Learning to do things well?

[Emerald Orchid]

Are you a person who does things well? By "well", I mean that you don't cut corners, but I don't mean being a perfectionist. Is this something you were born with or that you learned?

I do things so that they're "good enough" and I cut a lot of corners. I would like to learn otherwise, especially with cleaning and taking care of my stuff. Can I learn this?

[April G]

I do things thoroughly and "well". I think it's partly the way I was raised, and partly personality.

As far as "learning" to do things thoroughly, what types of things are you talking about? Cleaning? Home repair?

[mommylove]

Hmmm . . .

I clicked on this thinking, "Well, of course I do things well." :shrug3 Then I continued to read your post & realized, yeah, I decide what's good enough & that becomes my standard. I cut a lot of corners. That said, I think my standard is generally high.

Then I noticed your personality type. :shifty Mine is the same.

What, specifically, are you referring to?

[Emerald Orchid]

Cleaning especially. Home repair is dh's job, and he has the same problem, with procrastination on top! :doh

For example, my blender. If I spill something on the base, if it's a small drop, I don't clean it, I just put it away. And once it pretty dirty, then I clean it. But recently, even if it's just a drop, I clean it right away, so it stays clean all the time. That's a babystep...

But how do I find the time to do Everything well? I barely manage to do things ok!

I look at my mom, MIL and SIL2, and their stuff and house is always so clean and taken care of and I wish I was like them! SIL1, OTOH, is worse than me, she doesn't do things very well at all and yet, her sister and mom are totally the opposite. :shrug3

---------- Post added at 11:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 PM ----------

Hmmm . . .

I clicked on this thinking, "Well, of course I do things well." :shrug3 Then I continued to read your post & realized, yeah, I decide what's good enough & that becomes my standard. I cut a lot of corners. That said, I think my standard is generally high.

Then I noticed your personality type. :shifty Mine is the same.

What, specifically, are you referring to?

:lol Yeah, I don't know if it's an INTJ thing. :think

[April G]

You hire someone to do the deep cleaning stuff. :shifty

[mommylove]

Cleaning especially. Home repair is dh's job, and he has the same problem, with procrastination on top! :doh

For example, my blender. If I spill something on the base, if it's a small drop, I don't clean it, I just put it away. And once it pretty dirty, then I clean it. But recently, even if it's just a drop, I clean it right away, so it stays clean all the time. That's a babystep...

But how do I find the time to do Everything well? I barely manage to do things ok!

I look at my mom, MIL and SIL2, and their stuff and house is always so clean and taken care of and I wish I was like them! SIL1, OTOH, is worse than me, she doesn't do things very well at all and yet, her sister and mom are totally the opposite. :shrug3

---------- Post added at 11:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 PM ----------



:lol Yeah, I don't know if it's an INTJ thing. :think

Oh my. A drip on the blender base? I couldn't care less about that . . . or even just one splatter in the microwave. IMO, life's too short for that kind of nitpicking. Perhaps I don't belong on a thread about learning to do things well. :shifty

[jojola]

I'm a perfectionist (ie, I do all things well all the time) who nearly fell apart after having kids. I didn't have the time or the energy to do everything to completion. I have spent the last 9 years learning that it's okay to leave a drip on the base of the blender :lol.

That said, my kids started school this September and it has been BLISS to clean the garbage can when I take the garbage out; wipe down the sink when I'm done dishes; put everything away when I walk in the door; answer my emails when I get them, etc...

I'm learning balance.

[April G]

Yeah, I do things thoroughly when it's time to do them... When I clean out my fridge I take everything out and scrub it down and it's all sparkly and beautiful when I'm done. Day to day I don't worry about the odd drip or crumb... :shrug Same with the microwave. When I clean it, I do an amazing job and it's a beautiful thing. I don't worry about the odd drip. Obviously, if something overflows I'll wipe it up, but otherwise I've learned to relax about stuff. Same as a pp said... it's a balance. :)

[Kiara.I]

For example, my blender. If I spill something on the base, if it's a small drop, I don't clean it, I just put it away. And once it pretty dirty, then I clean it. But recently, even if it's just a drop, I clean it right away, so it stays clean all the time. That's a babystep...

But how do I find the time to do Everything well? I barely manage to do things ok!


You don't do it all at once! :) (By the way, I don't do things well at all, ususally...so take with a grain of salt.)

But okay, you've now noticed the blender. So every time you get a drip on it, wipe it off right away and it's easy. So in a couple of weeks, pick something else, clean it really well, and then maintain it. If you start with a really, really, clean house, then maintaining it doesn't take that long. You just deal with things as they show up, and it's usually fairly quick. But if you start from a less-clean, things-crusted-on-your-baking-pans spot, it would take an immense amount of effort to get things to look like your ILs. Do it a bit at a time. Get something shiny, then maintain that thing before doing another.

