Tag Archives: getting shit done

Done is better than perfect

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A conversation at work this week reminded me of something I have been working on for some time – the idea that done is better than perfect. It seems simple enough, but I’m such a poster child for perfectionism that it can be a genuine struggle. Here’s the problem: when you want things to be just so it can be nigh on impossible to let things just be. And in a hectic, fast-paced world where deadlines are tight and the hustle is standard, chasing perfection can be a real problem. Sure, it feels productive to examine and re-examine, to think and re-think, to re-jig and tweak looking for perfection in every minute detail… The kicker, though? It ain’t. It’s procrastination at best, crippling at worst.

And I do it ALL. THE. TIME.

If you haven’t heard of her already, Brené Brown is a researcher on shame and vulnerability and her book The Gifts of Imperfection is a true life-changer. It’s one of those books that makes you go “get out of my brain!”. Of perfection, Brown says:

“Perfection is self destructive simply because there is no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal. Additionally, perfectionism is more about perception – we want to be perceived as perfect. Again, this is unattainable – there is no way to control perfection, regardless of how much time and energy we spend trying.”

Check out her Ted Talks, seriously.

So the difference, in getting things done over getting things perfect, is a kind of self-compassion.

This is a learning I am taking to creative pursuits in writing, blogging, art and more. That cheery little bubbly feeling when something is actually done? That’s a sense of accomplishment worth eleventy billion times more than the pressure of striving for perfection. How many things have I not started / not finished / not even considered simply because my inner critic said they would be less then perfect and therefore worthless? How much joy did I miss out on in not-doing?

Do the thing – it’s very often worth the risk.

(This post? Not perfect, but bloody D O N E, and that’s pretty fab).

‘Til next time,

2016 To-Do List Challenge Part 3: Partial Credit

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Full disclosure: I did not complete all 12 items on my to-do list. Gosh darn it, you guys. I KNOW.

After the success of the first six items, I was keen as mustard to crack on. And then… I didn’t really crack on. I made moves towards completing all the remaining items but didn’t get any of them quite over the line, which is disappointing. But [partial] credit where [partial] credit is due – I had a lot to try and squeeze in. The key message seems to be doing something/anything/a bit is better than doing nothing. Right?

Item #8: Invent own cocktail and serve to friends

Why was it on the list? I had visions on Tom Cruise-esque shaker-flipping and fancy-pants colourful drinks with punny names and high alcohol content which I could whip up and serve with a flourish along the lines of “why yes, this is my signature drink, the Gin Weasley”. Or, in other words, I don’t really know. The ‘serve to friends’ bit was important, because it meant the drink had to be drinkable and not just a random mix of whatever spirits happened to be in my cupboard.

Achievement? I admit I gave this one a red hot go. I researched cocktail making, learnt about a thing called ‘the golden ratio’ that is apparently key to cocktail flavour success.

I turned a little bit mad scientist and got really, very drunk in ‘the lab’ (my kitchen).

I did not nail the cocktail. At all.

(They were all terrible).

Item #1: Go horse riding

Why was it on the list? Duh, because horse riding is ace.

Achievement? Research only. I know where to go, what is costs, and what I need to do to make it happen – I just didn’t get it done by year’s end.

Item #11: Take a short course

Why was it on the list? Learning is fun.

Achievement? Turns out December is not the time to try and do a short course of any kind. Who would have thunk it, right? Partial credit though, because I will be knocking this over in the first couple of weeks in January. I’ve got plans.

Item #9: Play cricket in a park

Why was it on the list? I’m what you would call indoorsy. This seemed a good excuse to get outside. Preferably with a side of picnicking and beers.

Achievement? Purchased cricket bat from op shop. Did not use.

Item #10: Road trip

Why was it on the list? Road trips are the best.

Achievement? Created road trip playlist. While that is important, not much progress here at all. Trying to squeeze in a road trip and a bunch of Christmas catch ups simultaneously is not easy. Perhaps if I had driven somewhere slowly? Like, really slowly?

….

Item #12: Walk Lofty

Why was it on the list? God knows. Do I want to walk up a mountain? No, no I don’t. But I feel like I have failed as an Adelaidean by having never attempted old mate Lofty.

