New trends and concepts promote possibilities. They occur in response to challenges we’ve had. In our world of 24/7 access to information, connectivity, and consumption, I’ve noticed several ideas that have converged around the trend to “go small.”  Micro-trends, minimalism and mindfulness have gained traction as a reaction to feeling overwhelmed by too many choices and excessive acquisition. By focusing on small we have the opportunity to reduce overwhelm and allow possibilities to thrive.

Overstimulation is everywhere. That adds to overwhelm. Think about the constant barrage of entertainment in public areas. TV monitors are no longer just in bars, but in restaurants too. You can’t even wait in line at the bank without being entertained by multi-screen videos demanding your attention. Cars, buses, and waiting areas in airports are plastered with monitors. It’s a challenge to find public or private spaces that are without the intrusion of constant visuals and sound. And even when we’re not paying attention to the public monitors, most of us are engaged instead with our personal devices like our cell phones or tablets.

The trends that have emerged are in reaction to all of this.

Micro-Trends

The trend of micro, spans multiple disciplines and industries (think micro-entrepreneurs, micro-volunteering, micro-breweries, and micro-lending.). It’s a trend focused on something specific, smaller and more personal. They’ve emerged as a reaction to the many demands on our time and the overwhelming amounts of choices? The micro-trends offer micro-focus.

Minimalism

The rise of Minimalism has become more prominent, as a reaction to excess acquisition. The overfilling of spaces with stuff has created overwhelm and stress for many people. The Minimalist movement emphasizes lightening up, letting go, and filling our lives with people and experiences instead of things. There are many blogs and books on the subject including Joshua Becker, Francine Jay, and The Minimalists (Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus.)

Mindfulness

This isn’t a new trend, although I’ve noticed that it's gained more popularity and attention in the last few years. It’s a frequent topic seen in blogs, magazines, classes, and social media. There are tons of apps like for practicing mindfulness such as Headspace, Mindfulness Daily, and iMindfulness. The idea of being present, taking that small moment to focus instead of being distracted and multi-focused is very appealing.

How does narrowing the focus help you? Does thinking in micro, small, and minimalist ways help you visualize other possibilities more clearly? Does “going small” reduce your overwhelm? Does it help you focus and eliminate the abundance choices? What have you noticed? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

I’m happy to bring you the newest installment (v6) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature where I share my latest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring enlisting help-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 – Letting Go Help

Everything That Remains by The Minimalists

After meeting the Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, at the NAPO conference this past April, I was inspired to read their book, Everything That Remains. It’s a memoir about two friends and how they went from being unhappy, stressed, and burdened by their possessions to changing how they lived and focused their energy. Their journey included repeatedly asking this powerful question, “Does this thing add value to my life?"  That enabled them to let go of clutter and embrace minimalism. Ryan writes, “When we get rid of the superabundance of stuff, however, we can make room for life’s more important aspects.”

2. Interesting Fact – Mood Help

Some easy fixes and help for improving your mood include scent and nature. If you’re feeling tired, eat a peppermint. For a non-caloric alternative, place a few drops of peppermint oil on a tissue, hold it to your nose, and breathe deeply. The aroma will stimulate the part of your brain that is responsible for arousal. According to researchers at the University of Essex in England, to improve your mood and self-esteem, engage in five minutes of outdoor activity every day. Experience an added benefit by being outside next to a body of water like a river or lake.

3. Interesting Conference – Disorganization Help

The Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) will have its' annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio, September 17-19, 2015. Organizing and related professionals will gather from all over the globe to learn about compassion fatigue, hoarding, ADHD, memory loss, nervous system resilience, and the latest research on chronic disorganization. I'm looking forward to attending and learning from the experts so that I can better help my clients. Are you going? I'd love to see you there!

4. Interesting Product – Colorful Help

Do you need help organizing your papers and desk supplies? For a line of organizing products that are functional, colorful, and joyful, check out Poppin. They even make deliveries fun with their packaging and messaging. It’s hard to choose my favorite product because they have so many, but one is the Softie This + That Tray, which like most of their lines, comes in twelve beautiful colors. I keep one on my computer tray to organize sticky notes and small toys. Can you guess which color I have?

