As someone who love A+s
one simple question helps
As a recovering type-A perfectionist, a part of me loves doing the job right.
I was at the top of my class. I won many awards over the years in my career, including one where I was selected from more than 35,000 educators. I tell you this to say, there’s a BIG part of me that enjoys excelling—I love (love, love) me a gold star and an A+.
I often feel driven to do a job “right.” To go the extra mile.
A question that has helped me is this:
Where am I doing an A+ job on a C- task?
Now, I believe even the most mundane tasks can be nourishing (more on that in the days to come), so, I actually don’t love the concept of putting “a grade” that values tasks…
BUT this simple question helps me throttle my innate urge to do everything “perfectly.”
So when I’m sweeping out the barn and I want to get every last bit of dirt (or the thought crosses my mind to mop the barn floor🤦♀️ )...
When some voice in my head chirps at me: “Do the job right—or don’t do it at all”…
When I am almost done but I feel an urge to “put a bow 🎀 on it”…
…that question becomes a nourishing barometer.
Do I reallyyyyy need to do A+ job on this task?
More often than not, the answer is no.
”Good enough” is just fine.
xo,
Rhonda
Where are you doing an A+ job when it might not be necessary? How might you loosen the reins a little? Drop a comment or hit reply to this email— we’d love to hear from you.
P.S. Thanks for reading along. It means the world to me. Truly. If this resonates, I invite you to drop a “like” or share. Doing so is a little like Batman’s “batsign,” if you will. It helps other people who need to hear this message find it. ❤
My "good enough is just fine" is housework. Yes, I should probably vacuum the whole house, but today it is good enough to just sweep the kitchen & dining room. Or, yes, I should probably dust, but you cannot yet write your name in it, so I have other more important things to do outside, like gardening. :-) Your question that posed is very helpful! Am I doing an A+ job for a C- task? Love it!
I had a supervisor once who said something similar to this.... "90% done is almost always done enough." I can still remember when and why it was said, and the statement still rings true for me decades later.