Getting to Good Enough: Recent Episodes
None
We’re taking a summer break!
When we brought Getting to Good Enough back last year, we decided that building in some time off would help keep the podcast fun and fresh. So we’re taking August off and enjoying that back-to-school feeling of excitement about summer vacation.
We’ll be back with a brand-new episode—and a brand-new season—on September 10. See you then!
Disappointment comes in all sizes. Sometimes it’s losing your AirPods somewhere in your apartment and having to fall back on an old wired pair. Sometimes it’s discovering that the IKEA cabinet system you carefully planned cannot coexist with geometry, physics, and an 82-inch basement ceiling—and suddenly not wanting to organize the basement at all.
Then there are the disappointments that change much bigger plans, and open the door to something else entirely. A layoff can make space for a new YouTube channel. A canceled Camino can become an RV trip through eastern Oregon, complete with fossil digging and the Painted Hills.
The disappointing thing doesn’t have to become secretly wonderful. But when one imagined outcome has started to feel like the only good outcome, remembering what actually matters can make other possibilities visible again.
What We Talk About 01:44 — The IKEA cabinet plan that seemed perfect until geometry and physics got involved * 03:14 — When disappointment makes starting over feel so overwhelming that doing nothing becomes tempting * 04:22 — Lowering the basement floor, raising a house, and other "reasonable" ways to preserve the IKEA plan * 06:14 — How an idea can start to feel like the only solution * 07:30 — Returning to what Shannon actually wants from the basement instead of how she expected to achieve it * 08:38 — Shifting to the hope that something unexpectedly better might turn up * 09:30 — A layoff, Hannah’s new YouTube channel, and disappointments that lead somewhere surprisingly good * 11:10 — A potentially disappointing Polestar test drive, a wrong apartment floor plan, and the canceled Camino that became an eastern Oregon adventure * 16:32* — Outsized disappointment as a clue that an idea of perfection may have been hiding in the plan
Key Takeaways* Disappointment can feel especially intense when a particular outcome has quietly become the perfect ONLY desirable outcome. * Once the preferred answer seems impossible, black-and-white thinking can make every other possibility look inadequate. * Some disappointments require an immediate adjustment, while others leave a project sitting untouched until there is enough energy to reconsider it. * A changed plan may lead to something unexpectedly wonderful, but it could also lead to another disappointment—the Polestar test drive could still go either way. * The solution doesn’t have to be found before the feeling shifts; by the end, Shannon’s unresolved basement problem has become a fun puzzle again.
The Bottom LineDisappointment might mean wired earbuds instead of AirPods, donating furniture because the floor plan was wrong, canceling a long-awaited trip, or having to rethink a carefully planned basement project. Sometimes the alternative is simply what has to happen, and sometimes it turns into an experience that would never have happened otherwise.
The realization isn’t that every disappointment is secretly a gift—it’s that an outsized reaction may point to a perfect outcome that had started to crowd out every other possibility. Janine still doesn’t know whether the Polestar will be a revelation or a huge disappointment, and Shannon still doesn’t know what will go in the basement, but the uncertainty feels less overwhelming by the end than it did at the beginning, and new ideas become possible.
Want More Like This?Episode 48: Flexibility
Shannon and Janine look at how rigid expectations and standards can make life harder, and how greater flexibility can create space for other ways of doing things.
Episode 123: Adapt with Ease
Wildfire smoke disrupted Shannon’s eastern Oregon RV trip, while Janine’s computer failed during an important project. They discuss how preparation and knowing what mattered helped them adapt when events did not go as planned.
Episode 177: How to Change Your Mind
Once we’ve committed to a particular outcome, it can be hard to step back when circumstances change. Shannon and Janine discuss commitment bias, perfectionism, and the value of considering alternatives—a good match for the broader question of what comes after a plan doesn’t work out.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
- Watch the conversation on YouTube!
You know the one. That awkward goodbye. The thing you said that came out wrong. The gift giving you wish had unfolded just a little differently. Everyone else has probably forgotten it...but somehow your brain keeps bringing it back.
A Fourth of July host gift wrapped in Japanese fabric leads Shannon down that familiar path of replaying an interaction she wishes had gone differently. Janine counters with a thirty-year-old hug-that-should-have-been-a-handshake memory that's somehow still hanging around.
Somewhere between laughing at themselves and gently questioning why these moments stick, they wonder whether our brains are actually looking for something useful—or whether it's finally time to admit those experiences were simply...good enough.
What We Talk About 00:42 — Surviving a heat wave, celebrating the Fourth of July, and how a handmade Japanese fabric gift wrap unexpectedly became the source of an awkward memory. * 02:49 — Why embarrassing moments seem to replay in our heads far longer than they deserve—and why that happens less often than it used to. * 04:11 — Janine shares a thirty-year-old crossed-wires goodbye: she went in for a hug just as a colleague offered a handshake. * 05:18 — Could our brains be hanging onto embarrassing memories because they're still looking for the lesson? * 06:09 — Shannon reframes her host-gift experience and realizes she doesn't need to explain, manage, or perfect someone else's experience. * 08:30 — Using visualization to brighten the parts of a memory worth keeping and dim the parts that aren't serving us. * 11:48 — Is replaying awkward moments really another form of perfectionism? Maybe recognizing they were simply "good enough" is enough to let them go. * 13:15* — The conversation ends with a surprisingly funny realization: if you're here now, you survived the awkward moment—and maybe it's finally time to evict it from your head.
Key Takeaways* If an awkward memory keeps resurfacing, ask yourself whether there's actually a lesson to learn—or whether you've already learned it. * The people involved in your embarrassing moment probably remember it far less vividly than you do. * You can intentionally emphasize the parts of a memory you want to keep and soften the parts that aren't helping you anymore. * Sometimes "good enough" applies to entire experiences, not just projects or tasks. * Looking back on an awkward moment with humor instead of embarrassment can completely change how it feels.
The Bottom LineOur brains have a funny habit of giving awkward moments far more attention than they deserve. A slightly uncomfortable goodbye or a gift exchange that didn't unfold exactly as planned can occupy valuable mental real estate long after everyone else has moved on.
Maybe the goal isn't to erase those memories. Maybe it's to recognize that they were good enough, learn whatever there was to learn, and let the rest become just another funny story. If one of those old cringe memories pops into your head this week, ask yourself: Have I already learned everything I needed to learn from this? If the answer is yes, see what happens if you simply let it go.
Want More Like ThisEpisode 238: Be Your Own BFF
Instead of beating yourself up over past mistakes, this conversation explores how treating yourself with the same kindness you'd offer a friend can make it much easier to move forward.
Episode 68: What's Wrong with Perfectionism?
A foundational discussion about why perfectionism gets in the way of happiness—and how embracing good enough frees up energy for the things that really matter.
Episode 228: Managing Mistakes
A perfect companion to this episode. Janine shares a significant mistake she made, and together they explore apologizing, learning, moving on, and resisting the urge to keep beating yourself up.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
- Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Some days the hardest part of any task isn't doing it—it's stopping what you're doing so you can do the next thing.
That shows up everywhere: going for a run, getting into (and out of) the shower, heading to an appointment, downsizing to a new home, or simply standing up from your desk. Along the way there are tomato plants that suddenly need cages, dogs who don't want to leave the air conditioning, and just one more thing that distracts you.
Rather than trying to solve transitions once and for all, Shannon and Janine get curious about why they can feel so surprisingly difficult—and share the little things they've discovered that make changing gears just a bit easier.
What We Talk About 00:00 — Why switching from one thing to the next can feel harder than the task itself. * 01:36 — Staying in a pleasant groove, reluctant dogs, and the universal appeal of not changing gears. * 02:45 — An all-too-relatable reel, shower resistance, and why transitions seem to take so much mental energy. * 04:17 — Big life transitions, from moving and downsizing to discovering apartment living was exactly the right fit. * 05:52 — How outside accountability—and sometimes professional help—can make overwhelming transitions much more manageable. * 08:28 — Reducing friction with prepared bags, designated homes for keys, and other small systems that make leaving easier. * 12:30 — Using a physical "bridge" between tasks instead of letting a transition become an invitation to get distracted. * 15:28* — Repeating "This is what I'm doing now," remembering why the next task matters, and making it more appealing than the one you're leaving.
Key Takeaways Transitions often become easier when you remove little points of friction ahead of time, like gathering what you'll need before it's time to leave. * Giving frequently used items permanent homes can eliminate unnecessary stress and decision-making. * A brief physical reset—stretching, getting water, or simply standing up—can serve as a bridge between tasks instead of a detour. * Quietly reminding yourself what you're doing next can help keep your attention from wandering during transitions. * Connecting with why* the next task matters can make it feel easier to begin than simply treating it as another item on the list.
The Bottom LineChanging gears is work. Whether it's leaving the house, starting a workout, finishing a favorite activity, or making a major life change, there's often a surprising amount of invisible effort packed into the transition itself.
The encouraging part is that the conversation isn't about becoming someone who loves transitions. It's about noticing where they get sticky and experimenting with small ways to make them feel a little smoother. Maybe that's putting your keys on a hook, taking a stretch break, or simply reminding yourself: "This is what I'm doing now."
- Watch the conversation on YouTube!
- The "Doorway Effect"
Want More Like ThisEpisode 151: Task Management Revisited
Task systems are only as useful as the way they fit your brain. Shannon and Janine explore how to build a system around what you actually need rather than searching for the perfect tool.
Episode 153: Helping Your Future Self
A practical conversation about making present-day decisions that reduce friction for future you—from morning routines to planning ahead.
Episode 152: Practicing Being Present
If the idea of paying attention to what you're doing right now resonated, this episode explores simple ways to be more present without expecting perfection.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
- Watch the conversation on YouTube!
- The "Doorway Effect"
Please take a moment to subscribe, rate & review the podcast!
The way we talk to ourselves is easy to ignore because it's happening all the time. Most of us don't stop to wonder whether that little voice is actually helping—or quietly making everything a little harder.
A simple observation about motivation opens up a conversation about encouragement, resistance, and the surprisingly big difference a small shift in wording can make. Along the way there are yoga aspirations, podcast deadlines, rebellious inner toddlers, Hamilton songs, and a reminder that our inner worlds are often much stranger—and more personal—than we assume.
What We Talk About 00:00 — Why negative self-talk adds another layer of "ick." * 02:06 — Shannon's self-motivating approach to training for the Oslo 10K. * 03:23 — Yoga, podcast editing, and finding better motivation. * 05:14 — Encouragement versus self-criticism. * 08:27 — Meeting the "inner rebel toddler." * 09:23 — Making negative self-talk less convincing. * 11:43 — Inner voices, Hamilton songs, and how differently our minds work. * 14:30* — Remembering why something matters in the first place.
Key Takeaways The tone of your self-talk can matter just as much as the words themselves. * Remembering why you want to do something can feel much more motivating than telling yourself you should*. * Harsh self-talk often adds another layer of discomfort instead of making action easier. * If a negative inner voice feels convincing, changing how you imagine it—its voice, location, or tone—can make it easier to question. * Simply noticing how you talk to yourself is a meaningful first step.
The Bottom LineIt isn't about finding the perfect motivational script. It's about paying attention to the conversation you're already having with yourself—and whether it's actually helping.
Sometimes the smallest shift isn't changing your goal but changing the voice that's encouraging you toward it. The next time you catch yourself saying "I should," pause for a moment and ask yourself why you want it instead.
Want More Like ThisEpisode 4: Self-Talk
If this conversation felt familiar, it's fun to hear where it all began. Shannon and Janine first explored the little voice in your head—and what to do when it isn't being especially helpful.
Episode 78: Words Matter
A natural companion to this episode, this conversation looks at how small shifts in language can change the way we think, especially when perfectionism sneaks into our self-talk.
Episode 98: Stop With the Shoulds
One of Janine's least favorite words gets the spotlight. If today's conversation about encouragement resonated, this episode digs deeper into replacing obligation with choice.
Connect With UsHow do you talk to yourself when you're trying to do something that's good for you? Has changing that conversation ever made a difference?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
-
Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
-
Watch the conversation on YouTube!
- About Aphantasia: the inability to picture things in your Mind | The Guardian
Celebrating the People, Not the Plan
From a college graduation in 97-degree heat, a wedding planner making questionable choices, and a refrigerator stocked with canned sparkling rosé just in case someone deserves celebrating—this conversation goes exactly where you'd expect a conversation between Shannon and Janine to go!
What starts with Shannon's weekend celebrating her son's college graduation turns into a thoughtful discussion about what really matters when we're marking life's big (and little) moments. Plans change, weather happens, people forget to change their shirts, and somehow the best memories often come from the parts that didn't go according to plan.
Along the way, Shannon and Janine talk about weddings, birthday parties, hosting, tiny wins, and why keeping your focus on the people you're celebrating makes it a whole lot easier to let go of perfection.
What We Talk About 00:00 — Why the memorable parts of a celebration often aren't the perfectly planned ones * 00:41 — Shannon shares stories from her son's graduation weekend, including extreme heat, schedule changes, and staying flexible * 04:01 — Keeping your eye on what's actually important instead of getting attached to the plan * 05:08 — Janine reflects on hosting events, overplanning, and putting early guests to work when things are running behind * 07:56 — Shannon remembers planning her wedding, defining success simply as "we're legally married," and the unforgettable moment her wedding planner was found doing shots at the bar * 11:56 — How deciding in advance how you want people to feel can make every planning decision easier * 13:44 — Letting go of perfectionism around celebrations * 15:47* — Celebrating small wins, keeping canned sparkling rosé on hand, and why no victory is too small to acknowledge
Key Takeaways* Decide what's most important before the event starts, then let that guide your decisions when plans inevitably change. * Planning and flexibility aren't opposites—you can prepare thoughtfully without becoming attached to every detail. * Guests usually remember how a celebration felt much more than whether everything went exactly according to schedule. * If you're hosting, let people help. Many friends are genuinely happy to pitch in. * Celebrating someone else's small win can mean even more than celebrating your own.
The Bottom LineCelebrations have a funny way of reminding us what actually matters. The schedule changes, the weather refuses to cooperate, somebody forgets to change clothes, or the wedding planner winds up somewhere unexpected—but the people you love still gather, laugh, and create memories together. Maybe that's why the imperfect moments are often the ones we remember most. This week, notice one small reason to celebrate—your own or someone else's—and don't wait for it to be a big occasion.
Want More Like ThisEpisode 130: Making the Best of the Season
Not every celebration looks the way you imagined it would. This conversation explores finding what really matters when traditions have to change and keeping the focus on the people you're celebrating.
Episode 104: Try Compassion
Perfectionism and self-criticism often go hand in hand. If you've ever been hard on yourself while hosting or planning something, this episode offers a compassionate companion to this week's conversation.
Episode 48: Flexibility
A great follow-up if this discussion resonated. Shannon and Janine explore how relaxing rigid expectations can make planning—and life in general—a whole lot easier.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
- Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Forty thousand photos.That's how many photos both Shannon and Janine discovered they have on their phones, give or take a couple hundred. The discovery immediately raised a question: if there are forty thousand photos in there, why can't you find the one you're actually looking for?
From puppy pictures and sunrise photos to garden snapshots and Wordle screenshots, they talk about what's filling up their camera rolls, why organizing photos feels so daunting, and the surprising role that decision-making plays in all of it.
Along the way, they share a few approaches they're considering, a couple of things that already help, and a realistic challenge for tackling the backlog without turning photo management into a full-time job.
What We Talk About 00:00 — Discovering they each have about 40,000 photos on their phones and wondering how that happened * 02:23 — Janine's search for an old puppy picture of Bix and the frustration of knowing a photo exists but not being able to find it * 03:25 — How perfectionism and the search for the "right" system can keep a project from ever getting started * 04:13 — A photographers workflow, photo-culling tools, and the challenge of managing huge numbers of images * 05:51 — A photo-organizing course they both enjoyed—and why having a good framework didn't make the work feel any less overwhelming * 07:17 — The surprisingly big role that tiny decisions play when you're sorting through thousands of photos * 13:46 — Shannon's strategy of adding captions to photos so they're easier to find later * 18:15* — A three-month challenge to stop their photo collections from growing even larger
Key Takeaways* Sometimes the hardest part of organizing photos is making thousands of low-stakes decisions. * Captions can make future-you much happier when it's time to search for a specific photo. * Small rules—like deleting photos of labels after you've read them—can reduce clutter without requiring a massive organizing project. * Looking for tiny pockets of time may be more realistic than scheduling a long photo-organizing session. * Maintaining new photos may be easier than trying to solve a backlog of 40,000 all at once. * You don't need a perfect system before you start making things a little easier.
The Bottom LineThis conversation begins with a surprisingly specific problem—finding one photo among forty thousand—and quickly reveals that both Shannon and Janine are dealing with the same thing: a collection that's grown faster than any system they have for managing it.
Rather than searching for the perfect solution, they explore a few practical ideas, a few imperfect ones, and a few habits they might actually stick with. And that may just be enough. The next time you're waiting for an elevator, standing in line, or looking for a photo you know is in there somewhere, consider deleting a few duplicates, blurry images or mysterious shots you can't even identify.
Want More Like ThisEpisode 227: Making Tough Choices Easier
This episode explores the mental load of decision-making and ways to save your energy for the choices that matter most. If choosing between nearly identical photos feels oddly exhausting, you'll relate to this conversation.
Episode 92: Working Through a Backlog
Whether the backlog is paper, email, or photos, the challenge is often the same: figuring out how to make progress without feeling overwhelmed. This episode offers ideas for tackling accumulated projects one manageable step at a time.
Episode 66: Daily Habits
Shannon and Janine discuss how small, repeatable actions can make life easier. It's a nice companion to this episode's idea of handling photos a little at a time rather than waiting for the perfect organizing day.
Connect With UsHow do you manage your photos? Do you have a system—or are you staring at a camera roll full of poodles, sunrises, screenshots, and mysteries, too?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
-
Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
-
Watch the conversation on YouTube
- Rock Your Scroll 2025 e-course・Live Your Story with Stacy Julian
- Clever Cleaner: AI Cleanup App
And if you know someone who has ever said, "I know I have a picture of that somewhere," send this episode their way.
Our three hundredth episode feels like a good excuse to look back.Sitting together in the same room for a change, Shannon and Janine find themselves reflecting on a friendship that started online, survived long stretches without regular contact, and somehow turned into both a decades-long friendship and a 300-episode podcast.
Along the way, they talk about the things that seem to make any relationship easier: assuming good intentions, letting go of expectations, resisting the urge to "should" your way into being a better friend, and accepting that not every friendship has to look the same.
It's also a conversation about postcards, pen pals, fake philodendrons, and the delight of finding people who let you be completely yourself.
What We Talk About* Recording together in person in St. Louis and celebrating the milestone of 300 episodes * How a friendship that began in an online group for dog owners turned into a nearly 25-year friendship * Why expecting perfection from friends can create disappointment, and how different friends can show up in different ways * Holding friendships loosely, including going months—or years—without contact and picking right back up where you left off * Shannon's practice of assuming good intentions and the surprisingly direct conversation she had with her future husband when they first started dating * The pressure of feeling like you should be a more proactive friend, and why "should" rarely helps * A delightful detour into pen pals, postcards, Aunt Irene, and the joy of receiving something unexpected in the mail * Behind-the-scenes stories about recording between two fake philodendrons, technology challenges, and plans to climb 35 flights of stairs together
Key Takeaways* Long-lasting friendships don't necessarily require frequent contact; sometimes trust matters more than consistency. * Assuming good intentions can prevent misunderstandings from growing into bigger problems. * Different friendships serve different roles, and not every friend has to meet every need. * Feeling like you should do something for a friend often creates more resistance than simply deciding whether you genuinely want to do it. * Small gestures—a postcard, a note, a quick message—don't have to be perfect to be meaningful. * The people who care about you usually care more about who you are than whether you remembered every birthday card.
