half-assing

doing something is better than doing nothing at all

hi friend,

i just took a piece of toilet paper (it’s all i have upstairs), wet it, and used it to wipe my white staircase.

it got me thinking about how giving myself permission to half-ass things changed my life as a recovering perfectionist.

if you grew up with authoritarian parents who had high standards, you may find it very hard to do things half way. maybe you can still hear them yelling in your head. maybe their voices have transmuted into your inner critic, telling you that nothing you do is good enough. maybe this voice is so loud that you put things off until you have time to do them fully. “properly.”

maybe you never have time to do things properly.

what if i told you there is no proper way to do anything and that often, making a minor attempt without judging yourself will let you accomplish way more of the things you want to do.

i’ve been thinking for a week that i need to wipe my stairs down, that i should get some cleaner and paper towels to do it. cause that’s the proper way to clean stairs. but today i remembered that it doesn’t matter if there’s a proper way to clean stairs if i’m never going to do it.

what felt within reach was toilet paper and water.

are the stairs completely disinfected? no. could you eat a meal off of them? no. do they need to be that clean? also no.

our inner critic and upbringing can make us put way too much pressure on ourselves. and instead of motivating us to get things done, they debilitate us, stopping us from doing anything.

don’t have the energy to pull out your big vacuum? get the visible dust and fluffs with your handheld.

feel overwhelmed by doing a full grocery shop? get a few items and leave when you feel anxious.

can’t get yourself to brush your teeth? use mouthwash.

don’t want to collect and put out all the garbage? bring what’s already outside to the curb.

don’t have it in you to make dinner? make a pb&j or eat crackers and cheese.

you can even apply this philosophy to big things. to life dreams.

want to write a book? write short form notes in your notes app whenever you have an idea.

want to start a podcast? record yourself on your phone when you’re inspired.

want to move across the country? take a weekend vacation to your dream city.

doing something will almost always make you feel better than doing nothing. and giving yourself permission to half-ass it leads to the good feeling of accomplishment… and often will give you the motivation to full-ass it.

but even when you half-ass it, you can decide that it’s all you have in you right now. and that is good enough.

you are good enough.

i urge you to try half-assing something you don’t have the motivation to do this week. see what kind of internal dialogue comes up. and try telling yourself that you’re proud you did what you could.

xoxo
m