5. Interesting Resource – Consignment Help

Do you have clothing and accessories in excellent condition that you no longer want? Would you like to sell them in a hassle-free way? Try ThredUp, a unique online service that makes consigning simple. Items consigned that don’t sell, you can opt to donate or returned to you.

6. Interesting Thought – Community Help

Every one of us experiences challenges. Find the people in your life that will lift you up, help you with your struggles, celebrate your successes, and be your cheerleader. They are your community.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are your interesting finds? Do any of these resonate with you?  Come join the conversation!

I just returned from the NAPO conference in Los Angeles. Almost 700 professional organizers convened from around the world to attend sessions about building organizing businesses, discovering relevant products and services, and learning new skills or concepts to help our clients. We took copious notes, conversed, laughed, saw old friends, and made new ones.

Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, better known as The Minimalists gave the opening keynote session, “The Art of Letting Go.” Their following is far from minimal with over four million readers. Their story is inspiring.

Without going into great detail, because you can read all about them and their journey on their website, I will share my big takeaway. Their story reinforced what I’ve observed for 20+ years working with my organizing clients. While we might want to let go, reduce clutter, and change our lives, until we’re ready to do that, letting go is challenging. The desire to let go might exist, but the motivation to do so doesn’t.

Sometimes it takes conditioning, slowly exercising those letting go muscles to move forward. Sometimes it takes a major life change like divorce, death of a loved one, new job or a move to shift into re-evaluating life and energize the letting go process.

When we’re able to let go and keep only what’s meaningful, beautiful and useful, we create physical and emotional space for what’s truly important. Defining “important” is unique to each of us. As Josh was evaluating and letting go, he’d ask, “Does this thing add value to my life?”  Particularly with his sentimental objects, he was able to let go of the majority of them when he realized . . .

“Our memories are not in our things. Our memories are inside us.”

Linda Samuels at NAPO 2015 with Josh Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus

Josh and Ryan’s stories are inspiring because they shared how they shifted from overwhelmed and dissatisfied by their “stuff” to calm, happy, and more fulfilled through the letting go process. They shifted their focus to experiences and relationships instead of things. It was also inspiring how the change in Josh’s attitude and minimalist living style inspired Ryan, his childhood friend, to pursue a similar way of being.

This brings up another interesting point. You never know how many people you’ll inspire in the process of changing and growing.

What have you noticed when someone lets go? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation.

We live. We acquire. We release. There are many patterns in life, and this is one of them. Is this familiar to you?

We live.

What does it mean to live? At the most basic level, it’s about being alive, breathing, existing. Yet for most of us, that’s not enough. We want our lives to have meaning. We want to give, to love, to connect with others. We want to explore, to create, to taste, to feel, to see, to touch all that we can. We want to do and just be. Do we spend our time with what matters most to us? Or do we spend our time stuck, feeling anxious, overwhelmed by our things, wishing that life were different, or that we were different? We live. But how do we live?

We acquire.

The “stuff” of life comes to us. We either intentionally acquire it or receive it from others. The sources can be physical, digital, or emotional. We range in our acquiring patterns from overconsumption to more minimalist approaches. As professional organizers, part of the work we do is about helping our clients manage their acquisitions. We teach them to edit, organize, and let go of the “stuff” that no longer serves a purpose for them. The acquiring is easy. However, once something belongs to us, it gives that “thing” more importance than it had before it entered our lives. When our emotional attachment takes hold, it can make letting go more challenging. What is enough? Knowing that there will be a time to let go, how will that influence our acquiring behaviors? How much time do we want to spend managing our “stuff?”

We release.

The ultimate letting go is with our last breath. Before that happens, there are many other types of letting go along the way. All of the things that we’ve collected and edited and organized and struggled with eventually move on. Either we take personal responsibility for our possessions and make arrangements for their release, or we don’t. If we don’t, it becomes someone else’s responsibility. This someone might be a loved one or a stranger. Working with both elders and their adult children, this struggle around keeping or letting go is an integral part of my work. It’s also part of my personal experience as a parent and daughter. If our “stuff” is a burden on us, what does it become for those it’s left to?

We live. We acquire. We release. We know the pattern. What resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you having challenges or successes in any of these areas? Please add to the conversation.