The Bottom LineOne of the nicest things about this conversation is that it quietly challenges the idea that friendship has to follow a particular set of rules. Sometimes the strongest relationships are the ones with the fewest expectations attached to them. If someone has been on your mind lately, maybe that's enough. Send the postcard, write the note, or just say hello—no perfect timing required.
Want More Like ThisEpisode 80: Expectations of Others
This episode explores how expectations can create frustration in our relationships and why assuming good intentions can make life easier for everyone. It pairs especially well with this conversation about friendship and disappointment.
Episode 221: Navigating Loss
When Janine's father passed away, Shannon's willingness to immediately show up for her became one of the many examples of friendship discussed throughout the years on the podcast. A moving conversation about support, kindness, and being there when it matters.
Episode 243: Are We Having Fun Yet?
One of the recurring themes in both episodes is that relationships thrive when they're enjoyable rather than obligation-filled. Plus, it's a great example of Shannon and Janine simply enjoying each other's company while exploring a topic together.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
- Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Summer has a way of sneaking up on us. One minute it's Memorial Day, and the next it's Labor Day and we're wondering where the time went.
Most of us have at least a vague idea of what we want our summer to be like. Maybe we'd love more time at home, a project we've been meaning to tackle, a little adventure, or simply a slower pace. But unless we're intentional, summer has a tendency to fill itself up. And not necessarily the way you hoped.
Sometimes creating the summer you want starts with identifying the summer you don't want. More travel isn't always better if you'd rather be home. More plans aren't always better if you're craving a little breathing room. And some projects become much more appealing when you let go of all the rules you've attached to them.
This conversation explores the idea of being intentional about both sides of the equation: what you'd like to make room for and what you'd rather not crowd your calendar with. Along the way there are foldable kayaks, a highly scientific gyoza research project, and the surprising possibility that driving a stick shift and knitting use the same part of your brain.
What We Talk About* 03:24 — Why having a vision for summer is different from actually enjoying the summer you wanted * 05:03 — Planning not only what you want to do this summer, but what you don't want filling up your calendar * 06:48 — Shannon's dream of a better-organized basement—and the IKEA pantry wall she's coveting * 08:27 — The freedom that comes from realizing you can "break the rules" and organize first and declutter later * 11:09 — Janine's vision of a neighborhood gyoza crawl turns into a (fun) research project, complete with ratings and possible bingo cards * 14:01 — National Knit in Public Day, IKEA disappointment, and the theory that knitting may have the same muscle memory as driving a stick shift * 16:47 — The surprising appearance of two foldable kayaks in Shannon's vision for summer
Key Takeaways* Thinking about what you don't want can provide just as much clarity as thinking about what you do want. * If you want your summer to feel a certain way, it may take more than simply hoping it happens. * Large projects often become easier when you remove requirements that aren't actually necessary. * Staycations work best when you protect them from slowly turning back into regular, old workdays. * Small adventures close to home can be every bit as satisfying as bigger plans. * A season doesn't need a detailed master plan—just enough intention to guide your choices.
The Bottom LineThe seasons of our lives often take shape one small decision at a time. If you want your summer to feel different, it may help to think not only about what you'd like to add, but also what you'd like less of. Pick one thing you'd love to make room for and one thing you'd rather avoid. That simple exercise might make it easier to spend your summer the way you actually want to.
Want More Like ThisEpisode 236: How to Start a New Adventure
Starting something new can be exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming. This episode explores ways to make new adventures feel more approachable by focusing on what matters most and staying flexible as you learn along the way.
Episode 135: Keeping Challenges Easy
Whether you're taking on a challenge, starting a new hobby, or simply trying something different, this episode is full of ideas for keeping things doable, enjoyable, and fun.
Episode 71: Reframing
Sometimes a small shift in perspective changes everything. This episode pairs nicely with the idea of rethinking not just what you want from a season, but how you think about the choices that shape it.
Connect With UsWhat do you want your summer to be like? We want to hear all about it!
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
-
Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
-
Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Help us reach more people by rating and reviewing the podcast on your favorite platform!
Sometimes the hardest part of getting things done isn't the list itself—it's how the list feels.
When a project, task list, or responsibility starts to feel enormous, it's easy to assume the overwhelm is coming from the work. But often, what's driving the experience is the story, image, or feeling we've attached to it. The work may be exactly the same, while our relationship to it changes completely.
In this episode, Shannon shares a surprisingly powerful mental shift that helped her move from feeling buried under an endless pile of obligations to feeling capable of making progress. Along the way, she and Janine explore how imagination, perspective, and even the way we talk to ourselves can make difficult things feel more approachable.
The conversation is a reminder that while we can't always change what needs to be done, we often have more influence than we realize over how it feels to do it.
What We Talk About 01:18 — Shannon's experience of feeling overwhelmed and unable to get started * 02:01 — The "infinite gravel pile" metaphor for an endless-looking task list * 03:10 — Stepping back and noticing the edges * 04:28 — Reframing progress: gravity isn't creating more work, it's making the next tasks easier to reach * 05:41 — A visualization exercise: shrinking an overwhelming problem until it fits in your hand * 06:35 — Using changes in imagery, sound, and perspective to reduce the power of negative thoughts * 10:08 — Why changing how something feels can make action easier * 11:41 — Janine's approach to tackling a large accounting-system migration one month at a time * 14:18 — Remembering to use the tools you already know when you're in the middle of overwhelm * 16:21* — A simple journaling exercise for experimenting with reframing
Key Takeaways* When a task feels overwhelming, pay attention to how you're representing it in your mind—not just the task itself. * Changing your perspective on a problem can change your emotional response to it, even if nothing external changes. * Breaking a large project into smaller, clearly defined segments can make steady progress feel more visible. * The way you talk to yourself matters. Reinforcing "I'm learning" feels very different from reinforcing "I hate this." * Visualization can be a practical tool, not just an abstract exercise. Shrinking, moving, or changing an image can make a task feel more manageable. * If you're stuck, try getting curious about what specifically makes the situation feel difficult and experiment with changing that representation.
The Bottom LineOverwhelm often feels like proof that there's too much to do. But sometimes it's a signal that we need a different perspective, not a different task list. Small shifts in how we picture, describe, or think about what's in front of us can make surprisingly large differences in how easy it feels to begin. The next time you're staring at your own gravel pile, try taking a step back and asking yourself: "What would make this feel just a little more manageable?"
Want More Like ThisEpisode 49: Getting Started
This episode explores why it can be so hard to begin, especially when perfectionism is involved. It also includes Shannon's visualization technique of shrinking an overwhelming project until it feels small enough to hold in your hand—a direct connection to this week's conversation.
Episode 50: Ease Doesn't Mean Easy
A thoughtful discussion about introducing ease into difficult situations without pretending they're easy. If you enjoyed the idea of changing your relationship to a task rather than changing the task itself, you'll appreciate this one.
Episode 81: Ambivalence
Sometimes what looks like procrastination or resistance is actually unresolved ambivalence. This episode explores how uncovering what's happening beneath the surface can help you move forward more intentionally.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
- Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Some decisions really matter. Many of them… probably don’t. And yet somehow it’s often the tiny daily choices that eat up the most energy.
What do you wear when it’s 57 degrees and windy? Where’s the “right” place to put that one random thing you don’t want to lose? Which version of the exact same product should you buy online? For people with perfectionist tendencies, these little decisions can quietly become much bigger than they need to be.
This episode explores the exhausting search for the “best” answer — and the relief that can come from realizing there probably isn’t one. Shannon and Janine talk about maximizers vs. satisficers, decision fatigue, clothing formulas, shopping spirals, and why “just pick one” is sometimes surprisingly wise advice.
Also: seed libraries, breakfast choices and a memorable story about refusing to buy “overpriced” gas.
What We Talk About* 00:01 — The “apex of perfection” and why most decisions probably don’t have one perfect answer * 01:25 — Shannon’s excitement about Portland’s seed library and saving seeds from her garden * 02:53 — How perfectionism sneaks into tiny projects and stops us before we start * 03:46 — Janine’s helpful system for deciding what to wear to walk the dog * 05:14 — Why figuring things out once can reduce daily friction * 07:29 — Breakfast decisions, tiny daily choices, and how easy it is to overthink things that don’t matter much * 08:59 — Maximizers vs. satisficers and the exhausting search for the “best possible” option * 11:59 — Shopping spirals, decision overload, and the relief of deciding not to buy something * 12:47 — Shannon’s hilariously illogical quest to save on gas during a California road trip * 15:34 — Why “finding the perfect place” for something often creates clutter instead
Key Takeaways* Repetitive decisions get easier when you create simple rules or defaults ahead of time. * A “good enough” choice is often more than enough for low-stakes decisions. * Reducing the number of options can dramatically reduce overwhelm. * Tiny decisions can quietly drain a surprising amount of mental energy. * Wanting the optimal answer can keep you stuck choosing between perfectly fine options. * Sometimes the most helpful question is simply: “Does this matter enough to spend this much energy on?”
The Bottom LineA lot of daily stress comes not from huge life decisions, but from hundreds of tiny moments where we feel like we should optimize, research, compare, or get it exactly right. But most of the time, there isn’t one perfect answer waiting to be discovered — just lots of workable ones.
This episode is a gentle reminder that simplifying counts. Creating defaults counts. Picking something and moving on counts. If you’ve been exhausting yourself trying to make the “best” choice all day long, maybe your next tiny act of self-kindness is to choose a good enough option and let that be enough.
Want More Like ThisEpisode 84: Overthinking
Janine and Shannon talk about how easy it is to get stuck thinking instead of doing — especially for perfectionists. A great companion to this episode if you’ve ever spent way too long trying to figure out the “right” approach before taking action.
Episode 102: The Good Enough Decision
This episode dives directly into maximizers vs. satisficers, decision-making fatigue, and why trying to make the perfect choice can actually leave us less satisfied. Very much the spiritual older sibling of this conversation.
Episode 159: Relinquishing Control
A thoughtful conversation about letting go of the desire to control every variable and recognizing where “good enough” can create more ease and less frustration. Especially relevant if decision-making starts to feel emotionally loaded.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
- Watch the conversation YouTube!
And if you know someone who could use this conversation, send it their way 💛
Learning something new can be humbling, especially when something that used to take 15 seconds suddenly takes 45 minutes.
This week, Shannon and Janine talk about what it’s like to be a beginner again — the frustration, the challenge, and sometimes even the fun of figuring things out from scratch. The conversation explores why some difficult things feel worth pushing through while others make us want to walk away immediately, and how habits, structure, and personal motivation can shape that experience.
They also talk about the difference between “this is hard” and “this isn’t for me,” along with a reframe that feels especially meaningful: maybe the issue isn’t that we quit when things are difficult. Maybe we’re just more willing to stay with the things we genuinely care about.
What We Talk About* 00:55 — Janine explains why she spent the weekend buried in bookkeeping and switching from QuickBooks to Xero * 02:55 — The “one tiny goal” approach: entering a single transaction and seeing what happens next * 03:22 — Why Janine isn’t discouraged by a steep learning curve * 04:12 — The satisfaction of going from struggle to fluency when learning something new * 05:09 — How learning difficult things helps Janine better understand her YNAB coaching clients * 05:47 — Shannon shares how NLP trainer training included learning bongo drumming * 08:44 — Why some difficult tasks get easier when they become part of a daily habit * 11:18 — Shannon explores the difference between things that feel challenging versus things that feel impossible * 13:09 — The role of motivation, structure, and measurable progress in sticking with hard things * 18:02 — A powerful reframe: maybe it’s not “I quit when things are hard,” but “I stick with things I actually care about”
Key Takeaways* Making the goal extremely small (“enter one transaction”) can reduce resistance and help you get started when learning something new. * Daily repetition changes difficult tasks from confusing to familiar much faster than occasional effort. * There’s a meaningful difference between something feeling challenging and something feeling impossible. * Structure helps: measurable progress, clear rules, and low-pressure goals make hard things easier to stick with. * You don’t have to force yourself to pursue every difficult idea that pops into your head. * Sometimes quitting isn’t failure — it’s clarity about what actually matters to you.
The Bottom LineLearning new things can feel painfully slow at first, especially when you were already competent with the old system. But this episode is really about paying attention to which hard things feel meaningful enough to keep going. Janine and Shannon explore the idea that perseverance isn’t necessarily about discipline or grit — sometimes it’s about caring enough to stay engaged through the difficult beginning stage.
And maybe that’s useful information, not a character flaw.
This week, try noticing one thing you’ve been avoiding because it feels hard. Instead of asking whether you’re “good at it,” ask whether you actually care about it. That answer might tell you a lot.
Want More Like ThisEpisode 49: Getting Started
A really strong companion episode to this conversation about resistance, overwhelm, and making difficult things feel doable. Shannon and Janine talk about tiny steps, timers, perfectionism, and why getting started is often the hardest part.
Episode 75: Letting Go of Fear
This episode explores the fears that often sit underneath avoidance and perfectionism, along with practical ways to move through them instead of getting stuck there. A great pairing with this week’s conversation about difficult beginnings.
Episode 135: Keeping Challenges Easy
A thoughtful conversation about habit challenges, keeping stakes low, choosing goals you actually want, and making progress in ways that are sustainable and kind.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
- Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Ever find yourself scrolling social media even while a part of your brain is begging you to stop? Or staring at your to-do list so long that suddenly reorganizing pens feels like a reasonable life choice?
In this episode, Shannon and Janine talk about the surprisingly powerful little resets that can help when you feel stuck, overwhelmed, distracted, paralyzed, or just mentally done. And the best part? Most of them take about two minutes.
They share the tiny things that help them shift gears: writing in a bullet journal, clearing off a desk, walking away for a minute, petting a pet, drinking water, climbing stairs, stretching, and even bouncing a ball against the wall for physical therapy. It’s all about getting unstuck without turning it into another perfectionistic self-improvement project.
What We Talk About* 01:46 — Why even tiny interruptions can help you refocus * 02:29 — Shannon’s trick for escaping a social-media rabbit hole without fighting herself * 03:29 — The “what do I do next?” feeling and decision paralysis at work * 05:24 — Using a bullet journal and longhand writing to sort out uncertainty fast * 08:17 — How desk clutter affects focus and mental space * 10:06 — Why lack of planning can create overwhelm * 11:42 — The power of physically stepping away from your workspace * 12:20 — Einstein played violin when he got stuck — why changing mental gears helps * 13:23 — Hydration, stretching, and tiny physical interruptions that reset your brain * 18:10 — The therapeutic benefits of finding and petting a very soft cat
Key Takeaways* When you’re stuck in a doomscrolling loop or overwhelm spiral, you often don’t need a huge intervention — just enough of a shift to interrupt the pattern. * Writing things out by hand can quickly uncover what you already know but are second-guessing. * Clearing even a tiny amount of physical clutter can create more mental breathing room. * Movement helps. That can mean stairs, stretching, walking outside, physical therapy exercises, or chasing your dog around the dining room table. * Planning ahead helps reduce overwhelm, but when you’ve fallen off track, revisiting your existing lists can help you reorient quickly. * A “reset” doesn’t have to be productive to work. Sometimes drinking water, reading a page of a book, or petting a cat is exactly what your brain needs.
The Bottom LineWhen you’re overwhelmed, distracted, or frozen, it’s easy to think you need a perfect system, a huge burst of motivation, or a completely free day to get back on track. But often, what actually helps is much smaller and gentler than that.
A two-minute reset won’t solve everything. But it can break the spell. It can shift your attention just enough to help you remember what matters, reconnect with yourself, or take the next tiny step.
So the next time you feel stuck, try one small thing: clear a corner of your desk, write a few sentences by hand, walk up the stairs, drink a glass of water, or go find a very soft cat.
Want More Like ThisEpisode 84: Overthinking
A great companion to this episode if your brain loves turning simple decisions into full-scale mental marathons. Shannon and Janine talk about how perfectionism fuels overthinking — and how to stop getting trapped in it.
Episode 173: Keeping Commitments to Yourself
This episode pairs beautifully with the “tiny resets” theme. Shannon and Janine discuss rebuilding self-trust, making things easier to restart, and focusing on the smallest doable action instead of waiting to feel perfectly motivated.
Episode 243: Are We Having Fun Yet?
A lighter, laughter-filled conversation about making everyday life more enjoyable — including finding fun ways to do things you’d otherwise avoid. Also features another appearance by Shannon’s cat Cleo.
Connect With UsIf this episode resonated, we’d love to hear from you.
How does this show up in your life? What helps—even just a little?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
-
Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
-
Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Ever find yourself “planning to plan”… and somehow never actually starting?
In this episode, Shannon and Janine talk about how perfectionism sneaks into planning—especially when the stakes feel high. What starts as wanting to be responsible (hello, disaster prep and estate planning) can quietly turn into overthinking, avoidance, and doing nothing at all.
With a real-life interruption (tornado sirens!) and a very relatable conversation, they explore what it actually looks like to move forward—without waiting for the perfect plan.
- Watch the conversation on YouTube!
What We Talk About* 02:08 — Sy’s first marathon and the joy of choosing to do (and support!) hard things * 05:04 — Tornado sirens interrupt the recording * 06:15 — How the interruption shifts the conversation to emergency preparedness * 07:21 — Having supplies vs. having them accessible when it matters * 07:54 — Why planning for disasters feels so tense and overwhelming * 11:00 — “Planning to plan” as a form of procrastination * 11:32 — Starting small: the go-bag and one simple first step * 13:13 — Estate planning as another high-stakes thing we avoid * 15:47 — Post-it notes, jars, and choosing a doable next action * 17:48 — Perfectionism and the myth of the “right way” * 20:07 — How this shows up in vacations, closets, and everyday life
Key Takeaways* Perfectionism often shows up as planning—especially when something feels important or high-stakes. * Waiting to figure out the “right way” can keep you from doing anything at all. * Small, imperfect actions (like pulling out a backpack or writing a list) create momentum. * You don’t need a perfect sequence—just a starting point that leads to the next step. * This pattern shows up everywhere: disaster prep, estate planning, organizing, even vacations. * “Anything is better than nothing” is a surprisingly powerful strategy.
The Bottom LineWhen something matters, it’s easy to believe you need to get it exactly right. But that pressure is often what keeps you stuck. The truth is, there’s no perfect plan—just a series of small steps that build on each other. Start with something simple: pull out the backpack, write down a few ideas, pick one and do it. You can adjust as you go. For now, let “started” be enough.
Want More Like ThisEpisode 12: Procrastination
A foundational episode on why we put things off—even when they matter—and how to get moving again without overthinking it.
Episode 121: Productive Preparation
A great companion to this conversation about planning without getting stuck. Helpful if you tend to over-plan instead of take action.
Episode 240: Low-Hanging Fruit
A reminder that the easiest next step still counts. Especially useful when everything feels too big to start.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Most of us don’t sit around chatting about money for fun.
Usually, if money comes up, it’s because something feels off—stress, a mistake, that vague sense that things should be better than they are.
In this episode, Shannon and Janine talk about financial perfectionism—what it looks like, how it sneaks in, and why trying to “do money right” can actually make everything feel harder. They also share a much more doable approach: paying attention, getting honest, and letting your spending reflect what actually matters to you.