Achievement? I could say the Christmas heat wave thwarted this one, but that would be a half truth. I had tentative plans to smash this out with a friend, and weather and scheduling did prevent that, but in all honesty, the catch up was always more likely to be beers than mountains. Sigh.

beer

Beer > Mountains

So there we have it. Not quite a success, not quite a failure.To be honest, the best lesson from the entire exercise was that there is time. There is time to start, to try, and to complete a lot. 6/12 is better than 0/12, and the remainder will probably (maybe) be polished off early this year now some of the wheels are in motion. If you know anything about cocktails and can save me from myself, the Gin Weasley still needs to happen.

‘Til next time,

Sig

 

 

 

2016 To-Do List Challenge Part 2: Whoa, we’re halfway there

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Whoa-oh!

lizard-on-a-chair

Lizard on a chair

^ I’m so, so sorry, but this has by far been my favourite meme of 2016. I couldn’t resist. Well played, internet. Well played.

So, not to boast or anything but this list business is going swimmingly. I admit that after my last post on the matter I felt like I may have bitten off more than I could chew, but so many people have got behind the idea and have helped me figure out how this whole adventure can work. And suddenly, I’m actually halfway there!

Item #6 – learn to play a musical instrument 

Why was it on the list? As a kid I was relatively musical. I didn’t have much talent, but I loved making music and had lots of lessons in various instruments. And then I stopped, and that makes me kind of sad. Late in 2015 there was a brief foray into the ukelele which involved lots of you-tubing and one fairly mediocre triumphant cover of that 3-chord classic ‘You are my sunshine’ but the cheap, multi-coloured uke I bought refused to tune properly so now sits on a shelf, a monument to half-realised dreams.

Fortunately, my friend Jess is musical, with a background in piano and song and even a history of teaching people like me how to make the ol’ black-n-whites play a tune.

Cut to: item #7 – learn to use chopsticks

Why was it on the list? Because it’s a life skill and has been on each of my annual goals lists since oh, forever. It’s what I call a rollover goal and anyone who has been to Sushi Train with me knows the struggle is real. How embarrassment. But for this one I sort of cheated reinterpreted. Item #7 became:

Item #7 – learn to use chopsticks

So I give you this…

Yep. I was harbouring a secret musical gift. Who knew.

Item #2 – go to outdoor cinema

Why was it on the list? I was super bummed that I missed the moonlight cinema sessions last year (and the year before, and the year before) because it’s stacks of fun. As luck would have it, my mate Rose stumbled upon a free outdoor screening that the City of Unley were putting on at the Capri Theatre on Goodwood Road. Free, you say? Sold!

The best part about outdoor cinema is packing a picnic and let me tell you: when we picnic, we picnic hard.

picnic
picnic2

The screening was Eddie the Eagle, a film I would not normally have seen, but its schmaltzy sentimental (and apparently historically loose) vibe was good for picnicking and made for easy watching in a outdoorsy setting. I wouldn’t want to watch anything that required too much concentration at outdoor cinema anyway, so this suited me just fine. So, is ski jumping on the list for 2017?

No, thank you.

Item #4 – go rock climbing / abseiling 

Why was it on the list? Honestly? I have no earthly idea. I can’t remember why this made it onto the list at all. Probably I saw it on tv and thought it looked cool. I do know it’s something I have never tried before, so maybe that’s a good enough reason.

Rose and I hit up Magpie Springs at Willunga – a cute but jumbled sort of hippy / yoga / cafe / gallery / winery set up which Google told me also had a climbing wall that it seemed would fit the bill. It’s not a huge wall and, no kidding, we mocked it. This was going to be a piece of cake. Well.

That shit is hard.

Item#3 – go on a wine tour

Why was it on the list? Um, because wine tours are awesome and visiting cellar doors to chat with the winemakers is always worth it.

Since we were down that way, it seemed a good opportunity to hit up McLaren Vale for a self-driven mini wine tour. We took in Alpha Box + Dice, had a pit stop for pizza lunch at Pizzateca, and finished off at Samuel’s Gorge.

Boom. Wine tour. Done.

Item #5 – write and post a handwritten letter

Why was it on the list? Letter writing is a bit of a lost art. It’s rare, but personally I love getting mail that doesn’t come in a window-face envelope and knowing someone has thought of me enough to take the time to write. I thought sending a personal letter to a friend would be a nice, thoughtful, old timey, heartwarming thing to do.

And really, it was the quickest and easiest thing on the list so there is no excuse for not knocking this over sooner.

I don’t want to overshare the contents but I wrote the letter and loved the process. Handwriting brought out a different style of writing than email or text and jeepers does my penmanship need a little love.

 

TLDR: current tally is 6/12.

‘Til next time,

Sig