Do you suffer from procrastination? I certainly do. I often excuse it by saying I work better under pressure.
But if truth be told, it is usually because I am mulling over a myriad of options on how to do something. I suffer from analysis paralysis!
What exactly do I mean? I quickly piece a quilt but struggle to get it quilted. Why??
I want each piece to have the perfect quilting. I envision twenty different ways to quilt the top. Each one better than the next. Each one taking more time than the last.
And then my time constraints smack me into reality….
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I don’t have time to elaborately quilt. I want to but can’t. And that disappoints me.
So, I am learning to suck up my expectations. I need to stop attempting perfection and just get it done.
I tried this with my latest quilt. It needed to get out the door. It was pretty but didn’t need show level quilting. With this in mind, I knuckled under and did simple but elegant edge to edge quilting. It took me less than an afternoon. I had the quilt bound a few hours later.
I can’t tell you the level of pleasure and relief at completing the quilt so quickly. That feeling of accomplishment was so much stronger than the disappointment I originally felt at “settling” in my quilting. I was actually surprised.
It changed my thinking. Why am I holding myself back by setting unrealistic expectations? Done is definitely better than agonizing over the perfect quilting. I really think this will help me be more productive and happier with my work.
Have you had such a realization? Do you ever feel like you are settling, but then are surprised at the positive feelings when you are done? We may be more alike than you think. It is ok to let go of perfection, to stop holding yourself back. Enjoy the process, stop struggling, and get it done.
Yes – perfection is the enemy of done. Done feels so much better!
Happy Quilting!
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