What We Talk About00:00 — That uncomfortable feeling when your spending doesn’t match what matters to you
01:26 — Why most money conversations start with stress, not curiosity
03:10 — “Give every dollar a job” and why that shifts how money feels
06:11 — How having a plan (even if you have debt) can feel surprisingly calm
08:42 — The pressure to do money “the right way” and how perfectionism shows up
10:53 — What happens when you’re not actually funding the things you care about
12:44 — The spiral: one mistake → “I’m bad at this” → why bother
13:16 — Why small, steady changes work better than big, perfect plans
15:31 — The surprising moment when getting ahead on bills starts to feel… fun?
16:55 — Why knowing the truth about your money is hard—and also a relief
Key Takeaways* Feeling “bad with money” is often about misalignment, not failure * Perfectionism turns normal mistakes into a reason to give up * There’s no perfect system—just the one you’ll actually use * Small shifts add up (and often feel better faster than you expect) * Clarity reduces stress—even when the numbers aren’t what you hoped * You can start messy and still make meaningful progress
The Bottom LineFinancial perfectionism keeps you stuck because it convinces you there’s a “right” way to do money—and that if you’re not doing it that way, you’ve already failed. So you avoid looking, or you give up after a mistake, or you keep trying to get it perfect before you really engage. Meanwhile, nothing actually changes.
What Shannon and Janine come back to is much simpler (and honestly, much more doable): pay attention to what’s real, decide what matters to you, and start letting your money reflect that—even imperfectly. The goal isn’t to never make mistakes. It’s to stay engaged even when you do. That’s where the shift happens.
If you want a place to start: write down your accounts and balances. No fixing, no optimizing. Just… look. That small act of awareness is the first step out of the perfectionism trap.
- Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Want More Like ThisEpisode 85: Doing Good in the World
A surprisingly relevant tie-in: how perfectionism and overwhelm stop us from taking action—and how doing something small (instead of perfect) is what actually creates change.
Episode 87: Financial Peace
One of the first episodes about money. It's more about how having a plan (and giving every dollar a job) reduces stress and helps your money feel supportive instead of overwhelming.
Episode 196: Building an Anti-Perfectionist Toolkit
A really practical follow-up if you're thinking, “Okay, but what do I do when I get stuck?” This episode is all about having tools ready for those moments when perfectionism starts to take over.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
You sit down to send a quick email—and somehow 15 minutes later, you’re still tweaking it.
If you’ve ever wondered why some things feel weirdly hard to finish, this episode gets at the heart of it. Shannon and Janine explore what “enough” actually means—and why it’s not about doing less, but about aligning your effort with what’s important to you.
Because when you’re clear on what matters (whether that’s accuracy, connection, or just getting something done), it gets a whole lot easier to stop overworking things that don’t need it—and move on without that nagging feeling that you should keep going.
What We Talk About01:12 — The question at the center of it all: what actually counts as enough?
01:51 — Letting what’s important to you—not habit or perfectionism—set the bar
02:15 — The email example: when it’s worth polishing… and when “what’s for dinner?” is plenty
03:20 — A simple definition of perfectionism: spending more time on something than it deserves
04:24 — The quiet (and kind of delightful) shift of saying “good enough” and moving on
05:30 — Catching yourself overdoing it—like with show notes—and choosing to stop
06:31 — Why getting in touch with what matters gets easier—and more useful—over time
07:08 — When “enough” just means done (and that’s just right)
16:09 — A favorite example: choosing your relationship with family over a perfectly cleaned pan
Key Takeaways* Perfectionism often shows up as spending more time on something than it actually deserves * “Enough” isn’t arbitrary—it’s grounded in what matters to you * When you know what’s important, decisions get simpler and faster * Sometimes enough is simply finishing the thing so you can move on * Letting go of control can feel uncomfortable—and also surprisingly freeing * You can spend the same amount of time perfecting one thing or doing a good-enough version of the whole
The Bottom Line“Enough” isn’t about lowering your standards—it’s about choosing them on purpose. When your values are setting the bar, instead of an unachievable idea of perfectionism, things tend to get a little easier (and a lot less exhausting).
And the bonus? You don’t just get more done—you get more of what actually matters. You’re not just saving time—you’re redirecting it toward the things that make your life feel better.
Small action: The next time you catch yourself overworking something, pause and ask: What’s important here? Then let that answer—not perfectionism—decide when you’re done.
- Watch the conversation on YouTube
Want More Like This?Episode 21: Know Your Why
A foundational GTGE episode for a reason. If this conversation clicked for you, this is a great next listen on getting clear about what really matters to you—and using that as your guide.
Episode 36: Feeling Satisfied
What does it look like to feel satisfied with something that isn’t perfect? This episode explores how noticing and allowing satisfaction can shift your whole relationship with “good enough”—without making you complacent.
Episode 75: Letting Go of Fear
A look at how fear quietly fuels perfectionism—and some practical ways to question it so you can move forward without getting stuck or overthinking everything.
Connect With UsIf this episode resonated, we’d love to hear from you.
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Please remember to leave us a review!
You know those little things that make life easier—but somehow feel like you shouldn’t need them?
Maybe it’s using a tool, asking for help, or doing something in a way that just works better for you. And still, there’s that voice saying it’s cheating… or not the “right” way.
In this episode, we talk about where that thinking comes from, how it shows up in everyday decisions, and what changes when you let yourself make things easier.
Because there are no extra points for doing things the hard way.
What We Talk About* 00:41 — Managing situations in ways that work for you * 02:53 — The belief that using help or tools feels like “cheating” * 06:11 — The “no pain, no gain” mindset—and questioning it * 08:15 — You don’t have to create discomfort to get results * 10:49 — Overthinking something as simple as what to drink water out of * 12:50 — Using small tricks to make systems, like YNAB, easier and more enjoyable * 13:58 — How this shows up with using AI * 16:25 — Setting yourself up for success instead of making things harder * 17:48 — Paying for help (like house cleaning or coaching) is a valid choice
Key Takeaways* There are no extra rewards for doing things the hard way * If something makes it easier to follow through, it’s worth doing * “Shortcuts” don’t mean sloppy—they can get you to good enough * You don’t need to manufacture discomfort to make progress * Support, tools, and small adjustments are self care, not cheating
The Bottom LineYou’re allowed to make things easier. Full stop.
This week, notice one place where you’re making something harder than it needs to be—and try the short cut or easier option instead.
- Watch the episode on YouTube!
Want More Like ThisEpisode 47: {GEIP} The Little Things
A real-life example of applying “good enough” thinking in everyday situations, showing how small shifts can make things easier and more doable.
Episode 68: What’s Wrong with Perfectionism?
A deeper look at why perfectionism pushes us to overwork, overthink, and do things the hard way—and how that impacts our lives.
Episode 86: Anti-perfectionist Hacks
A collection of practical strategies for noticing perfectionism and choosing “good enough” instead. Also a bit of a time capsule from early 2020, when we were very excited about what a big year it was going to be. In hindsight… well.
Connect With UsIf this episode resonated, we’d love to hear from you. How does this show up in your life? What helps—even just a little?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Remember to like and subscribe! And if you know someone who could use this conversation, please send it their way.
You start with the best intentions… and then something throws everything off.
A text, a distraction, a schedule shift—and suddenly the plan you meant to follow is gone.
In this episode, we talk about what actually happens when things don’t go as planned—whether it’s a new habit, a routine, or just your day. Because it’s not a matter of if something will derail you, it’s when.
We also get into what helps you come back from that moment—without turning it into a failure or giving up altogether.
What We Talk About* 01:21 — Having the best intentions… and why things still don’t go as planned * 03:43 — Anticipating distractions vs. getting pulled into them * 06:20 — How small interruptions like texts and client messages derail plans * 08:04 — Travel and planning ahead for disrupted routines * 09:15 — A “good enough” approach to keeping habits going while traveling * 13:38 — How easy it is to forget new habits entirely * 17:04 — Why this applies to any habit, not just exercise * 18:03 — Planning for things going wrong without overthinking them * 20:01 — Recovery strategies: getting back on track without self-judgment
Key Takeaways* Things going off track isn’t failure—it’s part of the process * Distractions are inevitable, even when you’re trying to stay focused * Planning ahead for disruptions makes it easier to recover * A scaled-down version of a habit still counts * Not knowing exactly what to do can stop you from following through * Getting back on track is a skill you can practice
The Bottom LineThings will go off track. That’s not the problem. What matters is how you come back.
The next time your day doesn’t go as planned, try one small reset instead of starting over.
- Watch the episode on YouTube!
Want More Like This?Episode 67: Dealing with Distraction
If your plans tend to unravel because of distractions (same), this one digs into why that happens and what actually helps you stay focused—or come back when you’ve drifted.
Episode 81: Ambivalence
When you’re not following through, it’s not always distraction—sometimes it’s hidden ambivalence. This episode helps you surface what’s really going on so you can move forward more intentionally.
Episode 196: Building an Anti-Perfectionist Toolkit
A practical follow-up to this episode’s “recovery strategy” idea—tools you can turn to when things stop working and you need a way to reset and keep going.
Connect With UsHave a suggestion for an episode? We’d love to hear from you!
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If you enjoy listening, please remember to rate and review the podcast wherever you listen!
You know that feeling when something doesn’t go the way you thought it would—and it hits harder than you'd like?
In this episode, we’re talking about expectations—how they show up in everything from travel plans to dentist appointments to your everyday to-do list, and how they quietly shape your entire experience.
We share real-life examples (including a very competitive 97-year-old card player, a not-so-fun dental visit, and the ups and downs of modern air travel) to explore why expectations can leave us feeling disappointed—or pleasantly surprised.
And we talk about what actually helps when your expectations aren't supporting you: finding a middle ground that’s realistic, a little more flexible, and a lot more forgiving.
What We Talk About02:57 – How expectations shape experiences (travel is a great example!)
04:20 – How outside negativity influences what we expect
05:01 – The gap between expectations and reality—and why it feels so bad
06:51 – Finding a middle ground between expecting the worst and expecting perfection
07:09 – Anxiety in new situations
09:57 – When expectations stop us from doing things we might enjoy
13:22 – Expectations as the lens for how we experience everything
14:05 – Noticing and loosening expectations
16:27 – Letting your values guide more realistic expectations
20:00 – Daily expectations and using “minimums” to feel successful
Key Takeaways* Expectations are always there—even when you’re not consciously aware of them. * The bigger the gap between what you expect and what happens, the harder it feels. * Expecting the worst might protect you from disappointment—but it can make the lead-up miserable. * How a flexible, realistic expectation (“this might be uncomfortable, and I’ll be okay”) works better. * Planning for a little friction—like long TSA lines or no snacks on a flight—can make things feel surprisingly easier. * Setting a low “minimum” for your day helps you feel successful instead of behind.
The Bottom LineLife tends to feel better when your expectations are a little looser and a little kinder.
Not perfect. Not worst-case. Just realistic enough to hold the day—and leave room for things to go better than expected.
- Watch the episode on YouTube!
Want More Like This?Episode 4: Self-Talk
The way we talk to ourselves shapes what we expect from our days, our efforts, and ourselves. In this episode, we explore negative self-talk and how shifting that inner voice can make life feel a little lighter and a lot more doable.
Episode 99: Playing the Long Game
This one pairs well with today’s conversation about loosening expectations. We talk about tolerating imperfection, staying with things even when they feel uncomfortable, and how taking a longer view can ease some of the pressure to get everything right right now.
Episode 251: Start Simple
If your expectations tend to make things feel bigger, harder, or more complicated than they need to be, this episode is a great companion. We talk about starting simply, letting go of overplanning, and making it easier to begin.
Connect With UsHow does this show up in your life? What helps—even just a little?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
And if you know someone who could use this conversation, please send it their way.
Imposter syndrome can show up when we’re comparing ourselves to other people, trying to be perfect, or worrying we’ll be judged and “found out.” In this episode, we talk about how imposter syndrome has shifted for us with age and experience—and why authenticity helps so much.
We dig into how social media is curated (and built to work with the algorithm), why it’s such a trap to compare your real life to someone else’s highlight reel, and how perfectionism can turn into a shackle. We also share a few practical, good-enough ways to loosen imposter syndrome’s grip: letting ourselves be new at something, giving ourselves permission to say “I don’t know (yet),” and remembering that most people aren’t paying as much attention to us as we think.
What We Talk About1. 01:49 - Why we’re talking about imposter syndrome: How it changes with age, experience, and caring less what people think 2. 02:20 - Authenticity vs. “fake it till you make it”: Showing up as ourselves and being honest about what we do (and don’t) know 3. 04:19 - Shannon’s coaching imposter syndrome: Feeling siloed, not knowing how we “stack up,” even with lots of client success 4. 06:09 - When the thought has nothing to grab onto: How imposter syndrome fades faster when we’re not fretting about judgment 5. 07:40 - Janine on enjoying being new: Volunteering with experienced people, making mistakes, and not being self-conscious about it 6. 12:00 - What fuels imposter syndrome: Perfectionism, “should” thinking, and comparing ourselves to other people 7. 13:34 - “Don’t compare your insides to other people’s outsides”: Social media is curated for attention and the algorithm, not reality 8. 15:48 - The power of “I don’t know”: Letting ourselves struggle, learn, and find out—without pretending 9. 17:02 - “Nobody is paying as much attention to you as you are”: And if someone is judging us… why do we care? 10. 18:18 - The survival brain piece: Why fear of judgment makes sense—and why it usually isn’t actually dangerous now
Key Takeaways1. Authenticity is a real relief: When we show up as ourselves—knowing what we know and admitting what we don’t—there’s less room for that “I’m a fraud” feeling to take hold. 2. Perfectionism and comparison feed imposter syndrome: When we think we should be doing more or doing it perfectly, it’s easy to feel like we’re failing—even when we’re doing our best. 3. Social media is curated, not the full truth: It’s designed to attract attention and work with the algorithm, so it’s not a fair (or helpful) comparison point. 4. Being new can be freeing: If we let ourselves be beginners, we don’t have to perform expertise we don’t have yet. Learning mode is gentler than proving mode. 5. Fear of judgment is loud—but usually not accurate: Most people are wrapped up in their own thoughts. And even if someone is judging, that’s about them—not our worth.
The Bottom LineImposter syndrome thrives on perfectionism, comparison, and fear of judgment—but it loses power when we let ourselves be human. The more we practice authenticity, let ourselves be new, and remember that other people’s opinions aren’t a threat to our safety, the easier it gets to move through that “what if they find out?” feeling.
Listener Action: This week, pick one place you’ve been feeling “not enough,” and try one small, honest sentence: “I’m new at this,” or “I don’t know yet, but I can find out.” Then notice what shifts when you stop trying to prove yourself.
- YouTube link - Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Want More?1. Episode 120: Sneaky Perfectionism — If imposter syndrome tends to show up as “I should be able to do this perfectly (or not at all),” this one will feel very familiar. We talk about how perfectionism hides in plain sight and how “good enough” can help you move forward anyway. 2. Episode 125: Authenticity — We dig into why trying to look perfect is exhausting, and how being more real (even about the messy parts) can actually make life easier. It’s a great companion to this episode’s reminder that honesty beats pretending. 3. Episode 192: Letting Go of Judgment — Imposter syndrome loves judgment—especially the kind we aim at ourselves. In this episode, we talk about easing up on self-criticism and practicing the kind of compassion we’d offer a friend.
Connect With UsIf imposter syndrome shows up for you, we’d love to hear about it—what triggers it, and what helps you move through it.
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If you enjoyed the episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
In this episode, we’re talking about imperfect fitness—the kind where you don’t have to do it perfectly to keep going. We share why having a clear goal can make exercise feel so much more doable (and honestly, more fun), especially if perfectionism tends to make you freeze up or quit.
Shannon tells Janine about signing up for the Oslo Marathon 10K happening in September while she's traveling in Scandinavia, and how that race date is giving her a real reason to get back into running after shoulder surgery. Janine shares her own goal: being able to walk up 35 flights of stairs to her apartment—and how a simple, “one flight at a time” plan (plus permission to take breaks) is helping her build stamina without turning it into a perfectionism project.
What We Talk About1. 01:15 - Signing up for the Oslo 10K (September 12): How a race on a trip to Norway creates a clear training goal 2. 02:51 - Getting back to running after shoulder surgery: Starting over with run/walk and rebuilding motivation 3. 04:11 - Why Shannon wants longer runs (not just a 5K) 4. 07:42 - Janine’s fitness goal: walking up 35 flights of stairs 5. 08:07 - Building a simple plan (and tracking it) 6. 12:07 - Permission to pause without quitting: Planning stops and noticing that “easier” can actually help you finish stronger 7. 15:37 - Using Zombies, Run! for motivation: Story-based runs, optional zombie chases, and making training feel fun 8. 19:43 - Keeping the pressure low with a “good enough” plan
Key Takeaways1. A purpose makes consistency easier: When we’re training for something—a race date, a trip, a milestone—it’s easier to keep showing up than when we’re just trying to “exercise more.” 2. Good enough reduces perfectionism pressure: Knowing Shannon can walk the 10K within the 1:45 time limit takes the stakes down, which makes it easier to keep moving forward. 3. Make the plan doable—and give yourself permission to adjust: Janine’s “one more flight per week” approach keeps the goal realistic, and building in extra stops helps her stay steady instead of pushing too hard. 4. Fun is allowed (and it counts): A motivating event, a playful app, or a little adventure can be a real part of building a habit.
The Bottom LineWhen it comes to fitness, perfectionism can whisper that it only counts if we do it the “right” way—or that we should wait until we feel more ready, more motivated, more consistent. But for us, the magic is usually simpler: a clear goal, a doable plan, and permission to make it easier when we need to.
Listener Action: Choose one small fitness goal with a reason attached (a date, a destination, a milestone). Then pick one “good enough” step you can take this week—something you could still do on a low-energy day.
Want More Like This?Episode 21: Know Your Why If you’re trying to figure out what actually motivates you (and what doesn’t), we talk about getting clear on your values—your “why”—so “good enough” gets a whole lot easier.
Episode 22: Creating Helpful Habits If you’re building consistency from scratch, we’ve got you. We talk about why habits matter, why they’re hard, and how a good-enough mindset (hello, teeny tiny steps) can help you create routines that actually stick.
Episode 32: Self Care If movement, rest, and self-care get tangled up with “shoulds,” we’ve been there. We talk about what self-care means (it’s different for everyone), and Shannon shares an idea for making exercise feel more like self-care—even when it usually doesn’t.
Connect With UsWorking toward a fitness goal right now—and noticing perfectionism getting involved?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
-
Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
-
YouTube link - If you'd like to watch the conversation, click here!
If you enjoyed the episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
Do you have a tiny annoyance you keep living with—like gunk on your iPad screen, dirty glasses, or something around the house that almost works but not quite? In this episode, we talk about tolerations: those little everyday frustrations we tell ourselves aren’t worth dealing with… even though they keep charging us a fee in irritation and mental energy.
We also touch on how perfectionism can sneak in here—when we tell ourselves we have to do something the “right” way (with the “right” supplies) or not bother at all. We share a bunch of real-life examples (including one very satisfying vacuum “shim” and a WD-40 moment we’re still proud of), plus an easy way to spot your own tolerations and knock them down in small, good-enough steps.
