Perfectionism Stops You From Getting Organized

Perfectionism. I talk about this topic a lot during my sessions — and honestly, perfectionism is such a sneaky enemy. It pretends to be about “doing things right,” but in reality, it quietly steals our joy and energy.

Perfectionism paints these beautiful pictures in our minds:

how perfectly, quickly, and flawlessly everything will get done. And then… it never lets us get anywhere close to them.

Creating order in your home — or in life — isn’t about being perfect. It's about honestly meeting your real life as it is. And yes, sometimes it’s not pretty or perfect — and that’s okay.

The more flexibility and self-compassion you bring into this process, and the less strictness and perfectionism you carry, the closer cozy comfort becomes a real part of your life, instead of just a Pinterest dream.

This is something Brené Brown explains beautifully in her book. Her words always remind me why striving for “perfect” only keeps us stuck and disconnected. Here’s one of my favorite parts:

"Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving for excellence. It's not about growth or achievement. Perfectionism is a defensive move — the belief that if we live, look, and act perfectly, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgment, and shame.But in reality, it doesn’t protect us.It keeps us from being seen.

At its core, perfectionism is an attempt to earn approval. Most perfectionists grew up in an environment of constant praise for achievements and results —good grades, good manners, following the rules, looking a certain way, winning in sports.

Somewhere along the way, they adopted this dangerous and harmful belief system:

“I am what I accomplish and how well I accomplish it.I must perform, achieve, and prove myself.”

Healthy striving is self-focused: “How can I improve?”

Perfectionism, on the other hand, is other-focused:“What will people think?”

Perfectionism is a constant feeling of anxiety, of never being good enough and always worrying about others’ opinions.

Perfectionism is not the key to success. In fact, research shows that perfectionism gets in the way of success and is often correlated with depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis."

Choose one small step toward creating the kind of home and life you truly want.

Progress, not perfection — that’s where the real magic happens!