One Year of My Life In Order

I remember distinctly the night I published the first post of my blog one year ago.  It was very late and I was very nervous, but once it was done, I felt so good! I’d been writing about my journey to get my life in order for nearly a year before that.  I did lots of research on domain names, website platforms, social media strategies, blog best practices - so much research that I scared myself into delaying the launch. I asked some very close friends and family to read some of my posts and give me their feedback.  I visualized complete success and total failure. I was scared and excited all at once. Back then fear carried more weight, but these days excitement is starting to overshadow my fears.

In many ways it seems like this blog has always been part of me, and in other ways I still feel like a newbie!  I’ve found writing therapeutic and the regularity energizing. I’ve learned and experienced so much during this past year, but here are the highlights.

Done is so much better than perfect
The very first line of my very first post was, “I'm a recovering over-achiever people-pleaser.  I had high expectations for others and even higher ones for myself.”  Those high self-expectations can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it leads to quality work, but a curse because I’m often paralyzed with the thought that I could still improve some little detail before calling a project complete.  This affects me both in my personal life and work life. My husband once said to me, “Just lower the bar for yourself a little and then you won’t be so stressed out.” I remember thinking that it must be nice to be happy with less than your best and then feeling a little smug because obviously I was better off with my high standards. Then I became so stressed that I turned to a coach to help me work through it - she helped me realize I was expecting so much of myself that it wasn’t realistic. I hate to admit it, but my husband may have been right, but it took someone outside of my inner circle to make me believe it. I did start lowering my expectations and started producing without killing myself in the process. I still struggle sometimes with editing my work too much, but repeating the mantra, “done is better than perfect” really helps me! There are aspects of my life that it was VERY easy to lower my standards - dishes, laundry, housework, yardwork- I don’t freak out about those not being perfect or complete, and I ask for help (or require help from my kiddos!) I still take pride in my work, but now pick and choose what is worth the painstaking efforts of perfection and what can be delivered in a very good state instead of perfect.

"I still struggle sometimes with editing my work too much, but repeating the mantra, 'done is better than perfect' really helps me!"

​Accountability breeds success
Having a weekly deadline - even if none of my readers really cared, made me get things done.  I have posted at least weekly for a year - even when I was sick, we were on vacation, or very busy with school or sports activities.  I felt like readers were counting on me, so I made accommodations to make sure I had a post completed every week. 

In January of this year, I joined a Mastermind group led by The Productive Woman, Laura McClellan.  I found this so motivating. I gained this whole new set of accountability partners and could share goals and dreams with them that I didn’t feel comfortable sharing with anyone else.  During the 12 week session, I reported back on the mini-goals I set for myself each week and found myself making much more forward progress than I ever would have without them to answer to.  I’ve become friends with these women, and we still connect monthly to share our struggles and our successes and set goals and report back on our progress. I share in their excitement and they share in mine when something we’ve been working toward comes to fruition.  

I’ve long thought of myself as a hater of teamwork, rationalizing this feeling by saying I could do things faster and better alone.  Even when I would admit that maybe I couldn’t do them better, I still held that at least I had control and didn’t have to rely on anyone else to determine my success.  Throughout this year, I’ve gotten better at asking for feedback and advice, working as a team and accepting constructive criticism. I ran across a quote just this week that hit home.  “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

Inspiration is everywhere
I remember being asked if I thought I’d run out of material to write about and if this outlet that I thought was going to be fun and therapeutic for me would turn out to be a burden.  So far, I haven’t had to struggle to find things to write about because my life is a work in progress, and I just write about what I experience. Sometimes I have things to share that may be helpful and other times I just write about the raw honest truth of my shortcomings.  Just like you see more pregnant women when you are pregnant, I have found more inspiration now that I’m looking for it. 

Because I’m always looking for an inspiring quote, an interesting article, a great organizing idea, or something worthy of a Friday Funny title for my social media posts, I have read more books and articles, learned more about organization and productivity techniques than ever before in this past year.  The stories I’ve heard from readers who have been inspired by something I have written have truly brought me joy. 
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Productivity allows for growth
Because I’m continuing to improve my own productivity, I’m able to do more things I enjoy.  Even though I’m technically busier than ever, it feels the same or less as before I added in additional things I like doing- helping people get organized, teaching more piano students, selling organizing supplies, reading more, and becoming more involved in church - in addition to my day job and my role as a wife and mother.  

I definitely feel that I still have lots of room for improvement.  I still do best when I’m working alone, but am striving to get better at keeping projects moving when they involve others.  I’ve found that shared tools are the best way to stay on the same page with others. One example is how my husband and I share events on our calendars to keep track of who is where when (which is tricky sometimes!)  We also do a review of our upcoming week during the weekend to plan meals and child care and pickup. A regular touch base meeting either personally or professionally may take time, but it pays for itself in the time it saves!

Choosing your tools and sticking to them is critical to productivity.  There are always new tools that may tempt you, and though it’s important to stay up to date with technology, you need to limit the tool-jumping so you can become an expert in your own system.  Don’t spend your time creating your system over and over, spend your time doing the stuff your system is supposed to help you control.

Thanks for a great year!
It’s been a fun year, and I’m excited to see what the next one will bring.  I sincerely appreciate those of you who read and comment on posts and on social media.  I feel like I'm on this journey with you.  I'd love to hear from you about what topics you'd like to read about in year two of My Life In Order.  Submit your ideas through the contact page or by email.  

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