What We Talk About1. 02:27 – The “gunk on the iPad” toleration: how not cleaning it becomes a recurring energy drain 2. 03:33 – When a tiny task feels like a big job: the story we tell ourselves about needing the “right” supplies 3. 05:03 – A satisfying quick fix: shimming a vacuum wand with folded cardboard (and why it feels so good) 4. 06:18 – Fixing a long-term tech annoyance: the Mac dock that jumps monitors, and the simple downloadable solution 5. 09:13 – The hidden cost of small discomfort: how daily friction wears on us over time 6. 10:42 – Keys, clutter, and systems: simplifying a too-full key setup and creating a lock box for rarely-used keys 7. 16:17 – The “just one thing” solution: how removing just one coat can make a cramped closet feel easier 8. 18:34 – Turning a small fix into a big project: when “I could blog about it” makes it harder to start 9. 19:08 – The tolerations list idea: making a list, tackling it 5–10 minutes at a time, and enjoying the wins 10. 21:53 – The WD-40 effect: how one fix makes future fixes easier (and why it only takes a few minutes) 11. 22:23 – Listener challenge: what are you going to “WD-40” in your life this week?
Key Takeaways1. Tolerations have a hidden cost: Even small annoyances take energy—every time we notice them, avoid them, or think about fixing them. 2. Good-enough fixes are often enough: We don’t have to do it perfectly. A quick wipe, a simple workaround, or a small system tweak can make life smoother. 3. Small wins keep paying you back: Fix something once, and you get a little hit of satisfaction every time you use it afterward. 4. Reduce friction in the places you touch every day: Keys, coats, cables, drawers—tiny improvements in high-traffic spots can make your whole day feel easier. 5. Make a “tolerations list” and work it in short bursts: When we write them down, those semi-subliminal annoyances become visible—and way more doable.
The Bottom LineTolerations are sneaky. They seem too small to bother with, but they can take up way more energy than we realize. The good news is that a lot of them don’t require a big overhaul—just a quick, good-enough fix that makes things quieter, smoother, and less annoying.
Listener Action: Pick one toleration and make it 20% better this week. Set a timer for 10 minutes, do what you can, and then notice how it feels the next time you run into that thing.
Want More Like This?Episode 63: Tolerations If you've been around for awhile, you'll know we’ve been talking about tolerations for a long time. In this version, we dig more into what tolerations are, why they drain our energy, and how to address them without letting perfectionism run the show.
Episode 90: Acting on Good Impulses If you ever have that quick “I should just take care of that” thought and then ignore it, you’re not alone. In this episode, we talk about noticing those good impulses and acting on them while they’re fresh—so small annoyances don’t keep hanging around and draining your energy.
Episode 153: Helping Your Future Self When we do a small thing now, future-us gets a little gift—and present-us gets a little relief. We talk about strategies for letting go of perfectionism and taking action in ways your future self will genuinely thank you for.
- Watch the episode on YouTube - If you'd like to see the conversation hop on over to YouTube
Connect With UsWhat are you going to “WD-40” in your life this week?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If you enjoyed the episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
Do you ever tell yourself you’ll relax after you finish one more thing—then somehow you don’t relax and you don’t finish the thing? In this episode, we talk about the “I’ll feel better when…” trap: waiting for the perfect weather, the organized house, the cleared inbox, or the magical moment when everything is finally done.
We look at how this shows up in everyday life (like skipping a walk because we’re “too busy,” or staying home to get organized and then not doing it), and we share a simple shift that helps: treating rest and enjoyment as part of the plan, not a reward you have to earn.
What We Talk About1. 03:45 - Waiting to feel good until conditions change Weather as a stand-in for “I’ll be happier when…” and how we put off enjoying ourselves. 2. 04:14 - The “perfect conditions” problem (gardening example) Waiting too long for the right moment can mean missing the chance to do what helps things grow. 3. 05:08 - Skipping fun to “get organized”… and doing neither The familiar loop: we cancel the enjoyable thing, then can’t face the task either. 4. 06:14 - Rest first, then do the thing How taking a real break can give us the brain power to come back and actually do the task. 5. 07:06 - “I’ll do that after I retire” (the bigger version) Why waiting for “someday” can be risky—and why doing what matters while we can matters. 6. 09:06 - The moving finish line The task we’re waiting to finish keeps changing, and many “maintenance” tasks never stay done. 7. 10:09 - Downtime is part of the recipe Why relaxation and sleep can’t always be the thing that gets pushed off. 8. 11:51 - A practical tactic: track “get out of the apartment” Using a simple habit tracker as a reminder to change environment (like getting out without Bix). 9. 14:30 - Staying present instead of screen-hopping A small practice during short waits online: breathe, stay put, and don’t derail yourself.
Key Takeaways1. Rest isn’t a reward—it’s fuel When we’re exhausted, real rest can be what makes the next step possible. 2. “I’ll relax after…” is usually a moving target If we tie enjoyment to being “done,” we can end up postponing it forever. 3. Do the small version now We don’t have to wait for retirement or a perfect season—sometimes it’s as simple as taking the walk today. 4. Build enjoyment into the system A tiny tracker or reminder can help us actually do the things that support our energy and well-being. 5. Presence prevents the productivity spiral Staying with the moment can save mental energy and make it easier to return to what we were doing.
The Bottom LineIf we keep telling ourselves we’ll feel good after we finish the next thing, we can get stuck in a loop where we don’t finish the thing and we don’t feel good either. Downtime isn’t something we earn once life is perfect—it’s part of how we live with more ease, and it can actually make it easier to do what needs doing.
Listener Action: Choose one small “reset” you can do before you’re completely done—take a 10-minute walk, work somewhere different for a bit, or step outside and look at something far away. Then notice: does doing the next thing feel even a little easier?
Want More Like This?1. Episode 61: You’re Not Behind - A strong companion to today’s “I’ll relax after…” trap—especially if the pressure comes from feeling behind. 2. Episode 92: Working Through a Backlog - If your “after” is tied to a backlog, this one keeps it practical—how to move forward without turning it into a perfectionism project. 3. Episode 170: Give Yourself Credit - Perfect if your finish line keeps moving—this helps you count what’s done so you’re not always waiting to feel “done enough.”
Connect With UsIf you’re someone who postpones enjoyment until you “get to the thing,” you’re not alone—and we’d love to hear what this looks like for you.
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If you enjoyed the episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
Sometimes a productivity system can be great… until it suddenly isn’t. In this episode, we talk about what to do when your usual way of getting things done starts to feel stale, frustrating, or just not effective anymore—especially after a big life change.
We chat about why it’s normal for tools and routines to stop working, how novelty and “reward” can help you re-enter real life after a chaotic season, and a few playful ways to shake things up (including Shannon’s plan to try to-do list bingo). If you’ve been thinking, “But this system should work—what’s wrong with me?” we’re here to gently remind you: probably nothing.
What We Talk About1. 01:04 — That “chaos slash nothing” season, and why getting back in the swing is hard 2. 02:13 — To-do list bingo as a way to make tasks feel fun again 3. 03:32 — When a “good system” stops working, digging in your heels can keep you stuck 4. 04:32 — Shannon’s hybrid planning setup (bullet journal + Todoist + calendar) and why redundancy helps 5. 06:10 — Keeping the bingo board inside the bullet journal (so it’s not “one more tool”) 6. 08:28 — Janine’s Trello era, novelty, and the motivational power of confetti 7. 10:16 — Bullet journaling through hard seasons and why flexibility matters 8. 13:02 — Mark Forster’s “Do It Tomorrow” / Autofocus: the premise matters more than the rules 9. 19:44 — Re-entry after shoulder surgery: sometimes you need extra reward to restart momentum
Key Takeaways1. When a productivity system stops working, it’s information—not failure If something that used to help you suddenly doesn’t, it doesn’t mean you failed. It may just mean your life changed and your system needs to change with it. 2. A temporary reset can restart momentum You don’t have to overhaul everything. Sometimes a short-term experiment (like to-do list bingo) is enough to make things feel doable again. 3. Small rewards can help you follow through Confetti, bingo, tiny celebrations—if they help you take action, they count. 4. Redundancy isn’t always wasted effort If rewriting plans helps you remember, visualize your week, or feel more grounded, it can be worth the extra step. 5. The “holy grail” of productivity is a myth You can find something that works really well—and still expect it to evolve as your needs and seasons change.
The Bottom LineThe big message here is simple: if your current productivity system isn’t working, you don’t have to force it—or blame yourself. Life changes, your energy changes, and what used to fit might need an update. Sometimes the most “good enough” move is to try a playful tweak (like to-do list bingo), borrow a little novelty, and give yourself permission to experiment.
Listener Action: Pick one small way to “shake up” your current system this week—something that adds a tiny bit of novelty or reward (a bingo square, a mini challenge, a new way to write your list)—and notice what changes.
Want More Like This?Episode 6: Task Management We get delightfully nerdy about task management and the tools we’ve tried over the years—Mark Forster’s systems, Todoist, Post-it® Notes, and why writing things down can make life feel so much easier.
Episode 61: You’re Not Behind If you stress about feeling behind, this episode offers a kinder reframe: “behind” can be a signal to step back, reassess what matters, and set up a more reasonable way to keep up.
Episode 93: Preventing Pileups A practical follow-up for when your system needs an update: strategies for creating systems (especially for email and paper) so backlogs don’t keep coming back.
- YouTube link - Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If you enjoyed the episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
When life feels tight or difficult, it’s easy to focus on what’s not going right. In this episode, we talk about how celebrating small wins—even the silly, ridiculous ones—can support motivation, build self-compassion, and help us practice progress over perfection.
We share real-life examples (like Shannon’s surprise “lip balm shot” into the trash, a stress-free elevator ride, and surviving a truly unpleasant parking garage) and explore why non-zero effort matters. The more we notice what’s going right, the more we can create a little ease and momentum—especially when we’re not finishing everything all at once.
What We Talk About1. 00:38 — Why it helps to celebrate little things when life feels tight or difficult 2. 01:29 — Shannon’s “lip balm shot” into the trash—and celebrating it like a center-court basket 3. 02:46 — Celebrating the absence of a problem: a non-stop elevator ride when a dog encounter could have been stressful 4. 03:40 — Noticing when things go as expected—and letting that count as a win 5. 05:30 — Small wins as a “buffer” that helps us handle obstacles without getting knocked down as far 6. 06:00 — The parking garage story: building in extra time to reduce stress, then celebrating “nothing bad happened” 7. 07:10 — When progress doesn’t “count” because we didn’t finish—remembering non-zero effort matters 8. 10:38 — The motivation myth: believing we have to be hard on ourselves to keep going 9. 11:53 — Anchoring feeling good to progress: celebrating small wins as a way to rewire the pattern 10. 16:22 — Holding two truths: celebrating small wins while still caring about what’s happening in the world
Key Takeaways1. Small wins support progress over perfection: When things feel hard, noticing what did go right helps us step out of the “nothing is enough” mindset. 2. Non-zero effort is real progress: If you took one step—even a small one—it counts, even if the whole thing isn’t finished yet. 3. Self-compassion fuels motivation: Being hard on ourselves can make action harder. Celebrating success (even tiny success) makes it easier to keep going. 4. Small wins create a buffer for tough moments: When we’re already a little “buoyed up,” setbacks don’t knock us down as far. 5. Celebration isn’t silly—it’s practical: Cheering yourself on can help reinforce the habit of taking action and build momentum over time.
The Bottom LineCelebrating small wins isn’t about pretending everything is fine—it’s about giving yourself a practical boost when life is hard. When we practice noticing what’s going right (including the “nothing went wrong” moments), we feel better. And when we feel better, it’s easier to take action, stay motivated, and keep choosing progress over perfection.
Listener Action: This week, choose one small win each day—something you usually wouldn’t count—and name it out loud (to yourself or someone else). Then take five seconds to actually celebrate it.
- YouTube link - Click here to watch the conversation on YouTube!
Want More Like This? (Related Episodes)Episode 2: Rewards A true back-catalog throwback on rewarding yourself for progress (not perfection)—and how celebrating steps along the way helps you stay motivated (without the “I have to suffer to succeed” vibe).
41: Can It Be Too Easy? If you tend to dismiss wins that feel “too easy” (or too small to count), this episode is a great reminder that ease is allowed—and that letting things be easier can help you keep moving.
Episode 170: Give Yourself Credit If you tend to move the goalposts and only feel “done” when everything is finished, this episode is a gentle nudge to notice what you’ve already done—and to practice giving yourself that internal pat on the back.
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If you enjoyed the episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
What if your hobbies could be the one place you don’t have to optimize, be productive, or “do it right”? In this episode, we talk about keeping hobbies fun—especially when perfectionism shows up and makes us hesitate to start, abandon a project, or turn enjoyment into pressure.
We share real-life examples from knitting, bullet journaling, visible mending, watercolor and sketchbooks, and even reading. We also talk about how tracking and goals can quietly turn a relaxing hobby into a stressful one, and how lowering the stakes can help us get back to the point: doing something because it feels good.
What We Talk About
- 02:46 - When hobbies get “too fiddly,” perfectionism can make us quit Janine finds abandoned knitting projects and talks about how frustration (and not wanting to back up and fix mistakes) can stop us from continuing.
- 04:05 - A mistake doesn’t have to mean you’re done Janine shares a “rookie mistake” on her hat, then unknits and keeps going.
- 04:38 - The fear of “ruining it” can keep us from starting Shannon talks about not wanting to mess up a sketchbook or watercolor journal with something that doesn’t feel good enough.
- 07:40 - Bullet journaling: functional vs. Instagram-perfect We talk about how artistic bullet journal examples can intimidate people, even though the original method was meant to be quick and simple.
- 09:10 - Visible mending: daunting to start, satisfying to finish We talk about the pressure to choose the “right” way to mend—and how gratifying it feels once we do it.
- 15:33 - When reading becomes a numbers game Shannon shares how tracking books read started to create stress, especially during shoulder recovery.
- 18:56 - Protecting hobbies from becoming work Janine shares why she said no to a knitting-related work opportunity so knitting could stay fun.
Key Takeaways
- Perfectionism can sneak into the fun stuff: Even hobbies can start to feel like performance—especially when we think there’s a “right way” to do them.
- Lower stakes = easier starts: When something is private, practical, or “just for us,” it’s often easier to experiment and keep going.
- Functional can be beautiful: A bullet journal that works, a sweater that’s patched, a project that’s imperfect but used—these can be more satisfying than “perfect” things we never start.
- Tracking can turn joy into pressure: Goals and numbers can be motivating… until they make the hobby feel like a quota.
- Let hobbies stay hobbies: If turning something into work adds stress, it can cancel out the reason to do it in the first place.
The Bottom Line
Hobbies are allowed to be messy, imperfect, and purely for enjoyment. When we treat them like something to prove—something to perfect, optimize, or keep score on—we lose the ease we were looking for.
Listener Action: Choose one hobby you’ve been avoiding (or overthinking) and do a 10-minute “good enough” version this week. No fixing, no optimizing, no making it look impressive—just do it for the simple joy of doing it.
- YouTube link - Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Want More Like This?
- Episode 35: Hobbies Our first big conversastion about hobbies and how perfectionism can get in the way of starting or enjoying them. We talk about our hobbies (and attempted hobbies) and share strategies for getting past perfectionism so you can actually enjoy what you’re doing.
- Episode 236: How to Start a New Adventure Starting something new can bring up all kinds of perfectionist feelings, so we talk about how to begin without needing a flawless plan. If your hobby hesitation is really “fear of starting,” this one will help.
- Episode 243: Are We Having Fun Yet? We laugh our way through a conversation about how we prioritize fun and add more joy to everyday life. If you’re craving a reminder that fun is allowed (and actually matters), this one’s a great listen
Connect With Us
If this episode had you thinking about your own hobbies (or your own perfectionism), we’d love to hear from you.
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If you enjoyed the episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
Multitasking sounds like a superpower, but most of the time it’s really task switching—jumping back and forth so fast we don’t notice the cost. In this episode, we talk about the difference between true multitasking and rapid switching, and why switching can make you less effective, less productive, and less present.
We also share a few real-life examples (knitting while watching TV, exercising with an audiobook, checking email mid-writing) and a simple “Good Enough” experiment: using tiny waiting moments—like a login screen—as a cue to take a few breaths and come back to what you’re doing.
What We Talk About1. 01:28 — When multitasking can work: knitting while watching TV (and why writing postcards while watching is different). 2. 03:33 — A combo that often works: physical tasks (folding laundry, exercising) while listening to an audiobook (or podcast!). 3. 04:29 — Why switching tasks can make you less productive than single-tasking. 4. 05:47 — The “attention test”: if both tasks need brain power (like sorting and chatting), something gets missed. 5. 06:45 — Phone + conversation: noticing how it affects connection, and small ways to be more present with people. 6. 10:22 — The “lag reflex”: switching away during a short wait (like logging into a bank) and getting pulled into email or Facebook. 7. 11:08 — A simple strategy: practice staying with a few seconds of discomfort so you can finish the task. 8. 13:01 — Meditation explained in plain terms: not “no thoughts,” but returning to your focus. 9. 14:42 — Anchoring mindfulness to your desk chair: building calm where you actually work. 10. 15:44 — Shannon shares how ADHD can amplify distraction and unfinished tasks (especially off meds). 11. 17:13 — Reframing single-tasking as self-care: more calm, more “done,” and less stress.
Key Takeaways1. Most multitasking is really task switching: If you’re bouncing between email, a document, and social media, you’re not doing three things at once—you’re switching. And switching often makes everything take longer. 2. Some pairings can be “good enough” multitasking: If one task is automatic or physical (like knitting, folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, brushing your teeth), it may pair well with listening. 3. If both tasks require attention, you’ll feel scattered: Sorting, writing, and meaningful conversations all need focus. Trying to stack them usually means you’re only half there. 4. Use waiting moments as a mindfulness cue: Instead of opening Facebook during a 10-second pause, try three slow breaths or counting breaths until the page loads. 5. Single-tasking is self-care (and it feels better): Finishing one thing at a time can lower stress and give you that satisfying sense of completion.
The Bottom LineMultitasking promises efficiency, but for most of us it’s really rapid, less efficient task switching—and it can leave you feeling scattered and less present. A “Good Enough” approach is choosing one thing at a time more often, and using tiny pauses to return to your focus.
Listener Action: Choose one “waiting moment” this week (like logging into a website). Instead of switching to email or social media, take 3 slow breaths and gently bring your attention back to the task in front of you.
- YouTube link - Watch the conversation on YouTube!
Want More Like This? (Related Episodes)Episode 26: Multitasking If multitasking is your default setting (and it sometimes works… until it doesn’t), this is our original episode on the subject. We talk about why multitasking feels productive, when it can actually be fine, and when it’s really just task switching that leaves you more frazzled than finished.
Episode 27: The Thrill of Done You know that satisfying feeling when you finish something and it stops taking up space in your brain? This episode is all about that. We share simple ways to make “done” easier to reach—especially if perfectionism tends to move the finish line.
Episode 84: Overthinking The multitasking may be coming from inside your brain! If your brain likes to keep running the same thought loop, you’re not alone. We talk about how overthinking sneaks in (especially with perfectionist tendencies), and how to step out of the spin cycle and into the next small, doable action.
Connect With UsWe’d love to hear what multitasking looks like in your real life—and what happens when you try single-tasking instead. Leave us a voicemail at 413-424-GTGE (4843) or find us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @gettingtogoodenough.
If you enjoyed the episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately, you’re not alone. In this episode, we talk about what it’s like when what’s happening in the world takes up more of our bandwidth than we realize—and how that can show up as low energy, stress, and doomscrolling.
We remind ourselves that even when we’re not personally in immediate danger, it still takes real energy to be in the world right now. So we explore a good-enough approach: set kind-but-firm boundaries around news and social media, calm your nervous system first, and then choose one small action you can actually sustain.
