Let’s face it, some things are worth spending a lot of time on. Many things are not. Being able to differentiate between the two can save you a lot of time and help you let go of perfectionism.
Tagged with: getting to good enough, harold taylor, perfectionism, podcast, shannon wilkinson
I was interviewed recently by Jill Farmer for DocWorking: The Whole Physician Podcast. Jill, who is a life coach who focuses on physician clients, and I talked about impact of clutter, the difficulty of decluttering and how perfectionism can get in the way, particularly as it applies to physicians (but really to everyone).
Tagged with: clutter, perfectionism, podcast
We were tickled to be invited by the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) to do a virtual presentation for their chapter (and anyone else who wants to buy a ticket) called the Power of Enough…Effort. In this presentation, Shannon and I will be talking about when to know you’ve put enough effort into something.
Tagged with: napo, perfectionism, podcast, shannon wilkinson
You know I love talking about perfectionism on the podcast I co-host with Shannon Wilkinson, Getting to Good Enough. So I was thrilled to be asked to be a guest on Keeping You Organized a weekly podcast presented by Smead, the big filing products manufacturer.
Tagged with: perfectionism, podcast, podcasts, press, smead
In my home office I use a MacBook pro attached to an external monitor and wireless keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is a Satechi Bluetooth Keyboard and I love it.
My only complaint about the keyboard is that after only nine months of use, the letters started wearing off the most-used keys. (Apparently I hit the keys hard.) I’m a touch typist, so it’s not that big a deal, but it was starting to get on my nerves. I had a hard time in particular remembering which key was R and which was T.
Tagged with: diy, harold taylor, keyboard, perfectionism, technology
As I wrote on Friday, I’m writing a novel this month. This is my third novel. I do it for the fun of the challenge.
When I was writing my 1700 words this morning, I found myself doubting the quality of my work. Was this plot stupid? Was the writing sophisticated enough? Is this a waste of time? Then I realized it didn’t matter. What’s important here is that I meet my goal and write 50,000 words in 30 days. The quality of the words is neither here nor there.
Tagged with: goals, perfectionism, writing
This week marks the 7th anniversary of my blog. I posted my very first post on November 10, 2006. Since then, I’ve posted 906 more. I thought it would be fun to re-post that first post. I’m happy to note that the first post isn’t an embarrassment and that I would write the same thing (perhaps phrased differently) today. Enjoy!
Tagged with: control, organized, perfectionism, type a, worth repeating
I wrote this blog post two years ago after hearing Harold Taylor speak about perfectionism. I loved his take on it and was happy when I re-read this post yesterday. In case you didn’t catch it the first time around, this is definitely one worth repeating.
Tagged with: harold taylor, maryann devine, perfectionism, worth repeating
On Wednesdays this summer, I’m dipping into my archives to highlight articles written in the past with messages that bear repeating. Here’s the latest, originally posted on October 14, 2010.
The other day I cleaned out my t-shirt drawer. One of the benefits of having a friend who runs a t-shirt company and creates fabulous new t-shirts designs on a regular basis is that I’m frequently given new t-shirts. I don’t want to say no to them, because they’re wonderful. But I wasn’t employing any kind of “one in/one out” policy.
Tagged with: decluttering, ease, knitting, perfectionism, sally brown, worth repeating
I see so many clients get caught up in finding the perfect places to donate their items. I think this post, which I originally published in April 2012, bears repeating.
Tagged with: decluttering, disposal, donations, perfectionism, worth repeating
It can be easier to let go of items if you think they’re going to just the right charity. If you feel like the item wlll used, even loved, you can release it with fewer twinges of regret.
Tagged with: decluttering, disposal, donations, perfectionism
A week ago, I attended a time-management seminar offered by Harold Taylor. It was terrific. I’ve been inspired by Harold Taylor’s words of wisdom for going on 20 years now and he didn’t disappoint.
Tagged with: harold taylor, maryann devine, perfectionism
A lot of my clients are perfectionists, and one of the things that keeps them from parting with an item is that they want to identify the perfect person or charity to receive it. They don’t want to clutter the landfill, so they let items clutter their homes instead.
Tagged with: blogs, decluttering, disposal, perfectionism, recycling, repurposing, think outside the bin, trophies
The other day I cleaned out my t-shirt drawer. One of the benefits of having a friend who runs a t-shirt company and creates fabulous new t-shirts designs on a regular basis is that I’m frequently given new t-shirts. I don’t want to say no to them, because they’re wonderful. But I wasn’t employing any kind of “one in/one out” policy.
Tagged with: decluttering, ease, knitting, perfectionism, sally brown
Some people are surprised to hear that many of my chronically disorganized clients are perfectionists. The truth is that perfectionism can be paralyzing. If a perfectionist doesn’t know exactly how to do something the best way, or how it will turn out, they just can’t start.
I thought this article by performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane was spot on, I had to share it with you. It comes from her newsletter, Live Creative, and I’m reprinting it with permission.
Tagged with: christine kane, perfectionism
Since I specialize in working with chronically disorganized people, I’ve seen a lot of clutter. I’ve worked in homes so full of stuff they were inhabitable (literally).
But I’ve also been hired to do consultations for people for whom there was no visible clutter, at least at first glance. Yet those folks made the effort to schedule an appointment and paid me to advise them on how to deal with stuff that was bothering them. To my eye, it was small, easily addressable stuff. But to them it was a problem. (I always have to remind myself never to trivialize someone’s problem.)
Tagged with: chronic disorganization, clutter, disorder, napo st. louis, order, perfectionism, unclutterer
Most of the people I work with are dealing with clutter. As we work through the stuff and I help the client make decisions about whether to keep items, I’m often amazed at the different ways people feel about letting stuff go.
Tagged with: chronic disorganization, clutter, david tolin, decluttering, disorganization resources, hoarders, hoarding, obstacles, perfectionism
Last night, as I worked on the Estonian Garden Wrap, a seemingly complicated and sort of overwhelming (for this novice lace knitter) knitting pattern, I realized that broken down to its simplest elements, it’s really pretty easy. And that’s not unlike any overwhelming project, like getting organized. Let me explain.
Tagged with: decluttering, empowerment, knitting, lace, motivation, perfectionism, productivity
I’m a Virgo. Well, actually, I was born on the cusp of Libra, but I’ve always identified myself as being a Virgo. Many professional organizers are. If you’re in a room of professional organizers and you ask the Virgos to raise their hands, you’ll see a sea of raised hands. Most Virgos are perfectionists. Not me, though. I’m actually a “good enough” person. But many of my clients (Virgos or not) are perfectionists.
Tagged with: organized, perfectionism
I’ve been spending my days helping my clients create order, which I love doing. Meanwhile, my own house seems to be devolving into chaos. Between the rapidly piling up mail (I can’t seem to get caught up), and the laundry that’s not getting done, my home looks like it could use the help of a professional organizer.
Tagged with: clutter, coaching, perfectionism, time management
How many times have you heard people say, “I need to get organized”? But what do they mean by that? How do they measure, “organized?” As a professional organizer, I think about this a lot.
Tagged with: control, organized, perfectionism, type a