[RiverRock]

:lol Yeah, I don't know if it's an INTJ thing. :think

I'm an INTJ, and I "do things well" even though I've learned not to be a perfectionist. Getting a minor in Visual Arts helped me a lot with this. I can go with the flow a lot better.

Also, there just isn't enough time to do everything well, so I prioritize. However, I did hire someone to clean my interior windows this week and I intentionally opted to wash the screens myself...so I can make sure the windows are clean enough before putting the screens back in. I knew I would do this, and I wouldn't have time to do all the windows thoroughly...but now they are already half washed. :woohoo In my defense, I have more than 40 windows in my house.

Um, another example is I can't just vacuum "the middles" of rooms like Flylady suggests, and unless a bathroom is thoroughly cleaned (all surfaces except maybe the walls are wiped down) I call it a "spit and shine." Now a spit and shine serves it's purpose (a freshen up before company or when life gets busy), but it is corner cutting to me.

I would wipe the mixer because I would already be wiping down the counter. :shrug3

[abh5e8]

i cut corners. i don't do things well. i let them go and then am always amazed at how long it takes to get something clean. :bag overall i am fairly laid back, so i tend to say, oh well...that will get done later. but, i am learning to include routines and even little motions in my daily work that really add up. like wiping down the appliences when i wipe down the counters. putting leftovers into lunch boxes at night instead of just shoving then entire crock pot into the fridge. (watch out...its ugly over here). remembering to never ever (NEVER) let ds sit at the kitchen table in a spot next to the window, wall or china cabinet. (i already clean the floor, chair and table...no need to add wall, baseboard, window, sill and china cabinet to my list.) drag the steam mop and/or broom out each night right after dinner. it literally takes 6 minutes...and thats only if i do the entire kitchen and dining room.

for me, i always tend to THINK the clean up will be a moster of a project...because when i let it go for days (weeks, months) it really is. but if i do little things eveyr day or every week, they are simple and quick.

something else that has really helped me is to look at my time sinks. a huge one is getting dressed....and getting the kids dressed. i can never find everything i want us to wear and end up searching, ironing, ranting and finally late to whatever we need to do next. it sounds silly...but i am trying to lay out our outfits. all of them. it is amazing..makes my morning go so so so much better.

my mom is definatly a "do all things well" person...and i know deep down there is a part of me that is too. i just have to stop living my life 20 minutes behind so that i CAN do things well. (and i'm not talking perfectionism here...really just regular old clean and tidy).

op...not sure if thats what you are looking for ....but its where i am. :yes HTH!!

[Victorious]

I remember when I first became friends with someone and we were going to the Children's Museum together. I called her to see when/if she was ready and she said, "Oh, I just have to vacuum the living room real fast, but that will only take 5 minutes and we'll be ready" :jawdrop . We had a *planned* outing, it was only 9:30 in the morning and she still felt the need to run the vacuum :scratch

I have the hardest time wrapping my mind around doing something on such a routine basis. Partially due to my ADD, and I'm sure due to my INFP personality doesn't help.

Flylady drives me nuts b/c it doesn't meld with my family at all.
I can't make my bed as soon as I get out of it, b/c there is often a child in it
I can't wipe down the bathroom after using it in the morning b/c I'm trying to keep the baby from plunging all of the toys in the toilet,
I can't do a load of laundry a day b/c we don't have a washer and dryer.....


and I'm kind of lazy too :shifty

---------- Post added at 04:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:44 AM ----------

So, I guess I'll sub for ideas

[Emerald Orchid]

for me, i always tend to THINK the clean up will be a moster of a project...because when i let it go for days (weeks, months) it really is. but if i do little things eveyr day or every week, they are simple and quick.

That is so like me!

something else that has really helped me is to look at my time sinks. a huge one is getting dressed....and getting the kids dressed. i can never find everything i want us to wear and end up searching, ironing, ranting and finally late to whatever we need to do next. it sounds silly...but i am trying to lay out our outfits. all of them. it is amazing..makes my morning go so so so much better.



Did you get that from Flylady? That is one I've never been able to do because at night I don't know (or care!) what I'll want to wear the next day. Plus, being a SAHM full of spit-up everyday, it doesn't really matter what I wear lately. :giggle



Flylady drives me nuts b/c it doesn't meld with my family at all.
I can't make my bed as soon as I get out of it, b/c there is often a child in it
I can't wipe down the bathroom after using it in the morning b/c I'm trying to keep the baby from plunging all of the toys in the toilet,
I can't do a load of laundry a day b/c we don't have a washer and dryer.....




I did Flylady until I had kids and stopped for all the same reasons (except the laundry). :lol