What We Talk About1. 00:45 - Feeling overwhelmed and “maxed out,” and naming the nervous system impact 2. 01:10 - Remembering to factor in what’s happening in the world (on top of personal stressors) 3. 02:43 - How external stress compresses our capacity and bandwidth—even if we’re not directly threatened 4. 03:51 - The push-pull of wanting to stay informed without getting pulled into constant news consumption 5. 05:34 - Creating a container for the news: skim headlines, read one article, or set a 15-minute timer 6. 06:57 - Choosing your inputs on purpose: unfollowing/unfriending and skipping online arguments that won’t lead to real dialogue 7. 10:37 - Taking action to feel less helpless: donating, writing postcards, protesting, and focusing your energy where it can matter 8. 12:53 - Not letting perfectionism hijack activism: it’s not all-or-nothing, and “doing a little” still counts 9. 14:26 - Connection over consumption: reaching out to friends and checking in instead of scrolling 10. 16:23 - “Oxygen mask first”: calming your nervous system makes it easier to take meaningful action and help others
Key Takeaways1. External stress is real stress: Even if nothing in your personal life changed, what’s happening in the world can shrink your capacity. 2. Set boundaries so you can stay informed (without spiraling): A small “container”—headlines only, one article, or a timer—helps you avoid doomscrolling. 3. Curate your inputs like it’s self-care: Unfollowing, unfriending, and choosing what you engage with can protect your nervous system. 4. Small actions beat perfectionism: Donating, writing postcards, protesting, or helping in your community doesn’t have to be perfect to matter. 5. Calm first, then act: When you feel steadier, it’s easier to take meaningful action.
The Bottom LineWhen everything feels like too much, it makes sense that your energy is lower and your brain wants to scroll, worry, or shut down. In this episode, we remind ourselves that we can care and protect our nervous systems: set a boundary around what you take in, then choose one small action that helps you feel less helpless—without letting perfectionism turn it into a moral test.
Listener Action: This week, pick one boundary (like a 15-minute news timer or “one article only”) and one small action (text a friend to check in, donate a few dollars, write one postcard, etc.). Good enough counts.
- Watch the episode on YouTube - You can watch us have this conversation on YouTube, if you'd like.
- Ben Sheehan, host of Civics Made Easy, on Instagram: Calling members of Congress WORKS. With such thin majorities for the GOP you’d only need to convince a handful of members to vote across the aisle — and we’ve already seen that happen this year. Don’t let anyone tell you that pressure doesn’t work - we’ve already seen proof that it does. And if you’re concerned about ICE, you might wanna call your Democratic members of the Senate and tell them to force changes to the agency in exchange for their vote — or even withhold their vote to temporarily shut down ICE.
- Find Your Members in the U.S. Congress
Connect With UsIf you try a good-enough boundary or a small action this week, we’d love to hear what you chose.
Leave us a voicemail at 413-424-GTGE (4843) or find us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @gettingtogoodenough. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
Want More Like This? (Related Episodes)1. Episode 107: Balancing Discomfort — This episode is from a moment when there was a lot happening in the world, and we talk about how to hold the discomfort and keep moving forward. We share what helped us stay grounded, and how taking one small step can be more sustainable than trying to do everything at once. 2. Episode 108: Ready to Vote? — If voting has ever felt oddly stressful—like you need to do it perfectly or you’ll mess it up—this episode will feel familiar. We get practical about making a simple plan, shrinking the dread, and following through. 3. Episode 264: How to Enjoy Social Media Again — This is the social media episode we mention in today’s conversation. We dig into comparisonitis, doomscrolling, and some very doable ways to curate your feed and set boundaries so you can stay connected without feeling consumed.
This week we’re getting real about that all-too-familiar feeling behind—whether it’s your to-do list, New Year’s intentions, or just life in general. We talk about what rushing actually looks like in our lives, why it rarely helps with time management, and how our culture’s obsession with busyness (and perfectionism) can make us feel like we’re never caught up. We share how we’re reframing what progress looks like, the thrill of finishing tasks, and how to choose a smoother, more self-compassionate pace (even when life feels hectic).
Timestamped Highlights 00:44: That creeping feeling behind—why it shows up so quickly * 01:59: The power of finishing dreaded tasks (and a British-accented banker named Jaunty) * 03:13: Carrying over tasks week to week—and the relief of clearing the decks * 05:01: How finishing little tasks clears space for bigger goals * 05:35: The magic of a “power hour” * 06:19: The myth of being behind and the dangers of rushing * 08:47: Unrealistic expectations and honoring your own pace * 09:28: Letting our priorities (and word of the year!) guide our choices * 13:11: Setting boundaries around work and personal time * 15:13: Mornings, rushing, and the wisdom of “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” * 17:10:* How choosing your pace can change everything
Key Takeaways* The feeling behind is often a myth—there’s no universal timeline we should be on. * Clearing small tasks can free up mental space for bigger goals and better time management. * Rushing rarely saves time and often leads to mistakes or missing out on good things. * Boundaries (like not working weekends) help us enjoy both work and rest. * We get to choose our pace—let our values and priorities lead the way, with a little self-compassion.
Bottom LineYou’re not actually behind—there’s no official schedule you have to follow. Let go of the rush and find a pace that works for you, right now.
Let's ConnectDo you tend to feel behind? What helps you bring more ease and smoothness into your days?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Want More Like This? (Related Episodes)Episode 41: Can It Be Too Easy? We talk about why letting things be easy sometimes feels so strange, and how giving ourselves permission to choose the easier path can actually help us move forward—especially when we’re feeling behind or overwhelmed.
Episode 60: The Problem with Labels Oh, those labels we put on ourselves—like “behind” or “not enough”—and how those stories can keep us stuck. If you’re working on being kinder to yourself, you’ll find some encouragement and maybe a laugh or two.
Episode 156: Feeling Good About Good Enough We get honest about how tough it can be to stop chasing perfection and start feeling good about “good enough.” If you’re learning to embrace progress and let go of unrealistic expectations, this episode is for you.
Happy New Year! If decision-making tends to turn into overthinking, you’re not alone. In this episode, we share a good-enough approach to easier decision-making—plus the maximizer vs. satisficer mindset and our “rule of three.”
Shannon shares her word of the year for 2026: choose—a reminder to make decisions on purpose instead of feeling swept along. We also dig into the difference between being a maximizer (always trying to make the best choice) and a satisficer (making a good enough choice and moving on), plus a few practical ways to stop the endless research spiral.
Along the way, Janine shares a big decision she made on her personal retreat: retiring her blog Organize Your Family History—and the surprisingly overwhelming chain of choices that followed.
What we talk about (with timestamps)1. 01:25 Looking back at 2025 and asking: what do we want 2026 to look like? 2. 02:16 Word of the year as an anchor (and why “survive” doesn’t feel great) 3. 03:06 Shannon’s word for 2026: choose (making decisions on purpose) 4. 04:33 Maximizer vs. satisficer: why decision-making can feel so hard 5. 06:43 Too many options = no decision (hello, Amazon overwhelm) 6. 09:52 Janine’s personal retreat + deciding to retire Organize Your Family History 7. 11:52 Writing it down + talking it through (pros/cons, getting support) 8. 12:40 The “rule of three”: choose up to three criteria (and/or options) and stop researching 9. 16:28 “Just in case” thinking: flexibility vs. clutter (and the hidden cost of keeping things) 10. 20:35 Making “for now” decisions with a time frame so you can stop thinking about it
Key takeaways1. Choosing on purpose can feel energizing. It’s a way to be more active in your life instead of always reacting. 2. Maximizers often get stuck. If you’re trying to find the “best” option, decision-making can become exhausting (and sometimes you don’t decide at all). 3. Satisficing is very “good enough.” Pick a few criteria that matter, choose something that meets them, and move on. 4. Try the rule of three. Limit yourself to three criteria and/or three options to reduce overwhelm. 5. Open loops cost energy. Not deciding can keep a decision quietly draining your attention. 6. A time-bound decision can create flexibility without constant rethinking. Decide “for now,” set a revisit date, and let your brain rest.
Try this (a small, good-enough action)The next time you’re stuck in a decision spiral (especially for something low-consequence):
- Write down up to three criteria that actually matter.
- Look at up to three options.
- Choose the first option that meets your criteria—and stop researching.
Want More Like This?1. Episode 102: The Good Enough Decision We talk about why decision-making can feel extra hard for perfectionists, and how the maximizer vs. satisficer mindset shows up in real life. If you liked our conversation about choosing “for now” and saving your energy for what matters, this one is a great companion. 2. Episode 103: Dealing with Imperfectionists An exploration about what happens when a maximizer and a satisficer are trying to make a decision together (and how to communicate what matters most). It’s a practical listen if you’re trying to choose with more clarity—especially when other people are involved. 3. Episode 156: Feeling Good About Good Enough We share how to get more comfortable stopping at good enough (without that nagging “but what if there’s a better option?” feeling). If you’re working on letting go of over-optimizing and moving on with your life, we think you’ll love this one.
Connect with usWe’d love to hear from you—how do you choose to move through your life? What decisions are you making in 2026?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
-
Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
-
YouTube link - If you'd like to watch the conversation click here!
If you enjoyed this episode…If you heard something that makes your life just a little bit easier, we’d love it if you’d leave a review or share this episode with someone who’s looking for their own version of good enough.
It’s the end of the day, you’re tired and hungry, and you’re standing in front of the refrigerator hoping it will offer a suggestion...again. In this episode, we talk about why dinner can feel so complicated (even when food is readily available) and how a little “good enough” planning can make weeknights calmer.
Meal planning isn’t just about food—it’s about reducing decision fatigue at the exact moment you have the least energy. We share simple, realistic ways to make dinner easier, including curating recipe lists, theme nights, planned takeout, freezer meals, and low-effort fallback dinners.
What We Talk About
- 03:00 The “stare into the fridge and hope something occurs to us” problem
- 04:20 Why being hungry is the worst time to decide what’s for dinner
- 05:38 Shannon’s Trello-based meal planning system
- 08:20 Theme nights (Taco Tuesday and beyond) to reduce decision fatigue
- 09:19 Planned takeout night = guilt-free and actually enjoyable
- 10:31 Freezer meals (hello, chili) for low-energy seasons
- 16:59 The power of a super-easy fallback dinner
- 19:05 Let go of “shoulds” and feed yourself (and your household) in a way that works
Key Takeaways
- Decision fatigue is real. Dinner gets harder when you’re tired and hungry—so the goal is fewer decisions at the end of the day.
- Curate your options. Whether it’s a Trello recipe board or a white board of go-to meals, narrowing choices makes planning easier.
- Theme nights reduce stress. A theme gives you a lane (not a strict rule) and makes “What’s for dinner?” easier to answer.
- Plan takeout on purpose. Planned takeout can be relaxing and guilt-free; panic takeout is usually stressful and expensive.
- Have a fallback. Scrambled eggs, breakfast for dinner, or a snack-plate style meal can keep you fed when plans fall apart.
- Let it be “good enough.” You don’t need perfect dinners—just food that works for you.
Try This:
Pick one small change for next week:
- Choose one theme night (like Taco-ish, Pasta-ish, Soup-ish, or Takeout Night).
-
Pick one fallback dinner you can make when you’re low on energy.
-
Trello | Capture, organize, and tackle your to-dos from anywhere
- Souper Cubes® - Silicone Food Freezer Trays & Kitchen Accessories
Connect With Us
We’d love to hear from you: What are you going to incorporate into your meal planning—theme nights, a go-to meal, or something else?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Want More Like This? (Related Episodes)
- Episode 209: Meal Planning - The OG episode on meal planning! Some similar topics, some different.
- Episode 212: A Little at a Time - If you like the idea of a calmer dinner routine but you’re not about to overhaul your whole life, we share how building systems gradually can make change feel doable. This episode was inspired by our first (Episode 209) meal planning episode.
- Episode 16: Decision Making - We dig into why decisions can feel so draining—and how making “good enough” choices on purpose can reduce stress and help you move forward.
We kick this episode off with a very real-life moment: Janine opened the refrigerator right before recording and realized it was past time for the dreaded clean-out… again. (You know the one—mystery containers, missing storage bowls, and the hope that nothing has started to smell.)
That prompts a conversation about procrastination—why we do it, what’s actually happening underneath it, and how we can move through it with more compassion and way less drama.
We also share one universal strategy that helps no matter what: figure out what feels bad about the task… and then counteract that.
Time-Stamped Highlights00:54 The refrigerator clean-out avoidance (and why we wait until it smells). “You wait until the pain of opening the refrigerator is greater than the perceived pain of cleaning it out.”
02:07 To clarify: we’re not “above” procrastination—we’ve procrastinated in every possible way
03:12 Janine’s procrastination trigger: fear of something being unpleasant (phone calls, hold music, hoops)
06:39 The core strategy: identify the bad feeling and counteract it
07:50 The 4 productivity blocks that lead to procrastination: enjoyment, reward, distractibility, confidence
08:33 Why you tend to procrastinate for the same reason most of the time (but it can vary)
16:09 Shannon’s procrastination tends to be distractibility + lack of confidence. She shares her late adulthood ADHD diagnosis and how it changed things for her
17:45 Bottom line: you procrastinate to avoid feeling bad—and choose to do something that feels better instead
What We Talk About1. Why we wait until a task becomes unbearable (hello, refrigerator) 2. How procrastination is often our brain trying to dodge an unpleasant feeling (not laziness) 3. The four productivity blocks that lead to procrastination: Enjoyment, Reward, Distractibility, Confidence 4. Why we tend to procrastinate for the same reason most of the time (even though tasks can vary) 5. Why celebrating small wins can build momentum 6. How ADHD and distractibility can show up as trying to “set the scene perfectly” before starting
FAQ: Procrastination + the 4 Productivity BlocksWhat are the 4 productivity blocks that cause procrastination?There is a formula to productivity and procrastination. In this episode we talk about the four “productivity blocks” that tend to contribute to procrastination:
- Enjoyment: You expect the task to be unpleasant (or boring), so you avoid it.
- Reward: There’s not enough payoff to get you started.
- Distractibility: Your attention keeps getting pulled to other tasks, thoughts, or inputs.
- Confidence: You’re not sure how to do the task, or you don’t feel confident you can do it well.
While there are specific strategies for each block (take the quiz at shannonwilkinson.com to learn them), there's a big universal move: identify the bad feeling you’re avoiding—and counteract it (even just enough to start).
How do I stop procrastinating when a task feels unpleasant?Start by asking: What feels bad about this task? Then counteract that feeling on purpose.
A few “good enough” ways to do that:
- Add a little enjoyment (music, a funny podcast, a 10-minute challenge, doing it with someone)
- Use rewards (small reward for starting, bigger reward for finishing—maybe one in the middle)
- Reduce distractibility (write down competing thoughts, pick one thing, remove distractions, set a timer—even 5 minutes helps)
- Build confidence (get information if you don’t know how; practice stepping into the feeling of confidence before you take action)
Is procrastination a sign of ADHD or distractibility?Procrastination can show up for lots of reasons, and in this episode we’re careful not to treat it like a character flaw. One of the productivity blocks we talk about is distractibility, and Shannon shares how her ADHD diagnosis a couple of years ago changed her understanding of what was going on for her.
So yes—ADHD and distractibility can absolutely be part of the procrastination picture for some people. And even if ADHD isn’t part of your story, the same core strategy still applies: figure out the bad feeling and counteract it, then start with a tiny first step.
Listener ActionPick one thing we’ve been putting off and ask:
- What bad feeling are we trying to avoid? (Boredom? Discomfort? Fear of messing it up? Overwhelm?)
- Which productivity block is showing up—enjoyment, reward, distractibility, or confidence?
- What would counteract that feeling—just enough to help us start?
Then set a timer for 5 minutes and do the smallest possible first step.
Resources / Links* Shannon’s procrastination quiz (and workbook) - Take Shannon's two-minute procrastination quiz to find out your productivity block is! * YouTube - Click here to watch the episode!
Connect With UsWe’d love to hear from you: How do you procrastinate? Where do you get stuck when you’re putting things off?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Want More Like This?1. Episode 12: Procrastination — The original breakdown of the productivity blocks/reasons we procrastinate + strategies to move through them. 2. Episode 36: Feeling Satisfied — A perfect companion for the “good enough” mindset that reduces perfectionism paralysis and helps you move forward without needing it to be flawless. 3. Episode 67: Dealing with Distraction — Directly supports the focus/distractibility side of procrastination with practical strategies (timers, closing open loops, minimizing distractions).
Bottom LineProcrastination isn’t a moral failing—it’s information. When you can name what feels bad about a task and identify the productivity block underneath it (enjoyment, reward, distractibility, or confidence), it gets a whole lot easier to take the next step. Be sure and check out the quiz at shannonwilkinson.com to get more detailed strategies for your particular brand of procrastination.
What if the “secret to happiness” is…doing a small, slightly uncomfortable thing now—so tomorrow (and next week… and tax season) feels easier?
In this episode, we talk about what we’re calling the discomfort dividend: the idea that a little effort, inconvenience, or mild discomfort in the present can pay you back later with more ease, less stress, and better momentum.
We share real-life examples—like writing down our “Big Three” the night before, building a simple dishwasher routine, staying on top of bookkeeping and payroll, and freezing meals for future dinners—and we explore why doing things as they happen is often dramatically easier than trying to “catch up” later.
If you’re craving a calmer week, smoother mornings, or fewer “why did I wait so long?” moments, this one’s for you.
Timestamped Highlights1. 01:07 We report back: writing down the “Big Three” the night before is paying dividends 2. 02:13 “Less than five minutes” at night can save an hour of morning dithering 3. 03:10 The “accountabilibuddy” moment (and how it helps us remember) 4. 05:01 The “night before” effort: why setting up tomorrow-us matters 5. 08:03 Anchors and routines: coffee as a cue (and why not everyone has a morning beverage anchor) 6. 10:15 Bookkeeping as a discomfort dividend: weekly QuickBooks + daily YNAB makes tax time easier 7. 11:19 Doing it in the moment vs. figuring it out later (hello, mysterious Amazon purchases) 8. 13:02 Freezer meals as future-us support: batch cooking and portioning for easy, healthy dinners 9. 16:06 “Thank your past self”: noticing the payoff when the future arrives 10. 17:05 Putting things away: the ease of being able to find what we need, when we need it
Key Takeaways1. Small effort now can create big ease later. The payoff is often time, energy, and reduced stress. 2. Doing things “as they happen” is usually easier than catching up. In the moment, we still have context—later we’re stuck reconstructing. 3. Cornerstone habits create momentum. Once one routine is solid (like the dishwasher), other habits become easier to build. 4. Make it automatic. Repetition turns “extra effort” into something we don’t even have to think about. 5. Design your environment for success. A place for everything (and putting it away) reduces daily friction.
Bottom LineA little discomfort today can buy you a lot of ease tomorrow. The trick is spotting the small actions that feel mildly annoying now—but consistently make life smoother later.
Listener ActionPick one small thing you can do today as a favor for future you—then try it for a week.
Some ideas from this episode:
- Write down your “Big Three” the night before
- Run the dishwasher at night and unload it in the morning
- Enter bookkeeping transactions weekly (or daily if you can)
- Put keys in the same spot every time
-
Freeze a couple portions the next time you cook
-
YouTube - Watch the episode
Want More Like This?If this episode hit home, you might also like:
- Episode 153: Helping Your Future Self - Same core idea as the discomfort dividend: doing small, “good enough” things now so future-you has an easier time.
