I had a mini-meltdown of sorts yesterday. I tried to get caught up on the house and some lingering work stuff but I found myself kind of going in circles, not accomplishing anything. It's that Messy Perfectionist in me that wants to do things perfectly... or not at all.
Now, you might think that "Messy Perfectionist" would be an oxymoron. Like "death benefits," "government organization," or "divided loyalty."
But I'm here to tell you that being a messy perfectionist is real. And it's tough, man. We've talked about this before here at Home Sanctuary.
You see, perfectionists like to do things the Right Way. We know how things should be done. We know that we should scrub the grout with a toothbrush and bleach whenever we clean the shower. We know that the insides of garbage cans should be disinfected. We know the blinds need to be dusted slat by slat. We see the filth and the grime and the clutter....and feel powerless to do anything about it because it would take 10 lifetimes to take care of things the Right Way. So we get bogged down in inertia instead, and spend a lot of time thinking "I should be better than this. Why can't I get it together??""
Maybe that's why I need Minimum Maintenance so much! Many of you have mentioned that it's hard to stop at 5 minutes per room...and I feel your pain. It IS hard.
But liberating.
Perfectionism is often the thing that keeps us from living the kind of life we want to live because we are chained to standards we cannot maintain. I am convinced that letting go of perfectionism is the first step to getting organized.
I know it's a strange way to go about it, but hear me out.
Would it be better to have all the toys thrown into one jumbley (imperfect) basket rather than all over the floor because you haven't found the perfect bins for each toy category?
Would jackets on hooks in the hallway (a bit messy) be an acceptable alternative to jackets over every chair because they SHOULD be hung in a closet (but never are)?
How about taking 5 minutes each day to pick up the living room, versus one deep clean that you know it needs....but never happens?
I could go on and on, but I think you probably see my point. Perfectionism can be a painful burden, cause marital distress and really bum your kids out because they cannot do things right enough for you. Today, we're going to challenge our perfectionist tendencies...and see what happens.
Today's Small Thing is to do a good enough job. That's right. Just start something and take it to a "not perfect" level. Examples?
- Wash your dishes but don't put them away.
- Wipe your sink but don't scrub it down.
- Straighten the shoes by the door but don't haul them to the bedrooms.
- Set your table with paper plates.
- Stack the mail neatly but don't sort it.
- Write one page in your journal but don't try and catch up on the last decade.
- Put one photo into an album, rather than baby's whole first year.
- Slap some paint on that dresser that's been sitting there forever and don't worry about creating a museum piece out of it.
- Hang some pictures.
- Hot glue the broken trinket, use duct tape to hem your pants, do the exercise video you aren't good at.
Give yourself permission to do something less-than perfectly. But do something. Be free of perfectionism today!
Celebrate doing a "good enough" job!
Do you struggle with perfectionism? What will you do "almost well" today? Tell us about your imperfect task!!
Song of the Day: Don't Look at Me, Stacie Orrico
