When It's Good to do Things Badly

WHEN IT'S GOOD TO DO THINGS BADLY

How many times have you heard "If a thing is worth
doing, it is worth doing well"?

Being somewhat of a perfectionist by nature, I
adopted this very credo years ago. Consequently,
I've been frustrated most of my life!

As I've grown busier and busier over the years, I've
finally realized the real truth about this old adage.
It simply isn't true!

Certainly, the world is full of things worth doing and
worth doing well, but it is also loaded with things that,
although they are worth doing, they do not fall into
that special arena reserved for things worth doing well!

Take folding clothes, for instance. It is a necessary task
and certainly worth doing; otherwise, your appearance is
going to suffer greatly. However, it is NOT necessary to
fold them perfectly. Smoothly yes, perfectly no!

Mundane tasks like this should take up as little of our time
as possible, and to fuss over them consumes our precious
time better spent on more profitable endeavors.

Playing games is another instance of something not worth
doing well—unless, of course, you're doing it professionally
to make a living. Oh, I know it's enjoyable to play well, and
you should play to the best of your ability if you're going to
play at all—but to spend time perfecting game skills just for
the purpose of attaining a high score is totally ludicrous.
Not that it isn't fun to win—it is—but that's all amateur
games should be—fun.

It actually comes down to weighing the importance of things
and putting them each in proper, practical perspective.

This allows the perfectionist more time to devote to those
things really worth doing well, such as, making a livelihood,
writing, food preparation, organization, swimming, thinking,
praying, meditating, studying, etc.

Of course, this is not to negate doing what you enjoy just for
the pure pleasure of it. But if you will prioritize your tasks and
NOT be concerned with doing well the purely mundane, you
will have more time for the kind of things you really enjoy and
those that really need to be done well.

About the Author

Feel free to reprint the above article with this info intact:
Article penned by Mary Wilkey, publisher of 'elf Expressions
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