The need to be perfect or to do something perfectly is the biggest obstacle to productivity, and often, happiness. Accomplishing anything with an expectation of perfection can easily discourage, frustrate, and thwart the best of intentions.
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Why should I do ——- if I can’t do it perfectly?” No? Well, consider that this may be more a part of your subconscious thought process than you realize.
Would you be surprised to know that I have to battle my inner perfectionist? I like to think of myself as a reformed perfectionist and I will tell you what did, and still does, inspire me to let go of perfectionism….
I GO FOR GOOD ENOUGH
I WOULD RATHER ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING AT 80% THAN ACCOMPLISH NOTHING AT 100%
Adopting this mentality has set me free! Not only has it relieved me of so much unnecessary stress, but it’s also given me back the time that was lost to striving for perfectionism. I find this saying by Edwin Bliss to be particularly grounding and affirming:
As a Professional Organizer, I’ve witnessed many clients whose need for perfection have resulted in a feeling of dissatisfaction, a lack of confidence, and in some cases, depression. This is quite sad and unnecessary…. If any of this resonates with you, please let yourself go for good enough!!
Need some encouragement? Listen to this wonderful podcast, Getting to Good Enough. One of my organizing colleagues, Janine Adams and her friend, Shannon Wilkinson, a life coach, co-host this delightfully inspiring and entertaining podcast. Last April I saw Janine at the NAPO conference and acted like a star-struck groupie! Here’s our picture (not great quality, but still special to me).
Call or email me if you need help figuring out how to listen to their podcast. It’s so worth it! Also, please reach out to me if you need one-on-one encouragement and guidance so you can accomplish your organizing and productivity goals.
