Last time I walked you through scheduling your tasks around the house. This time, I want to discuss letting go of your perfectionism. Flylady has taught me a lot, but the most valuable lesson for me is to let go of my perfectionism. You don’t have to do your tasks around your house perfectly to get them done. “House work done incorrectly still blesses your family.” This statement couldn’t be more true. Does the bed have to be made perfectly to look better than it did when you got out of it? Does the floor have to be mopped perfectly to make your room look better? Do you have to move your furniture to clean underneath every time you clean a room to make the room look better? No. Doing these things, and many others only adds stress to your already stressful life, so why bother?
Not moving the furniture every time I clean the floor saves me ten minutes from cleaning every time. Not being picky about my bed being perfect when I make it saves another five, and not being picky about how my sons bed looks when it’s made saves me ten, because he can then do it himself and I don’t have to go back and make him “fix it”, or fix it myself. What can I do with another twenty five minutes a day just from those three tasks? Spend some extra time with my son, whether it be playing games, reading, or any number of things I mentioned in Connect With Your Kids , give myself some extra alone time, bake some cookies or a pie, and so many more things.
Letting go of perfectionism also means letting go of stress. Not only because you have more time, more time = less stress, but also while you’re doing the task. You aren’t sitting there doing the task over and over trying to “get it right.” The more time you spend doing one thing, trying to get it perfect, the more angry you get at yourself for not getting it right the first time, and the more stress that builds within.
So say goodbye to your perfectionism and stress, and welcome more peace and tranquility to your home and life.