ll gladly share them with you.
4. Interesting Fact – Social Media
In a recent Fast Company article, “Man and His Machines,” Om Malik wrote, “The world of information has surpassed human cognitive powers. More than 100,000 tweets and nearly 250,000 Instagram photos are shared per second.” No wonder we’re challenged with processing information and using social media. How can you focus the most useful and relevant information when there’s such great volume being generated each second? What tools do you use that help you successfully navigate social media?
5. Interesting Thought - Success
Success is a way of being and not a singular event. Experiencing failure, experimentation, and frustration are integral to your success journey.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are your interesting finds? Do any of these resonate with you? Come join the conversation!
Linda Samuels, CPO-CD
® is a compassionate, enthusiastic professional organizer, coach, author & blogger who facilitates change in others' lives. A recent empty-nester, she lives with her husband in a small, colorful home with a purple front door.
Reader Comments (10)
I so agree about the onslaught of information. I tell my children that back in my day, having access to information was powerful. It wasn't easy to "know" things. Today, information is abundant and free. Successful people today have figured out ways to identify what's important and ignore the rest. Not an easy task, hence the importance of your final graphic!
Love these interesting books! I am a long time fan of Smead and there 's nothing better than a free e-book to share top tips. The book StrengthFinders 2.0 is on my reading list too. Thanks for sharing these!
You two have brightened up this gray, rainy, New York morning! Thanks so much for being here.
@Seana- What a key point you've made about success: "Successful people today have figured out ways to identify what's important and ignore the rest." With the overwhelming onslaught of information that we're bombarded with, that's no easy feat.
@Ellen- What's not to love about Smead, right? They're always doing interesting projects with Organizers like the "Keeping You Organized" podcast/videos and now the ebook series. Bet you'll love the StrenghtFinders book. I loved taking the assessment and learning more about working from my strengths. Keep me posted on how it goes for you.
"Room by Room Organization For the Home" from Smead is the next book in my list. I know for sure I'm going to find lots of inspiration inside especially because I love the podcast.
About the gadget organizer is cute but for now I'm trying to reduce my technology dose, yesterday I sold my iPad because I rarely use it.
Way to much info nowadays and most of if, although could be useful, falls into useless because we're trying to be so informed but forget how to use the information to improve our lives.
"Success Journey" that is a piece of advice to remind me about enjoying the road no matter how long takes to reach the destiny.
I purchased the Strengthsfinder book a few years ago after reading about it on another blog, but I was a bit disappointed. The assessment identified my five strengths, but didn't offer any insight as to how to leverage that information. And it seems very wasteful to buy a hard cover book that's of no use to anyone else once you've completed the assessment.
The success quote is interesting because often it's important [to one's success] to know when to *quit* trying, trying, trying and just move on.
Linda, I just sent my music producing son a link for the gadget backpack. He has many wires and gadgets to keep track of when producing music electronically and as a college student he is always on the go, so I think this would be an amazing gift for him. Thanks for the idea.
It's a party! Thanks so much for joining us.
@Nacho- Wow! You sold your iPad? That's impressive. I can't imagine life without mine at this point. It's how I keep in touch, do my scheduling, and use it when organizing with clients. I use it less for information gathering. That I tend to do mostly on my desktop…bigger screen, easier to type.
@Janet- I think it's meant to be a starting point. Also, you can take the assessment without buying the book. You have to buy the assessment, which you can do online and then get access to the meaning of your strengths.
@Geralin- Good point. There's probably a balance between giving up immediately and hanging on too long. Am sure that balance is different for each of us. You know that famous Thomas Edison quote? "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
@Andrea- So glad you liked the Cocoon backpack idea. It's a great organizing system, especially for all the tech stuff (cords, thumb drives, chargers.) Let me know how it works out.
I will love your e-books because of the importance of the subjects they are written on. And everybody here want to succeed.
Thanks so much, Abdul. We each define success in different ways. Happy to provide some tools and resources that are helpful.