- Episode 151: Task Management Revisited - A practical companion to the “write it down / decide in advance” vibe of Episode 275, with a focus on finding a task system that works for you (not chasing the perfect system).
- Episode 150: Creating Helpful Work Boundaries - This connects to the “make life easier later” theme by creating clear start/stop rituals and boundaries that reduce daily friction and decision fatigue (and make tomorrow smoother).
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Call to ActionIf this episode made your life a little easier, we’d love it if you’d leave a review, share it with a friend, or send us a message with the small “discomfort dividend” you’re trying right now.
Have you ever finished a big task and felt that rush of relief—like, ahhh, I’m finally caught up—and then… immediately noticed ten more things waiting for you? Same.
In this episode, we’re unpacking the productivity myth of “catching up,” why it can feel so urgent (and so exhausting), and how it connects to perfectionism and productivity.
Starting in the middle of an “atmospheric river” (aka endless rain), we talk about a surprisingly satisfying homeowner win: Shannon and Mike installed a French drain that finally solved a long-standing sidewalk flooding problem. It felt amazing to cross it off the list… until the list refilled (as it always does).
We explore where the pressure to catch up comes from and what it might look like to let go of the whole concept. We also talk about doing things for enjoyment (without deadlines or milestones), and Janine shares a simple practice that helps her feel less behind: writing down her “Big Three” tasks the night before.
What we talk about
- Why the endless to-do list can make us feel perpetually behind
- How “catching up” can be perfectionism in disguise
- Letting go of tasks (or at least letting go of the pressure around them)
- Doing things for enjoyment vs. doing them to hit milestones
- A practical tool for focus: the “Big Three”
Timestamped highlights
01:25 — Rain garden overflow + the French drain fix
03:16 — That brief “we’re caught up!” feeling after a big win
04:02 — Do we ever actually feel caught up?
05:04 — Letting go of the whole concept of catching up
06:11 — Retirement as a glimpse of a different pace
09:42 — SMART goals vs. a “word of the year”
11:10 — Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies (and motivation)
12:26 — Unfinished knitting projects and “good enough” outcomes
15:06 — Janine’s “Big Three” practice (and why it helps)
19:16 — Shannon’s experiment: trying the Big Three (plus accountability)
Key takeaways
- “Caught up” is a moving target. The list refills fast, so chasing that finish line can keep you stressed.
- The idea of getting caught-up is a productivity myth. It promises relief, but is virtually unattainable creating extra pressure and self-criticism.
- Perfectionism and striving for high productivity are closely linked. Wanting to “finally be caught up” can be perfectionism in a different outfit.
- Small constraints can create calm. Choosing a short list (like three priorities) can reduce overwhelm and increase follow-through.
Bottom line
We don’t have to earn peace by finishing everything. If “caught up” doesn’t really exist, we can stop chasing it—and start noticing what we have done instead (and celebrating it!).
Try this for the next few days:
- Write down your Big Three tasks for tomorrow.
- Ask yourself: If I only do these three things, would that be good enough?
- Notice what shifts—your focus, stress level, maybe even that feeling of being “behind”.
And we’d love to hear from you: What’s one thing you do (or could do) that helps you feel less behind—without trying to do everything?
Connect with us
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Want more like this?
If you enjoyed this conversation about the pressure to catch up and the endless to-do list, you might also like:
- Episode 261: Morning Routines That Actually Stick (Even When They Don’t) — A practical, realistic look at routines that support you (instead of stressing you out). This is where Janine’s “Big Three” habit comes from, so it’s a great companion listen.
- Episode 92: Working Through a Backlog — A next-step episode for when the pileups are real: ideas for working through backlogs without getting stuck in the catch-up cycle.
- Episode 61: You’re Not Behind — If the “behind” feeling is familiar, this episode helps reframe it so it becomes a helpful signal (not a source of shame).
Mentioned in this episode
- YouTube - Link to watch the episode on YouTube
- Getting Started: The Four Tendencies | Gretchen Rubin
Ever catch yourself waiting for the “perfect” moment before you start something new? In this episode, Shannon and Janine break down how embracing imperfection, self-compassion, and progress over perfection can help you finally take that first step—no matter how messy it feels.
What We Talk About 01:45: The myth of readiness—how perfectionism and waiting for the “right time” keep us stuck * 03:49: Real-life stories about starting new habits and projects; using a “practice” mindset to overcome perfectionism paralysis * 09:55: Letting go of backlog overwhelm; strategies for progress over perfection in planning * 11:18: The power of feelings—how self-compassion and embodying confidence help you take action * 17:50:* The four Cs: Calm, Competent, Capable, and Confident—tools for building new habits and self-trust
Key Takeaways* Waiting until everything is perfect can keep you stuck—tiny, imperfect steps are the key to building momentum and beating perfectionism. * Treat new habits and projects as experiments, not final exams. There’s no single “right way” to begin. * Letting go of the need to catch up or finish everything first frees you to start now. * Feeling good and confident before you act makes it easier to move forward. * It’s okay to start again, and again—every action is a fresh beginning and a chance for self-compassion.
Bottom Line
You don’t need all the answers to get started. Progress comes from action, not from waiting for perfection. Start where you are, be kind to yourself, and let the rest unfold as you go.
What’s something you’ve been waiting to start? Try taking just one small, imperfect step this week—even if it’s messy. Share your story with us! We’d love to hear how you’re embracing progress over perfection and building new habits.
Connect With Us
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Want More?
- Feeling Good About Good Enough - We talk about how getting comfortable with stopping at “good enough” (instead of chasing perfection) is a journey, but one that’s so worth it. You’ll hear how we each learned to embrace progress, question perfectionist thoughts, and truly feel good about what’s reasonable.
- Start Simple - We explore the beauty and challenge of taking a simple approach to starting something new. We share stories about how starting simple can help you actually get going—even when you’re a perfectionist.
From the Great British Bake Off to quirky comedies and riveting thrillers, creative crafts, and lots of reading, we’re diving into all the things that have been adding a little comfort and fun to our days. We chat about the shows making us smile (and cover our eyes), the joy of audiobooks and how they fit into our routines, and the satisfaction of rediscovering cozy knitting projects. We also reflect on recovery, adapting to life’s changes, and how leaning into simple pleasures—especially during colder months—can make everything feel a bit brighter. Join us for a relaxed conversation about embracing what feels good right now and finding joy in the everyday.
What we talk about 01:30 | Great British Bake Off love—why it’s comforting, the junior version, and the joy of British competition shows * 05:33 | British slang discoveries (“pants” is a swear?) * 07:18 | TV recommendations: thrillers and “palate cleansers” * 13:33 | Audiobook routines: Using the Libby app, reading with our ears, and how listening fits into daily life * 17:04* | Knitting and crafting: Rediscovering old projects, using Ravelry, and the joy of making cozy things
Key Takeaways* Gentle TV and books are comfort tools—a good palate cleanser after intense shows can work wonders. * It’s okay to lean into what’s comforting and fun, especially during tough times. * Small wins matter: Whether it’s finishing a knitting project, learning new slang, or finding a new favorite show, celebrate it. * Trying new things (or revisiting old favorites) can spark unexpected joy. * Community makes everything better: Sharing recommendations and hearing from friends (and listeners!) adds joy to the experience.
Bottom LineYou don’t have to be productive every minute—sometimes, following your curiosity and indulging in simple pleasures is exactly what you need. Progress over perfection, always!
- YouTube - Here's the YouTube link if you'd like to watch the episode!
What are you into right now? We’d love to hear what’s bringing you joy, comfort, or just a little escape these days. Drop us a comment on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube, leave us a voicemail at 413-424-GTGE (4843), or send us an email via our website!
Let's connect! * Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Want More Like This?* Episode 243: Are We Having Fun Yet? Having fun is important! We laugh our way through a conversation about how to prioritize fun, add joy to everyday life, and find delight in things like puzzles, dancing, and favorite TV shows. * Episode 242: It's Okay to Be Imperfect We discuss how your value as a person has nothing to do with being perfect, and why embracing imperfection can actually make life more enjoyable and less stressful. * Episode 148: Living with Less We explore how having less stuff can create more freedom and happiness, and why “less is more” can be the key to a lighter, more joyful life.
Struggling to say no without feeling guilty? You're not alone. In this honest conversation about setting boundaries, Shannon and Janine share why "no" really is a complete sentence—even when it doesn't feel like it.
Fresh from juggling surgery prep, family events, and a three-day conference, Shannon opens up about the real challenge of saying no to things you actually want to do. Janine shares her decades-old wisdom from Miss Manners that changed how she sets boundaries forever.
In this episode about saying no and setting boundaries, you'll discover:
- Why over-explaining actually weakens your no (and invites people to argue)
- The "hell yes or no" test that makes decisions crystal clear
- Practical scripts for declining work requests, social invitations, and volunteer commitments
- How to recognize when you're asking too much of yourself
- The relief test that confirms you made the right choice
- Why saying no to good opportunities creates space for great ones (or just rest!)
If you've ever said yes when you meant no, felt guilty about protecting your time, or struggled with people-pleasing perfectionism, this episode is your permission slip to start setting boundaries that actually work.
What We Talk About:
[00:43] Shannon's Complicated Season: When Everything Hits at Once Shannon shares what's been making life complicated: relaunching the podcast, preparing for shoulder surgery in a week, attending her nephew's wedding, visiting her 96-year-old aunt, and attending a conference—all while trying to get everything done before surgery day.
[02:15] The "Perfect Excuse" vs. Real Boundaries Janine asks whether Shannon had opportunities to say no to things she wanted to decline. They discuss when it's appropriate to use an explanation (like upcoming surgery) versus letting no stand alone.
[03:09] Miss Manners and the Full Sentence No Janine shares wisdom from reading Miss Manners cover to cover after college: you never have to give a reason to decline an invitation. This revelation has guided her boundary-setting for decades.
[05:17] Do More of What You Want, Less of What You Don't Janine explains her top goal for the past couple of years and how it's made saying no much easier. She stopped doing volunteer commitments and simply states that without lengthy explanations.
[05:46] Why Over-Explaining Weakens Your No Shannon and Janine discuss how giving long, detailed reasons for declining can make it seem less true—and opens the door for people to argue with you or find loopholes in your excuse.
[08:14] The "Hell Yes or No" Test for Setting Boundaries The hosts explore the trap of defaulting to yes when something feels like a maybe. Key insight: if it's not a "hell yes," it's a no.
[09:25] How Priorities Become Clearer With Age Janine reflects on how getting older has made her priorities crystal clear, making it much easier to discern what deserves a yes and what needs a no.
[10:13] The Kind, Thoughtful No: Setting Boundaries Without Being Rude Shannon emphasizes that your no can be kind and thoughtful—it doesn't have to be rude or unkind. You can decline sincerely and regretfully while still being firm.
[11:27] Saying No to Things You Want to Do Shannon shares the challenge of saying no to things she genuinely wanted to do, including skipping the final sessions of a three-day conference because she was exhausted and had to fly out early the next morning.
[12:42] When You Have to Badger Yourself: A Boundary Red Flag Shannon describes trying to hype herself up to go back to the conference in a "mean way"—and realizing that needing to badger yourself is a big clue that you should say no.
[13:30] Janine's IKEA Meeting Story: Letting Go of Expectations Janine shares how she let go of the expectation to attend her NAPO chapter meeting at IKEA when the timing was too tight. The relief she felt after saying no confirmed it was the right choice.
[14:28] The Relief Test: Your Body Knows the Right Answer Both hosts discuss how the sense of relief after saying no is a good clue that you made the right decision about your boundaries.
[15:19] Asking Too Much of Yourself: Recognizing Your Limits Janine gently points out that Shannon was asking a lot of herself to attend all three days of the conference, especially with an early flight the next morning.
[16:46] The Push and Pull of Conferences and Events Shannon reflects on how conferences and group events (family reunions, weddings) can be fraught with the tension between wanting to do everything and having real limitations on energy and time.
[17:46] Saying No to Volunteering: When Good Things Don't Fit Anymore Shannon shares the difficult decision to step away from volunteering at the pediatric intensive care unit after her first shoulder surgery—and why she chose not to return even after recovery.
[19:42] Your No Opens Opportunities for Others Janine reminds listeners that saying no or stopping something can open opportunities for someone else to step in and enjoy that role or responsibility.
[21:08] Something's Gotta Give: The Real Cost of Not Setting Boundaries Shannon explains that if you don't say no when you lack bandwidth, something will give—whether it's oversleeping (like she did the morning of her 4 a.m. wake-up call) or burning out entirely.
[23:53] Normalizing Boundaries: It's Better for Everyone Shannon emphasizes the importance of normalizing boundaries and recognizing that people can't do everything—and that's okay. It's better for everyone when we're honest about our limits.
[24:13] Know Your Priorities: Your Compass for Saying No Janine wraps up by encouraging listeners to be clear about what's important to them and navigate by that compass—it never lets you down.
10 Key Takeaways: Your Guide to Saying No Without Guilt✅ No is a complete sentence. You don't owe anyone a lengthy explanation for declining an invitation or request. A simple "No, thank you" or "I can't" is enough when setting boundaries.
✅ Over-explaining weakens your no. The more details you add, the more it can seem like you're spinning a story—and it gives people room to argue or find loopholes.
✅ If it's not a "hell yes," it's a no. Don't default to yes when something feels like a maybe. Protect your time and energy for what truly matters by setting clear boundaries.
✅ Your no can be kind and thoughtful. Setting boundaries doesn't have to be rude. You can say no sincerely, regretfully, and firmly all at once.
✅ The relief test works. If you feel a sense of relief after saying no, that's confirmation you made the right choice about your boundaries.
✅ If you have to badger yourself, that's a clue. When you're trying to hype yourself up in a mean way to do something, listen to that signal—it's probably time to say no.
✅ Know your priorities. When you're clear about what's important to you, it becomes much easier to discern what deserves a yes and what needs a no. This clarity makes setting boundaries natural.
✅ Your no opens doors for others. Saying no or stepping away from a commitment can create opportunities for someone else to step in and thrive.
✅ Something's gotta give. If you don't say no when you're stretched too thin, your body or schedule will force the issue—often in less-than-ideal ways.
✅ Boundaries are better for everyone. Normalizing limits and recognizing that people can't do everything helps create healthier, more honest relationships and reduces guilt around saying no.
The Bottom Line on Setting BoundariesSaying no isn't selfish—it's essential self-care. When you're clear about your priorities and honest about your limits, saying no becomes an act of respect for your own bandwidth. You don't need to over-explain, justify, or apologize for setting boundaries.
A simple, kind no protects your time, energy, and ability to show up well for what truly matters. And when you feel that sense of relief after declining? That's confirmation you made the right call. Learning to say no without guilt is a skill that gets easier with practice.
Try This: Your Action Step for Setting BoundariesPractice the simple no. This week, try declining one low-stakes invitation or request without offering a detailed explanation. Notice how it feels—and whether the relief that follows confirms it was the right choice. Start small with saying no, and build your boundary-setting confidence.
- YouTube link - If you'd like to watch the conversation, click here!
Connect With Us: Share Your Boundary-Setting StoriesWe'd love to hear from you! Do you struggle with saying no without guilt? How do you set boundaries in your life? Let us know:
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Ever suggest dinner plans only to hear an immediate "no" from your partner? Or find yourself automatically disagreeing with suggestions before you've even thought them through? You're not alone—and it's not personal.
In this episode, we're diving into the fascinating world of communication patterns, specifically exploring whether you're a sameness or differences person, or a matcher or mismatcher.
Understanding these communication styles can completely transform how you navigate conversations with your spouse, friends, and colleagues. We'll also explore how seeing similarities versus differences affects everything from perfectionism to everyday interactions. Grab your favorite beverage and join us for a conversation that'll make communication feel a whole lot smoother and way less stressful.
What We Talk About 00:06 - Welcome and introduction to communication styles and patterns * 02:52 - The difference between people who see similarities vs. differences * 04:22 - How perfectionism might be linked to sorting for differences * 05:45 - When seeing differences is actually a superpower (hello, typo spotting!) * 07:45 - The frustration of showing your finished project to someone who immediately spots the mistake * 09:01 - How to ask for what you need: "I just want you to be excited, not offer advice" * 11:06 - What is mismatching and why some people automatically say "no" * 15:58 - How to present ideas to a mismatcher without triggering their automatic "no" * 16:37 - The magic phrase: "I don't know if this is anything you'd be interested in..." * 19:44 - How to tell if you're a mismatcher (and why it's not a bad thing) * 21:29* - The difference between mismatching and not wanting to be told what to do
Key TakeawaysSimilarities vs. Differences: Two Different Communication WorldsSome people naturally see what's similar when looking at things, while others immediately spot what's different. Neither is better or worse—they're just different ways of processing information. Understanding which communication pattern you have (and which one your partner has) can save you tons of frustration and miscommunication.
Perfectionism and Difference-Spotting May Be ConnectedIf you're constantly seeing what's not perfect, you might be someone who naturally sorts for differences. Perfectionism often means constantly noticing what takes you away from perfection rather than celebrating what's already good. The good news? This pattern can evolve over time with awareness and practice.
Mismatchers Aren't Being Difficult—They're Protecting ThemselvesIf someone in your life automatically says "no" to suggestions, they might be a mismatcher. This knee-jerk reaction is often a protection mechanism—a way to preserve their ability to make their own decisions without feeling pushed or manipulated. It's not personal, and it's not permanent (they often come back a day later saying "actually, that sounds good").
The Magic of Neutral Phrasing for Better CommunicationInstead of asking a mismatcher a direct yes/no question ("Want to go to the new Italian place?"), try neutral phrasing that opens a conversation: "I don't know if this is anything you'd be interested in, but I heard about this new Italian place..." This communication technique allows them to hear the information and respond based on what they really want, not just their automatic reaction.
Ask for What You Need in ConversationsIt's not cheating to tell someone what kind of response you're looking for. Whether it's "I just want you to be excited, I'm not looking for feedback" or "I'm just venting, not looking for solutions," being clear about what you need helps both people have a more satisfying conversation.
Bottom LineUnderstanding whether you or the people in your life are matchers or mismatchers, similarity- or difference-spotters, can completely transform your communication. These patterns aren't character flaws—they're just different ways our brains are wired to process information and protect ourselves. The key is awareness: notice your own communication patterns, recognize them in others, and adjust how you present information accordingly. When you do, conversations become easier, relationships feel smoother, and everyone gets more of what they actually want.
Listener Action: This week, pay attention to how you respond when someone asks you a question or makes a suggestion. Do you feel guarded? Put on the spot? Do you automatically say no, or do you need more time? Notice the pattern without judgment—just observe. Then, if you're trying to get a "yes" from someone in your life, try using neutral phrasing instead of direct questions and see what happens.
Connect With Us
We'd love to hear from you! Did this episode help you recognize a communication pattern in yourself or someone you love? Let us know:
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Related Episodes
- Episode 53: Preventing Overwhelm - Dives into boundary-setting for people-pleasing perfectionists—essential listening whether you're a mismatcher or matcher who struggles with feeling pushed into decisions.
- Episode 17: Asking for Help - Discusses how to communicate your needs clearly.
Ever feel stuck between hoping for the best and preparing for the worst? When you're facing medical uncertainty—or any kind of unknown outcome—that gap between hope and fear can feel exhausting. In this episode, we get real about what it's like to live in that uncomfortable in-between space, and share strategies for staying present when the future feels uncertain.
