3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys to Thinking "Progress" Instead of "Perfection"

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Boy, it's a good thing I'm not a perfectionist, or the lateness of this post would really bug me!
(Just a smidgen of sarcasm there....)

The sad thing is, I had it all sketched out yesterday, and thought I'd have it posted long before now. But after I finished teaching for the day, I hit the wall, and nothing was possible before a nap. Nothing coherent anyway.

Which brings me to today's 3 Keys, which also happen to connect to the perfectionism I talked about yesterday. On tap today? Three keys to thinking in terms of progress instead of perfection.

Work in short bursts. It's impossible to complete a big project in small block of time -- and that's the point. If you know going in that perfection is not achievable, it's easier to set that perfectionistic mindset aside (easier being a relative term, of course). Better to Give it Five! and see progress than let things sit (or get worse) until you have the perfect time block in which to organize them perfectly. Pat yourself on the back for perfectly completing your time block -- whether it's five minutes or an hour -- instead of beating yourself up for not making the space look perfect.

Use the not-quite-right thing until the perfect thing comes along. It's easy to put off tackling that problem area until you have the right containers, but the longer you wait, the more out of control the space gets. Grab the nearest almost-right container and remind yourself it's temporary, then dig in. Tell yourself you're doing research, because you are. The parameters of the temporary container will help you to determine exactly what you need for that space. Besides, temporary restoration of order really is better than chaos until the perfect container crosses your path.

Do what you can do. My day today reminded me of this one. Many days, there's a big gap between what we want to accomplish and what we actually get done, and it's all too easy to beat ourselves up over that gap. Progress -- any progress -- really is a good thing, and learning to focus on what we've done instead of what we haven't done can make life a whole lot happier.

I'm getting better at conquering my perfectionism one project at a time. How about you?

Connecting the Dots to A System that Works

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@HughMacLeod via https://blog.bufferapp.com

As each semester progresses toward its end, I tell my students that we're reaching the "connect-the-dots" part of the semester — the time when all of the concepts we've been discussing in isolation should be coming together, at least in places, for a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

This popped into my head this morning because of a post I wrote today over at The Porch Swing Chronicles — about turning words into actions, and how good it feels to walk into an improved space. All of this led me back to connecting the dots, and how well that fits in with the theme of trouble-shooting that's part of the E in STYLE, Easy Upkeep.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, chances are you've already begun connecting the dots. If you've identified your personal and organizational styles, you might already be using them to re-vamp parts of your home or your organization plan at your place of business. You may be foisting this way of looking at things onto unsuspecting family members as you identify their styles and/or choose containers that work for you, or that you believe will work for them. Maybe you, like me, have even seen progress.

Understanding how you've made that progress is a key element of Easy Upkeep. Do baby steps lie at the heart of your success? Did something click into place once you understood how you organize best? Did changing your containers to match your style make it easier to put things away now and find them later? Or, was it simply assigning homes to wayward items that helped you create spaces that work for you?

If you've had some successes (small or large), take a moment right here, right now to congratulate yourself before you read any further. If you're so inclined, share one in the comments section.

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Why did I feel the need to stop and put you in the spotlight for a minute there? Because it's important to celebrate successes as a means of keeping in mind that progress and perfection are two different things. Progress is worth celebrating, not only because we all deserve a pat on the back from time to time, but also because it's a key element in Easy Upkeep. Knowing what works in reality because it has a proven track record for you is the key to keeping the momentum going and keeping motivation high when...

...life happens. And when it does, another key part of Easy Upkeep is troubleshooting, via questions like these:

• What do I always have trouble finding? (That item needs a home).
• Where do I put ___________? (That item also needs a home, and perhaps not in your home).
• What part of my home or organization process is still not quite right? (Too many homeless items? Wrong containers? Wrong system?) 

As you walk through your home, how do you feel? Can you spot your successes? Can you make a plan to improve upon the areas that drive you crazy? 

Next week, we'll discuss the final element of Easy Upkeep: looping back to the STYLE process. 

Start with successes

Take small steps   

Yes, it has a home!

Let it go

Easy upkeep