A Way Through is To Do

I recently caught myself in some old patterns of behavior. I was attempting a new approach for to do lists which I will share below. But instead of pulling out a piece of paper or an old notebook or any pen within reach, instead I said to myself:

“Oh, I will need a new, pretty notebook for this!”

“Oh, I also need a really good pen. I liked that Penmate Inkjoy pen that someone had the other day. I need those too.”

And guess what didn’t happen? I didn’t start my new strategy for to do lists. A strategy that I’ve been wanting to try for a week. You know why? Because the conditions weren’t “perfect” for me to start.

It’s kind of like trying to eat more nutritious meals. People often wait until the start of a fresh week or the start of a new day to try to eat more sensibly because they think, “Well, today is already ruined, so I can’t start today.” Or how about, “Well, I don’t have time to clean my entire house today, so I won’t clean at all.” The people are me. I am the people.

Perfectionism steals from us. It’s sneaky thief because it’s masked as high standards and who doesn’t want to have high standards?

This has been such an ongoing battle in my life. Some lessons I learn the hard way, and I learn them over and over again. As I mention in my book, Legacy of Learning: Teaching for Lasting Impact, “Perfectionism keeps us from trying new things and achieving big things because perfectionism tells us that it’s not good enough, so we might as well stop trying.”

And if we stop trying, what is going to happen to this profession, our future, and our world?

We can have high standards for ourselves and the impact we want to make without making the work feel impossible or insurmountable. The work does not have to be complicated or perfectly executed to be impactful.

Think back to some of your most beloved teachers and mentors. What do you remember the most about them? Was it how perfectly they executed a lesson? I bet not though I’m sure they were competent. More likely, they enjoyed you, saw the best in you, and believed in you. They loved you through the process of learning and evolving.

We must learn to be our own champions in that way. We must learn to love ourselves through the process of learning and evolving. Not only because we deserve that but also because it’s important to model that kind of self-love for others. I truly believe that this is a strategy for changing the world.

The world doesn’t need more perfect people or more people who are focused on winning the approval of others. The world needs rolled-up sleeves and whole hearts.

I hope you take a moment to loving call yourself in. Be honest with yourself about that goal that needs to be cut in half, that project you’re afraid to start, that to do list you aren’t writing without the perfect notebook, and lovingly nudge yourself into action. Sometimes the only way through is to do.

And as for that simple to do list strategy:

When your to do list feels long, try dividing the list into quadrants. Think of four categories you could divide things into such as work, home, personal, etc. Organizing your to do list this way allows you to start organizing your plan of attack. It’s simply a different way of looking at the same old stuff that might help you get unstuck and start strategizing and prioritizing.

Anyway, I’m off to write with a regular old pen in a regular old used notebook.

Remember, rolled up sleeves. Wholeheart.

The rest will work itself out.