Me Monday: Sneakers in the Freezer!

I have been so busy in the past few weeks with illnesses and other "craziness" that any busy mom can relate to, and hearing messages from friends and family about not wearing myself too thin. After hearing a dear friend tell me yesterday that she once scrubbed her tub on her hands and knees while pregnant and on bedrest, I KNEW that this wonderful guest post about slowing down would be perfect for today! Thanks to Linda Samuels for such powerful insight.


"Many years ago, I developed my list of Top 10 Organizing Success Secrets as a way to help others think about the ingredients needed to successfully integrate organizing into their lives. Most lists are flexible in nature. In the spirit of flexibility, I’d like to add another item to the Success Secrets list.
This next secret was inspired by an email I recently received from someone I love dearly. Without naming names, she shared with me a very funny story. She had been extremely busy between family, work and preparing for several trips. She exclaimed that even her “lists have lists!” So many things were going on that she wasn’t feeling her normal, on-top-of-things self. Feeling frazzled, she accidentally packed her sneakers in the freezer. As the freezer door closed, she realized what she had just done and stopped to have a good laugh.


The 11th Organizing Success Secret is Slow Down. Pay attention to the indicators along the way. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in having to do everything now. We live in a fast food, fast paced world. But when the sneakers end up in the freezer, the car keys can’t be found anywhere and we don’t know if we’re coming or going, it’s time to take things down a notch. One of the best blog posts I’ve read in a while is “The Elegance of Slow.” DeeAnne White writes about how slowing down helps us appreciate what is around us and truly focus on the moment.


So if you discover your possessions in unlikely places or can’t find them at all, it might be time for you to slow down long enough to catch your breath, regroup, have a good laugh and move ahead at a more reasonable pace.


Have you experienced any indicators lately that you’d like to share?"


Linda Samuels, CPO-CD® is a compassionate, enthusiastic professional organizer and owner of Oh,So Organized!, author of The Other Side of Organized, blogger and mom.