CHOOSING PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION

WHY PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION?

With so many things that we want to accomplish in life, we can let perfectionism hold us back. Perfectionism is a personality trait that drives us to strive for flawlessness. When we overthink things and wait until the situation is just right to get something done, we often fail to take any action at all.

My podcast would not exist if I waited until I knew exactly what I was doing.  I thought about it for a while and then decided to just jump in. I decided I would figure it out along the way. Over 200 episodes later, I’m still figuring things out, but I am still making progress. Had I waited until I had the perfect plan, I probably still wouldn’t have started. There are too many unknowns that I would never have gotten the answers to.  I still don’t have those answers.

TAKE SMALL STEPS

Avoid trying to figure out everything that will need to be done to achieve the end result you are looking for. Instead, determine what is the next step you can take to get closer to your goal. I’m sure you have all heard the saying “take the next right step”. You will need to determine what is the next thing you can do to make progress.  Don’t focus on the end result, just focus on the next thing you can do to move closer to your goal.

In the book “Effortless” by Greg McKeown, he gives an example of going through the process of determining the next step. He describes a woman who needs to clear books piled out of her living room.  She says the next step is to order a bookcase.  But, she can’t order a bookcase because she doesn’t know the size.  She can’t measure because she doesn’t know where here tape measure is.  The conclusion is made that the next step is to go buy a tape measure. So, if there is something holding you up from moving forward, determine what step will get you moving forward.

REMEMBER THAT IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ALL OR NOTHING

I find this to be such a great reminder to myself in so many areas of my life. One example that always comes to mind is with decluttering. Say if you have a big decluttering project that needs to be done. Because you don’t have enough time to complete the entire project you do nothing.

Instead of doing nothing, you could just as easily do something.  Declutter a few items.  You are still better off by decluttering a few items, then by decluttering nothing because you were not able to do it all. The idea is that if you can make some progress, do it.  Doing something is better than doing nothing at all.  Try not to think in terms of all or nothing!

PRACTICE OVERCOMING SELF DOUBT

When we doubt that we have what it takes to achieve a goal, we can hold ourselves back from even trying. One way to help overcome self-doubt is to remind yourself of things you have accomplished in the past that you are proud of. This can help give you confidence to get new things done going forward.

Don’t compare yourself to others.  Just because someone else may have achieved the same goal quicker or with less effort then you did should not cause you to be discouraged. We all do things at our own pace. Try to not let yourself worry about what others might think. Don’t doubt your ability to make a decent decision! Trust yourself to make a decisions and go with it.  You can always make changes if needed.

PRACTICE PATIENCE, ESPECIALLY WITH YOURSELF

Remind yourself that you only have so much time to work on what you are trying to accomplish. Don’t be hard on yourself for not getting more done then you would have liked to. Focus on the progress that you have made, not how much you wish you had gotten done.

If there are times that you cannot make any progress at all, instead of being disappointed with yourself, put that energy into putting a plan in place when you can devote some time to work on your project. Being patient with yourself will also encourage you to keep making progress and celebrating what you have accomplished no matter how small.

IMPACT OF PRACTICING PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION

This can help us in so many areas of our life from cleaning our house, meal planning, decluttering, improving our budgets, saving more money, learning a new skill, learning a new hobby, and so many more things!

When you feel like you are not able to move forward with something you are trying to accomplish, ask yourself if you are choosing progress over perfection?

Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this topic to check out Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!

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