Something to Think About!

Today I present you with one of my most treasured bits of Flylady wisdom:

Sometimes Done Is Perfect.

I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to occasionally let perfectionism get the best of me. We have all spent so much of our lives with the old adage "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well," floating around in our heads, that I think sometimes the very saying that is supposed to help us ends up getting in our way. We realize that we only have 5 minutes to clean up the kitchen, so we just figure, "Why bother?" I am trying to get myself to think the opposite: If it's worth doing, you might as well get it done! Even if it isn't perfect, then at least it will be done! Think 5 minutes isn't enough? Give it a try... Set a timer and just go for it. I predict that you will be SHOCKED what all you can get done in 5 minutes if you set your mind to it. And like Flylady says, having it done, whether it is done exactly right or not, can be oh-so-perfect sometimes.

Case in point: my kitchen drapes.

I bought them at Ikea a couple of years ago, and they are the kind that come in an extra-long length and you are supposed to hem them to fit the space you need them in. Well, when we moved, the doorways that I put them were a little lower than the previous ones, which meant that the curtains were too long. I subsequently got a little busy (you know what with starting school, shooting weddings, giving birth and all), and had never gotten around to re-hemming them. I just kept thinking I didn't have time.

However, today Norah was running at top speed out of the pantry trying to steal some vinegar and she tripped over the too-long drapes and face-planted on the kitchen floor. It made me sad that she had hurt herself because I "hadn't had time" to fix those silly curtains. I was trying to decide what to do, since I only had a little bit of time before I was supposed to go pick Bear up from his friend's house and head to the gym. Then I had a lightbulb moment: It doesn't have to be perfect, because sometimes done is perfect.

So I broke out the stapler. That's right. My trusty old Swingline.





I decided to just say forget doing it right, and I hemmed the blasted drapes with the stapler. It totally worked! They are the perfect length now. Norah won't have to trip on them anymore, and as long as no one breaks out a magnifying glass, nobody will ever be the wiser!








Which brings me to one final point. Ladies, we need to all cut ourselves a break. No one is going to come over to our houses and evaluate our decorating and housekeeping (or our outfits, children, cooking skills, laundry folding, etc!) with a score card, so we might as well just all relax, do the best we can and enjoy ourselves a little! And if someone DID show up with a scorecard, would you really care what they thought anyway? I mean, what kind of person DOES that? Our friends are going to love us for who we are, and no one else really matters anyway!

So relax, take a deep breath, and when you're done cleaning up your kitchen this evening, pat yourself on the back that it is done. Because like our dear Flylady says... Sometimes done really is perfect! : )