Stop hyper-focusing before you crash and burn

I get asked many times when do I get to do my sewing, scrapbooking or any other hobby or craft. Right now I want to look at this. Now don't get me wrong, we all need some downtime, but let's examine our personalities in depth first.

As sidetracked people we have a tendency to hyper-focus, and you all know what I mean. It is the perfectionism in us that causes us to keep going and spread our projects all over our homes. If you have ever scrubbed the grout in a tile floor with a toothbrush to make it all white, then you know exactly how we can hyper-focus. It is this inability to stop when we should that hurts us, our families and our homes. For some reason we have trouble with our starter and our brakes on our little engine.

If we think that we don't have enough time to do a job right, then we won't even start. Then if we ever do, we can't stop till it is all done right. It doesn't matter that dinner needs to be started or that the house has been trashed by the kids while you were on your never-ending mission to perfectionism. We are going to do it right if it kills us. You can't tell me that you have never said those words under your breath or even out loud to your family.

This inability to stop causes us to crash and burn. This is why I want you to take baby steps and learn that it is OK not to do something perfectly. Some of you have found great success in just a few days, and I really worry about you because of this gung-ho mentality. We have all done this in the past, and this is why our family just rolls their eyes at this new FlyLady kick you are on. Good efficient habits take time to establish. Just as your home did not get trashed in a day, neither are your routines going to become instilled in your mind and body overnight.

This is all a process of establishing one habit at a time and building upon what you have learned by adding another one to your routine — taking baby steps. I don't expect you to have a full-blown routine in a week. It took me nine months to give birth to my new life. If you think you can do this faster, then I believe that you are back into your perfectionism. My routines have become part of me. Now that they are established, my body goes through the motions without even thinking about them. This is how my home practically cleans itself.

Learn to use your timer for most everything you do. This gives you a feeling of accomplishment as well as giving you permission to not overdo and burn out. If you find yourself resetting the timer after your 15 minutes are over, then stop! It is your perfectionism trying to follow the FlyLady Way while still being entrapped by your perfection to keep going till it is done. Practice quitting! You will come back to it.