Get it done

I am good at getting things done. When I asked great colleagues about my strengths for an upcoming workshop I’m attending, it came back pretty clearly as a theme. As one said so nicely, “You are able to take the vision you have, map out a plan, and work towards it. I feel like a lot of people talk about what needs to be done and you get it done.” Another said, “you know how to really get things done, reliably, on time, with a minimum of drama.” Yes, I can do things!

It’s always been a value of mine, getting things done, and keeping things organized. I was raised by a mother who taught me to work first, play after. And even when she was “relaxing,” she was doing the ironing or something. Now as a mom I understand there is always more to do. And I was an only child of a single mom- who else was going to do the work? I feel like I’ve been doing the dishes my entire life, but of course, now I need to make sure my kids get them done. It’s a valuable life skill. But I digress. Everyone liked to tell me how conscientious I was as a kid. No one had to tell me to do my homework, I could never leave a mess, and I wouldn’t dream of owing something to someone at a particular time and not having it done.

Of course I think I do things well, but I have also always believed these sayings, like “done is good.” And “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” I’ve seen so many students not get things done because they were afraid they wouldn’t be good enough. When in doubt, finishing something is always better than not finishing. I have learned there are three important complications to this value of getting things done: in some cases, things actually aren’t worth finishing, getting it done is not more important than the process, and sometimes you can’t do things because you don’t have the opportunity. 

In some cases, things actually aren’t worth finishing. Ideally you figure this out before you put in a ton of work on a project, but sometimes you have to work on something for a while before you realize. Last weekend I finished the body of a sweater I have been knitting. I knew something was off with it from the beginning. I have struggled with the sizing. It feels uncomfortable. As excited as I was about the colors and the pattern, I just don’t really like it now. I know it has so many mistakes in it, and I know I am not going to want to wear it. This is an interesting thing about knitting: unless they are really severe, only the knitter herself can see the mistakes. You might look at the photo and think it seems fine. But the knitter can see mistakes and decide to fix them, or see them and decide not to worry about them, on the theme of my post on Mistakes. I could finish the sleeves, but I have other items I have made that I don’t want to wear, and I don't want to add to that collection! Especially at this stage of my life, I only want things that I want. So it feels like a loss, but it is part of the process of making things and it is liberating to realize that I don’t have to finish. I put it aside for now, to give myself time to change my mind before I pull out all that work, but I am pretty sure that’s what I’ll do. It is a valuable lesson that finishing something is not always necessary. 

Getting things done is not more important than the process. This from the mom of two sons who want to be done with their homework as quickly as possible so they can be doing anything else, even when they have nothing else to do. My younger son especially needs to be reminded to take his time. He struggles with handwriting, like most of his classmates who went home halfway through Kindergarten because of the pandemic. I looked at one of his worksheets the other day and told him I know he can write a lot neater, and he said “but mom, it would take me so much more time to be neat!” And I thought, well, ok, you have it done but what’s the rush? You need to learn and you can take some pride in your work. Why doesn’t he have that? Because he doesn’t care about his homework or understand the goal of it. Or maybe he doesn’t think it matters. I heard an example recently of a student who likes to use AI because he gets his essays done faster. Of course it is faster. But why are you writing the essay again? It is supposed to take time, it is not supposed to be easy to do, and grappling with how to express your ideas is perhaps even more important than the words you write in the end. There is no rush! Take time to do things right. The process is actually the point. I don’t know how to get this across to my most impatient 11 year old, who is either rushing to do something, or bored because he has nothing to do. Knitting is a great illustration of this. Knitters love the process of making at least as much as the final product. You can’t rush through a sweater, and if the process of making it is too frustrating, or the yarn doesn’t feel good, chances are that the final product, even if it looks nice, will not be a favorite. Struggle is part of learning, but there have to be positive aspects about the process for the project to be worthwhile. (Of course, sometimes work just needs to get done- like my never-ending dishes and laundry- and that’s the entire goal. But you can still try to find some fulfillment in the process). 

Finally, you might be great at something, but not everyone is always asking for that thing, and some things you can’t do if you don’t have the opportunity. I have full control over my knitting opportunities, but most work depends on other people and things you can’t control. You may have to create your opportunities, and be creative about finding venues in which your talents and the things you want to work on would be possible, and that is not always easy. I have been fortunate in my career so far to have had the chance to work on many exciting projects. I have been feeling a bit discouraged these days that I don’t have as many opportunities as I would like to help students, to build programs, to contribute my many talents. Like my mom and her ironing, I always think I need to be doing more! I have a lot to offer, but I need to do better at getting the word out about that, and finding more venues for my strengths. I am here, ready to help in so many ways, and I need other people to see that! I am working on it. 

Do you need help getting things done, making the most of the process, or deciding whether a project is worthwhile? Does it resonate that you are not finding the opportunities you know you’d be great at? Please book a time to chat with me and share this post!