I have a phrase I often repeat with clients: “Good and done is better than none.” But it’s not always apropos.
A few posts back, I talked about the organizing myths we try to tell ourselves, and as I think back on it I realize I left something out. I didn’t actually finish that post.
Truth be told, I never truly feel finished with posts. I could write, rewrite, and rewrite – that was probably half of my trouble getting my book published. If I hadn’t called “time” and put my metaphorical pencil down, I never would have completed it. Other authors I know experience similar pitfalls. The best way for me to stop tweaking a blog post is to sleep on it, then accept that I’ve committed to an order of posting and sharing it. It helps to know I can stretch material into other posts, too (case in point).
But back to my story – what I left out of that truth post is the myth about being done.
You’re never actually going to be 100%, put-a-bow-on-it done, with much of anything. I mean, yes, ok, you might be “done” with that guy who talks about his ex every time you go for coffee, or your HOA lady who freaks out about the color of your mailbox – but I’m not talking about setting boundaries.
There’s this unfortunate fantasy out there that once you “get organized,” you never have to mess with it again. As if all your freshly containerized crap will stay frozen in time, just like filtered shots on Instagram. The dirty secret is, you’re going to get your drawers all pretty and ordered, but eventually you’ll need to do them again, or shift them, or change their purpose. When your children grow and need space for their school supplies, those drawers will change. Or they might get full from one too many kids’ meal freebies, or disposable face masks, or whatever. Is the resulting disorder evidence of your failure as an organized person, or evidence of your success in cultivating small humans?
You’ll get items knocked off the work to-do list, and more will come. The emails don’t stop, any more than we all stop talking. This phenomenon might mean you’re behind, or it might mean you have meaningful work and that others trust you with tasks. What, you want to go to work one day and have…nothing?*
You will get bills paid, and then a month will go by, and lo-and-behold there they are again. Their reappearance could mean you’re spending beyond your means, or it may mean you can be grateful to have your electricity and Netflix for another month.
These scenarios are evidence of life, yes? If there’s absolutely nothing left to do, finish, check off, respond to, well… you’re likely in a different spot from the rest of us (and not reading this post).
And it also doesn’t mean there’s no point in working towards goals, towards completion. It feels super lovely for about 24 hours after the lawn gets mowed. It’s pretty cool to admire the empty laundry basket for the 6 minutes, 38 seconds before underwear and socks hit it again. Go easy with yourself when more comes, when change occurs. We don’t live in museums, or social media posts, or a dog-eared copy of Getting Things Done. Thank God.
He may or may not have neglected to separate.
I once saw a story on Oprah about a woman who did her housecleaning naked, because when she was finished she didn’t want to immediately have dirty clothes in the laundry. It made me laugh! So much of life is repetition and maintenance. The only time I remember feeling “done” was back when I was a student and the school year was over. What a great feeling that was!
I don’t know if I’ve ever totally felt “done” (the minute school was over I was always thinking “ok, what’s next?”). I’ll have to think about that one. Thanks for stopping by, Seana!
Seana,
I saw that episode too and like you, I think of it often and it still makes me laugh. Even funnier… I had a client who told me she saw the episode and instead of doing the laundry naked, she’d wear the same clothes for a few days in a row after doing laundry so that her basket would stay empty.
Yes, well, because what would the neighbors think? 😉
I agree! People grow, and life changes, so do the home. We must revisit these areas to make them effective again. It may not be for a year or five years, but you will need to revisit it.
And I think revisiting can be fun, can’t it? A process of reacquainting, discovering new stuff or new ways of handling something.
I love the idea of what “done” means, Sara. The phrase “work in progress” comes to mind. And another saying, “If there isn’t a white chalk line around your body, it’s going to be a good day.” When we’re “here,” there will be stuff to do, new tasks and goals to accomplish, and works in progress. Some will feel more complete than others. And I suppose it’s a matter of knowing when to stop and let go of that “thing” at a specific time. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t return to noodle, improve, or rethink. It just means that for that point in time, you are ready to release the “thing,” as it is- be it a blog post, book, casserole, or presentation.
I have never heard that chalk line saying before – that’s a good one! Understanding the (temporary) release spot is helpful. Sort of like, “To noodle or not to noodle?, that is the question.” Thanks for the comment, Linda.
This is so true. Every part of it. I often think of tasks, to-dos as done and done. What I mean is, there’s the done that you are finished with for the time being, until you have to revisit it again. Then there’s the done that’s good enough and you can move on from.
I’ll really like what you said, “You’re never actually going to be 100%, put-a-bow-on-it done, with much of anything.” I guess we’re not really finished with anything until we put tape around it and mark it “finished and complete.”
Yes, or until we decide to scrap it and throw it away. I’m realizing I didn’t think about that part of done (which sort of relates to the coffee with the annoying man scenario). Like, I’m done with those jeans, or that job, or that committee. But often those are things we might not have needed in the first place.
Absolutely 100% true. We all have life events as well as the day-to-day tasks to attend to. How boring life would be (like the job you reference at the end of the post) if nothing changed and there was nothing to do. I like to tell clients “you are organized for now”. For, in this moment, the organizing works. It may not next month. There may be new challenges or new uses for the area to figure out.
This is why I (perhaps weirdly) think organizing is big fun. Always something new to work through or try or shift. I recognize not everyone’s on board with that philosophy. 😉
For about three weeks after I left my last job in television (and had just decided it WOULD BE MY LAST), I slept better than I ever had in my entire life, because my work was done. Every time I’d left a job in the TV industry, even with a few weeks off and no work tasks to complete, I still had to follow all of the business details of the industry, know what was up or down in the ratings, etc. For the first time in my post-college life, I had NOTHING I had to think about work-wise, and even though I was still figuring out my next career, going to bed (and waking up) knowing I didn’t have to think about a Monday morning meeting or a weekly scheduling memo…it was glorious.
But no, I don’t worry about done. I won’t fret over Inbox: Zero or dropping something in the laundry basket five minutes after I finish the last load. One of my fave quotes is from Zig Ziglar, “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” Some tasks recur, like making dinner or paying bills, but that means we’re alive and solvent! And that’s a good thing!
Interesting – my career/job changes were never quite so clear cut. I often wonder what it would be like if I retired totally someday (which I have no plans to do). I’m afraid I would still have to make a list for something – 1. Stare at neighbor’s cat chasing chipmunk, 2. Fold a kitchen towel, 3. Eat a walnut…
So true! I often say things like “done for now” or when I stop for the evening to join my husband I’ll say, “I’m not finished but I’m finished for today.”
We work toward goals like finishing the book or giving the presentation but then there is the follow thru and the marketing and and and….
So true, Sara – organizing is a process, not an event. I like to think of the daily round as waves in the ocean. As long as I see to each day’s needs, I get carried along with the tide. When I lose steam, it’s easy to get wiped out!