What We Talk About [01:12] The Setup: Another Surgery, Another Unknown - Shannon shares the news that she needs a second shoulder surgery just weeks after getting out of her immobilizing brace * [07:00] The Double Jeopardy of It All - Shannon reflects on the unfairness of facing another surgery so soon and her emotional journey from disbelief to acceptance * [11:02] Making the Decision: Now or Later? - Shannon explains why she ultimately chose to have the surgery now rather than wait and live with uncertainty * [14:50] The Practice of Coming Back to Now - Shannon shares how this experience is teaching her to come back to the present moment and enjoy what is * [15:08] Janine's Small-Scale Uncertainty - Janine shares her own uncertainty about traveling during potential flight disruptions * [18:30] Preparing What You Can, Then Letting Go - Both hosts discuss making contingency plans and then releasing the worry about what you can't control * [21:30] The Irony of Shoulder Surgeries and This Podcast* - Reflecting on how shoulder surgeries have repeatedly impacted the podcast's schedule
Key TakeawaysUncertainty Comes in All Sizes (And It's All Valid)
Whether you're facing major surgery or travel plans during a government shutdown, uncertainty is uncomfortable. The scale doesn't matter—what matters is acknowledging that living in the unknown is hard, and giving yourself permission to feel all the feelings that come with it.
You Can Prepare for Multiple Futures Without Living in All of Them
When facing different possible outcomes, it's okay to mentally prepare for each scenario. Make your contingency plans, think through the what-ifs, and then practice letting go. You don't have to live in every possible future simultaneously—just prepare what you can and stay present.
Sometimes Facing the Unknown Is Better Than Living in Limbo
Shannon chose to have surgery now rather than rehab longer in uncertainty. Sometimes the discomfort of not knowing is worse than facing the thing itself. If you're stuck in an extended period of "maybe," consider whether taking action—even scary action—might bring relief.
Humor and Distraction Are Legitimate Coping Tools
The Great British Baking Show isn't just entertainment—it's a mental health strategy. When you're dealing with heavy uncertainty, give yourself permission to find comfort in whatever brings you peace, whether that's binge-watching TV, reading, or any other form of gentle distraction.
Staying Present Is a Practice, Not a Destination
You won't perfectly stay in the present moment when facing uncertainty—and that's okay. The goal isn't to never worry about the future, but to gently bring yourself back to now when you notice you've drifted into anxiety about what might happen.
The Bottom LineLiving in the gap between hope and fear is exhausting, but you don't have to do it perfectly. Identify one area of uncertainty in your life right now. What can you actually prepare for or control? Do that. Then practice letting go of the rest, even if just for today. Come back to the present moment as many times as you need to—that's not failure, that's the practice.
Listener Action: This week, when you catch yourself spinning out about an uncertain future, ask yourself: "What can I actually do about this right now?" If there's an action, take it. If there isn't, practice returning to this moment.
Connect With Us
Facing your own season of uncertainty? We'd love to hear how you're navigating it.
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need to hear it—and consider leaving a rating or review to help others find the show.
- You Tube Link - Watch the episode on YouTube!
Related EpisodesWant more like this? Check out these past episodes that explore similar themes:
- Episode 223: Jen Singer - Living with Illness - Guest Jen shares her journey of living with chronic disease and how illness taught her to let go of perfectionism. Topics include energy triage, figuring out how you want to spend your time when health is uncertain, and the importance of self-care. Jen's mission to "take the loneliness out of illness" resonates deeply with Shannon's current surgical journey.
- Episode 132: Quieting Your Mind – When you're facing medical uncertainty, your mind can feel anything but quiet. This episode explores how to turn down the volume on anxious thoughts, why our bodies react to worry as if the thing we're worrying about is actually happening, and Shannon's practical flowchart for responding to worry. Plus visual metaphors for letting thoughts pass through your mind.
- Episode 131: Trying Something New - When you're facing the unknown (like Shannon's surgical uncertainty), moving through fear becomes essential. This episode explores how letting go of perfectionism helps us embrace new experiences even when we don't know what to expect. "Everything you want is on the other side of fear."
POST SURGERY UPDATE: Shannon's surgery went well and the results were the best-case scenario!
What happens when life throws you the exact curveball you were trying to avoid? We reconnect after more than a month apart to talk about navigating shoulder surgery recovery while keeping our newly relaunched podcast thriving. This conversation is about what "good enough" really means when your expectations shift moment by moment, when celebrating progress means being excited to put your hair up, and when moving forward requires equal parts resilience, humor, and a really good pillow system.
What We Talk About00:26 - Reuniting After Five and a Half Weeks Apart. We see each other for the first time since mid-September, even though listeners have been hearing new episodes every week. The secret? We batch-recorded everything before Shannon's September 23rd shoulder surgery.
02:11 - Life in a Gunslinger Brace. Shannon shares the reality of wearing a full-arm immobilization brace 24/7 for five weeks—sleeping in it, the elaborate pillow system, and why it's called a "gunslinger" (spoiler: she thinks they could've picked a less violent name).
07:55 - When History Repeats Itself (And You're Not Sure What It Means). The emotional weight of deciding to relaunch the podcast in April, only to discover in July that Shannon needed the same surgery that contributed to our 2023 shuttering of the podcast. Was the universe trying to tell us something? (Spoiler: No. We kept going anyway!)
09:36 - Moving Forward With Uncertainty. Janine reflects on why she never hesitated to move forward despite the unknowns, and Shannon shares her gratitude for that unwavering support. We discuss why having something to look forward to matters during difficult times.
13:00 - When Your Morning Routine Goes Out the Window. The irony of recording episodes about morning routines and energy management right before surgery, when all routines disappear and are replaced by "set an alarm every five hours for pain meds."
14:42 - The Sling Has a History. Shannon reveals she's wearing the same brace from her 2023 right shoulder surgery (because medical equipment is absurdly expensive), and why she has an entire bin of orthopedic supplies. Janine asks if she's named it yet.
17:25 - Living With a Connective Tissue Disorder. Shannon explains how her hypermobility disorder affects joint stability and recovery, and the strengthening exercises she's doing to hopefully prevent future surgeries.
18:14 - Celebrating the Smallest Wins. Shannon shares the two things she's most excited to do again: put her hair up and wear her necklace. This is what celebrating progress looks like when you're six to twelve months away from full recovery.
Key Takeaways"Good Enough" Changes Moment to MomentWhen you're in recovery—or any major life disruption—"good enough" isn't a fixed standard. It shifts with your energy, your pain level, your emotional capacity. Shannon's learning to embrace whatever good enough means in each moment, whether that's editing a podcast episode or just getting dressed for the day. This flexible approach to self-compassion can help anyone navigating unexpected challenges.
Progress Deserves Celebration, Not Just SuccessShannon won't be "successful" with her shoulder recovery for six to twelve months. But there are dozens of small victories along the way: weaning out of the brace, making it through physical therapy, putting her hair up for the first time. Don't wait for the finish line to celebrate—mark the milestones. This mindset shift from perfectionism to progress can transform how you experience difficult seasons.
Having Something to Look Forward To MattersEven though the podcast relaunch added complexity to an already difficult recovery, it gave Shannon something positive to focus on. Sometimes the thing that feels like "one more thing" is actually the thing that keeps you going. Finding meaning and purpose during recovery can be as important as the physical healing.
Uncertainty Doesn't Have to Stop YouWe moved forward with the podcast relaunch even though we had no idea how Shannon's recovery would go or when we'd be able to record again. We pre-recorded what we could, stayed flexible, and trusted we'd figure it out. And we did. This approach to managing uncertainty can help you move forward even when you can't see the whole path.
Your Body Keeps the ReceiptsShannon's connective tissue disorder means her joints don't have the same stability as is typical, making her more prone to injuries and longer recoveries. But she's learning what her body needs—strengthening exercises, better support, realistic expectations—and building a life that works with her body, not against it. This self-awareness is key for anyone managing chronic health conditions.
Bottom LineRecovery isn't linear, and neither is life. Whether you're navigating a health challenge, a career setback, or just a season that feels harder than expected, "good enough" is your permission slip to meet yourself where you are—not where you think you should be. Celebrate the small wins. Adjust your expectations. Keep moving forward, even when the path looks different than you planned. And remember: sometimes the biggest victory is just showing up and putting on a necklace.
Your move: What's one small win you can celebrate today, even if you're nowhere near the finish line?
- YouTube link - Click if you'd like to watch us talk!
Connect With Us* Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843) * Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube * Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Related Episodes* Episode 99: Playing the Long Game (April 16, 2020) - About tolerating the discomfort of imperfection in order to stick with something and get better at it or enjoy it more * Episode 48: Flexibility (April 25, 2019) - How to build flexibility into your high standards and embrace adaptability when life becomes more difficult * Episode 32: Self Care (January 3, 2019) - Practical self-care strategies for perfectionists, removing barriers to consistent routines, and making wellness sustainable during busy times
Originally aired: August 19, 2021
We've all been there—when everything seems to go wrong and you're stuck in a spiral of frustration. But what if you could turn around a bad day without just waiting it out or forcing fake gratitude? In this Best Of episode, Janine shares her terrible, horrible, no good very bad day, and Shannon offers practical self-compassion strategies to shift your perspective and reset your energy. From the power of "yes, and..." to the surprising magic of moving your body, discover how to acknowledge what sucks while still finding your way back to good enough.
What We Talk About 00:56 - Janine's real-time bad day unfolds * 01:58 - The restaurant analogy: when things start bad, they often stay bad * 02:48 - Creating a mid-day reset to shift your trajectory * 02:58 - Janine shares her comedy of errors: the groomer mix-up and the doctor's appointment disaster * 05:12 - The chiropractor cancellation, the ink stain, and when everything piles on * 05:41 - Stepping back to recognize privilege and practice gratitude (even when you're grumpy) * 06:22 - Shannon's reframe: "We only have this problem because there's money" * 06:59 - "Why do I always have to be the grown-up in the room?" * 07:30 - The three-part response: wallowing, gratitude journaling, and knitting * 07:55 - The power of "yes, and...": acknowledging what sucks before adding gratitude * 08:40 - Avoiding cognitive dissonance: why gratitude alone doesn't work without acknowledgment * 09:50 - Learning from bad days without self-recrimination: "file this away for future reference" * 10:50 - Moving your body to reset your energy: the almost-magical shift * 11:33 - The "knocking on heaven's door" twist move for instant relief * 12:22 - The heated neck wrap hack for pain relief while moving * 13:32 - Getting in touch with what's important to you: removing the bad day filter * 14:40 - Removing the"bad day" filter so you can see the good stuff. * 16:01 - The importance of acknowledging difficulty before turning things around * 16:30 - The blessing of good friends and free advice * 16:57 - Laughter as an antidote: calling a friend or watching your go-to funny video * 17:24* - Damn You Autocorrect and other guaranteed laugh sources
Key Takeaways1. Acknowledge First, Reframe Second
Don't jump straight to gratitude when you're having a bad day—it creates cognitive dissonance. Instead, use "yes, and...": Yes, this really sucks, AND I'm fortunate in these ways. Acknowledging what's hard allows your unconscious mind to genuinely feel gratitude instead of pushing back with "yes, but..."
2. Remove Your Bad Day Filter
When things go wrong, we unconsciously start looking for evidence that proves we're having a bad day. We become "chief executive officers of proving our bad day." Combat this by intentionally getting in touch with what's important to you—it opens your perspective to all the good things you're not noticing when you're focused on what's going wrong.
3. Move Your Body to Shift Your Energy
Physical movement creates an almost magical reset. Try jumping up and down and shaking your hands out, or do the "knocking on heaven's door" twist (twist your upper body with limp arms so your hands slap front and back). Movement shifts your energy and helps change your day's trajectory in ways that feel surprisingly powerful.
4. Learn Without Self-Recrimination
When things go wrong, resist the urge to beat yourself up. Instead, think: "file this away for future reference." For example, instead of "I should have made a chiropractor appointment sooner," try "Next time I feel pain starting, I'll make an appointment right away." It's the same lesson without the guilt.
5. Create a Mid-Day Reset
You can't abandon a bad day like you can leave a restaurant with terrible service, but you can create a break. Do something low-stakes that gives you a little enjoyment—it creates a transition between how things were going and how you want them to go. Whether it's knitting, calling a friend for a laugh, or watching a favorite funny video, give yourself permission to reset.
Frequently Asked QuestionsQ: How do you make a bad day better?
A: Start by acknowledging what's hard (don't skip to forced gratitude). Then try a physical reset like jumping and shaking for 30 seconds, and name one thing you're grateful for. The "yes, and..." technique helps you hold both truths at once.
Q: Why doesn't gratitude work when I'm having a bad day?
A: Jumping straight to gratitude creates cognitive dissonance—your unconscious mind pushes back because you haven't acknowledged what sucks first. Use "yes, and..." instead: "Yes, this is hard, AND I'm fortunate in these ways."
Q: What's the fastest way to reset a bad day?
A: Move your body. Even 30 seconds of jumping and shaking shifts your energy almost magically. Physical movement changes your day's trajectory faster than mental strategies alone.
Bottom LineBad days happen to everyone, and you can't just walk away from them. But you also don't have to let them steamroll you. The key is acknowledging what's hard (without wallowing in it) while actively shifting your perspective to what matters. Move your body, laugh with a friend, practice "yes, and..." thinking, and remember: you're not the chief executive officer of proving your bad day. Sometimes good enough means recognizing that today was rough AND you're still okay—and tomorrow gets a fresh start.
Give it a try: Next time you're having a bad day, try this three-step reset: (1) Acknowledge out loud what sucks, (2) Do something physical to shift your energy (even just jumping and shaking for 30 seconds), and (3) Name one thing that's important to you that you're grateful for. Notice how the combination changes your perspective.
Connect With UsWe'd love to hear how you turn around a bad day! Have you tried any of these strategies? What works for you when everything seems to be going wrong?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If this episode helped you see your bad days differently, please share it with a friend who might need the reminder that good enough is always within reach—even on the worst days.
Related Episodes You Might Love: Episode 139: Coping Imperfectly (January 21, 2021) - How to cope during difficult times by granting yourself kindness and grace * Episode 153: Helping Your Future Self (April 29, 2021) - Taking action in ways your future self will thank you for * Episode 242: It's Okay to Be Imperfect* (March 16, 2023) - How your worth has nothing to do with how perfectly you do things
What if you're not bad at productivity—you're just using the wrong system for your brain? In this episode about finding your peak productivity hours, Shannon and Janine stumble into a conversation that turns into a real-time energy audit experiment. Shannon discovers her natural energy rhythms peak at 3-6 PM—the exact opposite of what productivity gurus recommend. We commit to tracking our energy patterns. Join us as we figure out what happens when you stop fighting your natural work rhythms and start working with them instead.
What We Talk AboutIn this 26-minute conversation about work energy patterns and productivity without guilt, we cover:
- 02:12 – The Monday morning struggle: structuring your day and setting priorities
- 04:59 – Shannon's surprising discovery: her peak productivity hours are 3-6 PM
- 07:05 – The second wind phenomenon and why it's hard to harness
- 08:49 – Shannon's "weird mind game" about planning work for later in the day
- 10:23 – The stigma of "waiting until the last minute" vs. working with your energy
- 13:12 – Why doing the opposite of productivity gurus feels so hard
- 14:06 – The energy you gain from letting go of fighting your natural patterns
- 15:35 – Designing the experiment: Shannon's plan to track energy patterns
- 16:46 – Janine's opposite challenge: can she knock out her top tasks before lunch?
- 18:28 – How working with your rhythms could solve other challenges (like exercise)
- 22:11 – The burning question: what bird is active in the afternoon?
- 22:40 – Committing to the experiment and inviting listeners to join
Key TakeawaysUnderstanding Your Peak Productivity HoursWhat if you're not broken—just mismatched to your system? Shannon has a breakthrough moment when she realizes her clearest, most productive hours are 3-6 PM—the exact opposite of what most productivity advice recommends. This isn't a flaw; it's just her natural rhythm. The question becomes: what happens when you stop trying to fix yourself and start designing around how you actually work?
Why Fighting Your Natural Energy Rhythms Drains YouFighting your natural energy patterns is exhausting. When you constantly try to force yourself to work during times that don't align with your natural rhythms, you're spending precious energy just fighting yourself. As Shannon puts it: "I almost feel like if I let go of fighting it, II would have more energy." What if all that energy could go toward actually getting things done?
The "Buffer" Mentality and Productivity GuiltThe "buffer" mentality keeps you stuck. Shannon discovers she's been unconsciously keeping her peak hours as a "buffer" in case she doesn't get things done earlier—which creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where she never plans to use her best hours intentionally. It's a fascinating mind game many of us play without realizing it.
Productivity guilt doesn't actually help you be productive. Shannon admits to feeling like she's "waiting until the last minute" when she gets things done in the afternoon, even though that's when she does her best work. This guilt doesn't serve any useful purpose—it just makes her feel bad about being productive. What would happen if we let that go?
Morning vs Afternoon Productivity: Different Rhythms WorkDifferent rhythms need different experiments. Janine thrives in the morning and designs a challenge to complete her top 1-3 tasks before lunch, freeing up her afternoons. Shannon's going to experiment with protecting her afternoon hours for her most important work. There's no one-size-fits-all approach—just curiosity about what works for you.
How to Design Your Own Energy AuditAn energy audit starts with simple tracking. Both hosts commit to paying attention to when they do what work and how it feels—not to judge themselves, but to gather real data about their natural patterns. Shannon plans to track this in her bullet journal during an especially intense work period, which will give her clear feedback fast.
Working With Your Energy Solves Multiple ProblemsWorking with your rhythms can solve multiple problems at once. When Janine gets her priority tasks done before lunch, she'll have guilt-free afternoon time for exercise, puzzles, or other activities she keeps putting off. When Shannon embraces her afternoon productivity, she can enjoy her mornings without the pressure of "should be working." One shift can create unexpected benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions About Natural Energy RhythmsWhen are most people's peak productivity hours?
While productivity advice often says mornings are best, peak productivity hours vary by person. Shannon discovered her clearest thinking happens 3-6 PM, while Janine thrives in the morning. The key is tracking your own energy patterns instead of following generic advice.
How do I do an energy audit?
Start simple: track when you do different types of work and how your brain feels. Notice when work feels easiest vs. hardest. Use a bullet journal, phone notes, or just mental observations. No judgment—just curiosity about your natural work rhythms. Shannon and Janine are doing this experiment too, and they'll report back on what they discover.
What if my peak hours don't match my schedule?
This is common! The experiment is about discovering your patterns first, then finding small ways to protect your best hours for your most important work—even if you can't restructure everything. Sometimes just knowing your rhythms helps you make better choices about when to tackle different types of tasks.
Bottom LineStop trying to force yourself into someone else's productivity pattern—let's figure out your natural energy rhythms instead. The "eat the frog" and "do your hardest work first thing in the morning" advice works great for people whose brains work that way. But if your peak energy and clearest thinking happen at different times, you're not broken or lazy. You're just different.
Join us in the energy audit experiment: Track when you do your best work. Notice when you feel most clear-headed and energized—not when you think you should feel that way, but when you actually do. Track it simply—in a bullet journal, on your phone, or just mental notes. Then experiment with protecting that time for your most important work, even if it goes against conventional productivity wisdom. Whether you're a morning productivity person or discover afternoon energy is your secret weapon, this experiment will help you work with your energy, not against it. We'll be doing this too, and we'll report back on what we discover. Let's figure this out together.
Connect With UsWhat are your natural energy patterns? Are you a morning lark who gets everything done before lunch, or do you hit your stride in the afternoon or evening? Have you tried working with your natural rhythms instead of fighting them?
