The Top 10 Things I Have Learned From Flylady #4: Jump In Where You Are

Posted on January 8, 2008 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Productivity

Originally published on 23 March 2007.

One of the things I excel at is guilt. Since early in my life I felt guilty about just about everything…whether or not I was truly responsibly. This sense of guilt is apparent in my adult life. I feel guilty if I don’t accomplish everything on my overwhelming to-do lists. I feel guilty if everything is just perfect.

Flylady tells everyone that we are not behind, and we should jump in where we are. When I first started using her system, I would save up my daily chores and try and knock them all out on the weekend. Or if I got further behind, I would keep everything on my todo list until it was an overwhelming mess and I would feel…wait for it…guilty…because I hadn’t done everything I was “supposed” to. Of course I tried to adopt her entire system overnight, and I kept crashing and burning.

The concept of jumping in where I am really hits home. Here is why:

I realize I can’t accomplish everything every day.
It gives me permission to be imperfect.
It allows me to start where I am instead of wasting energy feeling guilty for all I haven’t done yet.
As far as repetitive tasks…if I don’t get it now, I will get it the next time it comes around in the list.

This concept isn’t just for my home. It applies to everything in my life. I don’t have to beat myself up for not practicing a whole week. I can just start where I am. Same with any other task out there. This concept frees me from the nasty internal messages and gives me permission to be human.