Join the experiment with us! Track your energy for a week and see what you discover. We'd love to hear what you find out—and seriously, if you know what bird is most active in the afternoon, please tell us. We need to know.
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If this episode resonated with you, please leave us a review or share it with someone who's been fighting their own natural rhythms. It helps more people find their way to Good Enough.
Want More? Episode 67: Keeping Focus – Strategies for dealing with distractions and maintaining focus amid open loops and interruptions
Episode 193: Gentle Accountability – Learn how to stay on track without beating yourself up, holding yourself accountable with kindness and effectiveness
Episode 196: Building an Anti-Perfectionist Toolkit – Discover different techniques and tools to turn to when stuck in perfectionism, embracing that not everything works forever
How to Host Guests Without Perfectionism Taking OverWhat if the secret to being a great host has nothing to do with having a perfect home? Join Shannon and Janine as they share personal stories about stress-free hosting, from spontaneous game nights to weekend visits with college friends. Discover why your guests care more about connection than your baseboards, and learn practical strategies to welcome people into your home without losing your mind in the process. If hosting anxiety has been keeping you from inviting people over, this episode is your permission slip to embrace good enough hosting.
What We Talk About00:00 - Welcome and introduction to good enough hosting
01:17 - Janine's unprecedented summer: hosting three houseguests in July
02:14 - Shannon's LA weekend: Bridget Everett, great food, and not over-scheduling
04:55 - The hosting truth bomb: everyone's more comfortable when the host is comfortable
06:25 - Game night wisdom: cocktails, takeout, and setting expectations
07:52 - The unvacuumed floor story (and why it didn't matter)
10:16 - CHAOS: Can't Have Anybody Over Syndrome and the 15-minute tidy
11:37 - Resurrecting the Quick Clutter Fix resource
14:26 - Shannon's goal achieved: the guest-ready home
15:20 - "The job isn't done until the tools are put away" - a great habit that makes keeping a guest ready home easier
19:14 - The real point: connection matters more than perfection
20:23 - Permission to go the extra mile (or not)
Key Takeaways for Stress-Free EntertainingYour Relaxed Energy Matters More Than Your DécorWhen the host is stressed, guests feel it. When you're comfortable and at ease, everyone has a better time. Your emotional state sets the tone for the entire visit. Hosting without stress starts with giving yourself permission to be relaxed.
Most Guests Just Want to Spend Time With YouThey're not coming to judge your baseboards or inspect your guest room. Shannon's LA trip was perfect because it focused on connection—binge-watching TV, eating good food, and just being together. No elaborate itinerary required. Connection over perfection is the real secret to memorable gatherings.
The 15-Minute Tidy Beats the 3-Hour Deep CleanYou don't need to pull everything out of your closet and completely reorganize when someone's coming over. A quick declutter of visible spaces is usually enough. The Quick Clutter Fix approach helps you avoid the trap of making things worse by over-preparing. If you struggle with CHAOS (Can't Have Anybody Over Syndrome), this strategy is a game-changer.
"The Job Isn't Done Until the Tools Are Put Away"Creating systems where everything has a place makes hosting guests infinitely easier. Shannon keeps guest room sheets in a drawer under the guest bed, making changeovers simple. Her "putting the house to bed" evening routine means her home is guest-ready without last-minute panic. Small organizing wins create big stress reductions.
Set Expectations Early and OftenJanine's game night invitation was clear: "cocktails, games, and takeout." When the food arrived late, it didn't matter because expectations were already set. Be upfront about what kind of gathering you're hosting to reduce hosting anxiety for everyone.
Bottom LineGood enough hosting isn't about lowering your standards—it's about raising your priorities. When you focus on connection over perfection, you create space for authentic hospitality that feels good for everyone. Your guests will remember the laughter, the conversations, and how welcome they felt, not whether your house was Instagram-ready.
Try this: Next time you're tempted to stress about hosting, ask yourself: "What would make this easier for me while still making my guest feel welcome?" Then do that thing. Your relaxed presence is the best gift you can offer.
Resources & Links Quick Clutter Fix one-pager * Flylady and CHAOS (Can't Have Anybody Over Syndrome) * Somebody Somewhere* starring Bridget Everett
- YouTube link - Here's the link if you'd like to watch the conversation!
Connect With UsWe'd love to hear from you! Do you enjoy hosting, or does it stress you out? What's your biggest hosting challenge? Share your thoughts:
- Social: Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube @gettingtogoodenough
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
- Voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (413-424-4843)
- Website: gettingtogoodenough.com
If this episode resonated with you, please leave us a review or share it with someone who needs permission to host imperfectly. Every share helps us reach more people looking for their own version of good enough.
Want More?Episode 3: Backsliding - If you've ever had your guest-ready routine fall apart, this episode is for you. Learn why setbacks are normal and how to plan your comeback before you need it.
Episode 14: Evening Routines - This is where Shannon first introduced the concept of "putting the house to bed"—the exact routine that makes her home guest-ready at a moment's notice. Learn how an evening routine can be a favor to your future self.
Episode 74: Be Kind to Yourself - Perfectionists can be really hard on themselves about hosting. This episode explores why self-compassion is more effective than self-criticism when things don't go perfectly.
Remember when you used to post everything on social media? The ER visit at 3am, the sunrise photos, even that video of swifts swirling into a church chimney? We sure do—and we're noticing how much our relationship with social media has changed.
From Shannon's former habit of doom-scrolling first thing in the morning to Janine's carefully curated Instagram-viewing strategy (spoiler: it involves search, dogs and zero feed-scrolling), this conversation gets real about the comparison trap, the algorithm rabbit hole, and why Shannon's 96-year-old aunt might have the best social media strategy of all.
If you've ever felt that familiar pang of "comparisonitis" while scrolling, or wondered why we keep watching police chase videos that stress us out, this episode is your permission slip to make social media work for you—not the other way around.
What We Talk About• 00:30 - Janine's gorgeous sunrise photos and Shannon's hesitation to post the amazing swift video
• 03:27 - The ER incident from 2013: when Shannon posted from the CT scan (and stopped for a photo op under a "bump" sign)
• 06:30 - How taking a break from social media changed Shannon's relationship with posting and scrolling
• 07:08 - The real problem with social media: comparisonitis and comparing your insides to everyone else's outsides
• 08:21 - The dirty Kleenex revelation: even Janine tidies up before posting
• 10:04 - Janine's Instagram happiness strategy: four accounts, zero feed scrolling
• 13:24 - The relentless ads and why Shannon keeps seeing garden hoses after she already bought one
• 14:27 - Getting sucked into the video tunnel: Shannon's improv swing dancing obsession and Janine's police chase confession
• 18:16 - Shannon's 96-year-old aunt's perfectly curated Facebook feed (Van Gogh, Oregon history, and baby animals)
• 21:07 - The algorithm responds to what you linger on—so choose carefully
• 25:21 - Being careful who you follow when you're prone to comparison
• 26:25 - Shannon's muting strategy during political seasons and the 30-day test
• 28:12 - The two-profile solution: one for happiness, one for news
• 28:51 - Shannon's game-changer: keeping her phone across the room to stop morning doom-scrolling
• 30:15 - The big question: Why are you on social media? Make sure your feed reflects your purpose
Key Takeaways for Happier and Healthier Social Media Habits1. Your Feed Should Reflect Your Purpose, Not Their Algorithm
Social media platforms want to keep you scrolling with ads and sponsored content, but you get to decide what you see. Start by asking yourself: Why am I on social media? Are you looking for connection? Inspiration? Entertainment? Once you're clear on your purpose, curate your feed to match. Follow people you actually want to connect with, accounts that genuinely inspire you, and content that makes you smile. There are no "shoulds"—you don't have to follow news sites, political accounts, or even relatives if their posts stress you out. Your feed, your rules.
2. The Unfollow/Mute Button Is Self-Care, Not Rejection
If someone's posts consistently make you feel bad—whether it's comparison, stress, or just annoyance—you have permission to unfollow or mute them. This isn't mean or petty; it's setting healthy social media boundaries. Shannon shares her strategy of muting people during political seasons with a 30-day reminder to reassess. Janine avoids her Instagram feed entirely, using search instead to find exactly what brings her joy. The goal isn't to cut people out of your life—it's to protect your peace while scrolling.
3. Comparisonitis Is Real—And You Can Cure It
As Shannon reminds us, social media shows everyone's highlight reel. You're comparing your messy insides to their carefully curated outsides. Even Janine admits she tidies up the dirty Kleenex before posting a photo! The cure? Be intentional about who you follow. If you're prone to comparison (and most of us are), follow accounts that inspire rather than deflate you. Shannon's 96-year-old aunt has it figured out—her feed is full of Van Gogh paintings, Oregon history, and cute animals. Zero stress, all joy.
4. Physical Distance From Your Phone Changes Everything
Shannon's biggest game-changer for breaking the doom-scrolling habit? Keeping her phone across the room at night. No more grabbing it first thing in the morning and falling into the scroll hole. This simple physical barrier helps her stick to her morning routine and start the day on her own terms, not the algorithm's. If you find yourself reaching for your phone without thinking, try adding some distance—literally.
5. Consider the Two-Profile Solution
Want to stay informed without the stress? We discuss having separate social media profiles: one curated for happiness (friends, hobbies, inspiration) and one for news and current events. This way, you can choose your mindset before you scroll. Feeling good? Stick to the happy feed. Ready to engage with the news? Switch profiles intentionally. It's all about intentional social media use instead of passive consumption.
The Bottom LineSocial media doesn't have to be a source of stress, comparison, or wasted time. You have way more control than you think. Start by getting clear on why you're there, then ruthlessly curate your feed to match that purpose. Unfollow and mute without guilt. Put some physical distance between you and your phone. And remember: we're all tidying up the Kleenex before we post.
Listener Action: This week, do a quick audit of your social media feed. Unfollow or mute three accounts that don't make you feel good, and follow three new accounts that genuinely spark joy or inspiration. Your feed, your rules.
- Swing dance improv - Here's an example of the swing dance improv that captivates Shannon. Amazing stuff!
- YouTube link - If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, click here!
Connect With UsFeeling inspired to take back control of your feed? We'd love to hear from you! Leave us a voicemail at 413-424-GTGE (4843) or find us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @gettingtogoodenough.
If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend, and rate or review us on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
Want more like this?Episode 69: Social Media Our original social media episode covering how social media triggers perfectionism and strategies for making your feed a source of happiness instead of stress.
Episode 120: Sneaky Perfectionism Explores how perfectionism hides behind reluctance to take action—like Shannon's hesitation to post on social media in Episode 264.
Episode 70: Personal Progress Update We check in on commitments made during previous episodes, including morning routine struggles, like Shannon’s fix of moving the phone across the room to stop doom-scrolling.
Is your creative space too messy to work in, or are you spending so much time organizing that you never actually create anything? Today we're diving into that tricky balance between creative freedom and helpful structure. Whether you're drowning in craft supplies or afraid to make your first mark on a blank page, we've got strategies to help you find your creative flow and actually do the thing you love.
What We Talk About
- [2:00] Janine's coffee filter flower project and the joy of following templates
- [4:30] The challenge of storing creative supplies in small spaces
- [6:00] How perfectionism derails creativity before you even start
- [8:00] The craft room phenomenon: buying everything, creating nothing
- [10:30] Creating portable creative kits with bags you already own
- [12:30] Why quilters laughed at Janine's organizing advice
- [17:00] Applying the "clear your space" principle to work desks
- [19:00] The challenge of ending your workday when you're self-employed
- [23:00] Finding your creative flow type: freedom or structure?
Key TakeawaysOvercoming Creative Perfectionism: The Supply Trap vs. The Template Solution
Perfectionism often shows up in the supply-buying phase, where we convince ourselves we need every perfect tool before we can start creating. Janine's coffee filter flowers worked because she had a clear list and concrete steps—no endless research required. The key is knowing when you have "enough" to begin.
Portable Creative Kit Ideas: Use What You Already Have
Shannon's visible mending bag (that adorable polka dot Knit Pickers bag from Janine!) solves multiple problems: everything stays contained, it's easy to put away, and it's portable. Use bags you already love but rarely use to create dedicated kits for different creative projects. This beats leaving supplies scattered or forgetting about hidden projects.
Creative Workspace Setup for Small Spaces
Not everyone can have a dedicated craft room, and that's okay. Whether you're working at your dining table or desk, the principle remains: clear your space at the end of each session so you're not facing yesterday's mess when inspiration strikes. Even quilters might disagree with this advice, but for most of us, a fresh start beats creative paralysis.
Workspace Decluttering: The End-of-Day Reset Ritual
Just like putting your house to bed, putting your workspace to bed creates a natural boundary. For the self-employed especially, this ritual can signal the end of the workday and prevent that endless drift between work and life. Even if you haven't done it in weeks, a desk is a finite space—it won't take as long as you think.
Creative Block Solutions: Permission to Have Your Kind of Creative Flow
Some people thrive with papers everywhere as long as they know where things are. Others get paralyzed by any clutter. The goal isn't perfect organization—it's knowing which type of environment helps your creativity flow and which type blocks it. Give yourself permission to work in whatever way actually works for you.
Bottom Line
Creativity doesn't require perfect conditions or perfect supplies—it requires showing up and starting somewhere. Whether that's with a template like Janine's flowers or a "good enough" workspace that's clear enough to think, the goal is progress over perfection. Stop organizing your way out of creating, and start creating your way into the flow that actually serves your creative spirit.
Your action step: Look at one creative project you've been avoiding. Is it because you don't have the "right" supplies, or because your space feels too chaotic to start? Pick the smallest possible step—clearing one surface, gathering supplies in a bag, or just making the first mark—and do that today.
Connect With UsWe'd love to hear from you! Do you thrive in creative freedom or need helpful structure? Are you spending more time buying supplies than actually creating? Tell us all about it:
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
If this episode helped you think differently about your creative space, please share it with someone who might need permission to embrace their own version of "good enough" creativity. And if you haven't already, leave us a review—it helps other people find us!
- YouTube video - The video version of the episode!
Want More Like This?
If you enjoyed this episode about creativity and organization, here are some related episodes you might love:
- Episode 172: "Happy Creativity" - Shannon and Janine dive deep into how to maintain joy in your creative projects, including turning off your inner critic, creating organizational infrastructure for creativity, and how perfectionism can derail happy creativity.
- Episode 95: "Letting Go of Stuff" - Perfect for anyone drowning in supplies! Learn strategies for releasing items you don't need, avoiding perfectionism when decluttering, and the up-and-down cycle of clearing spaces.
- Episode 171: "Next Steps" - Great for when you're feeling overwhelmed about getting started on projects. Covers breaking goals into tiny steps and mindfully creating habits to move forward.
- Episode 14: "Evening Routines" - In case you want to learn more about this whole "putting your house to bed" thing that Shannon does each evening.
Ever find yourself sitting in workout clothes for three hours without actually working out? Or maybe you've had a perfect streak going and then... life happened? We're talking about those inevitable moments when we slip off the rails and why that doesn't mean you've failed. Spoiler alert: backsliding is totally normal, and we've got strategies to help you bounce back with more ease and way less stress.
Key Moments: Overcoming Perfectionism and Building Better Habits00:52 - Morning Routine Success Story: Shannon shares how their morning routine finally clicked after realizing she needs to work out first thing - no exceptions, no rabbit holes allowed.
02:47 - The Perfectionist's Backsliding Problem: Why perfectionists struggle more with getting back on track: "If you failed, then there's no point in trying anymore."
04:18 - Building in the Expectation of Setbacks: Shannon's coaching approach: "One of the things that I do with my clients is try to build in the knowledge that you are going to get derailed... and that doesn't mean you failed."
04:51 - The Power of Pre-Planning Your Comeback: Janine's insight from Shannon’s coaching: "You can brainstorm that before you're feeling the emotions of it and then have that in your pocket for if it happens."
07:32 - The Tiny Action Strategy for Habit Formation: Shannon's streak-saving secret: Set goals so small you can maintain them even on your worst days (like Duolingo's 10-point minimum).
11:40 - Normalizing the Process: The key mindset shift: "This is part of the process. It's not like a failure of the process."
13:08 - Identifying Your Likely Obstacles: Getting ahead of problems: "Help them figure out what's most likely to cause them to backslide... so that either we can clear that obstacle or we can know that that's going to happen."
14:27 - Permission to Give Yourself a Pass: Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is allow yourself grace when life gets overwhelming.
15:39 - Why Being Hard on Yourself Backfires: Shannon explains: "We feel like we have to beat ourselves up... that actually works against you being successful."
5 Practical Strategies for Getting Back on Track1. Expect the Inevitable: Build setbacks into your planning from the start. When you know backsliding will happen, it becomes part of the process rather than a failure. 2. Create Tiny Minimums: Set your daily goals so small that you can maintain them even on your worst days. Think 10 points on Duolingo or a 5-minute walk. 3. Plan Your Comeback Strategy: Before emotions run high, decide what you'll do when things go off track. Having a plan makes it easier to restart without shame. 4. Identify Your Triggers: Know what's most likely to derail you - whether it's getting sick, traveling, or stress - so you can prepare or give yourself permission to pause. 5. Practice Self-Compassion: Being hard on yourself actually makes it harder to get back on track. Kindness is more motivating than criticism.
The Bottom Line: Progress Over PerfectionHere's the truth: you're going to get derailed sometimes, and that's completely normal. The secret isn't avoiding backslides - it's knowing how to bounce back without the drama. This week, pick one habit you're working on and create your "comeback plan." What's the smallest possible action you could take to restart? Write it down now, before you need it. And let us know how it goes!
Connect With Us
We'd love to hear about your backsliding stories and comeback strategies! How do you handle those moments when life gets in the way of your best-laid plans?
- Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
- Find us on social: Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube @GettingToGoodEnough
- Email us: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com
Please share this with anyone who’d benefit from hearing that getting derailed is totally normal.
Want more?
- Episode 104: Try Compassion - Perfect connection for the self-compassion themes discussed, including "how easy it is to be hard on yourself" and "techniques Shannon uses to help her clients be less hard on themselves"
- Episode 105: Enjoying Imperfection - Links to the broader theme of embracing imperfection and "Shannon's shift from wanting perfectionism to enjoying good enough"
We're diving into the messy world of morning routines—those perfectly planned sequences that work great until life happens and you're three hours into your day still wearing workout clothes you never worked out in. If you're tired of striving for Instagram-perfect mornings that have nothing to do with real life, this conversation is for you.
What We Talk About:
- How Shannon's podcast excitement derailed her workout routine (01:21)
- Why "trying" to do something usually means you won't (02:27)
- Janine's rock-solid morning routine and adding new things (03:15)
- Morning people vs. slow-to-wake-up people (04:13)
- Shannon's phone-free bedroom strategy (06:15)
- Why morning routines start the night before (15:37)
- Anchoring new habits to existing ones (14:49)
- Building flexibility so broken streaks don't derail everything (12:58)
Building Flexible Morning Frameworks
Ditch the "Perfect Morning" Myth: Those elaborate Instagram morning routines often fail because of cognitive load and all-or-nothing thinking. We're giving you permission to have "survival mornings"—because real life doesn't cooperate with Pinterest boards.
Start Ridiculously Small: Shannon's client wanted to walk daily but started by just putting on tennis shoes and stepping onto the front porch. That counted as success and removed the perfectionism that kills good intentions.
Create High vs. Low Energy Options: Build a menu instead of one rigid routine. High energy mornings might include workouts and journaling; low energy mornings might just be coffee and getting dressed. Both count as wins.
Why Mondays Need Different Rules: The weekend-to-weekday transition deserves special consideration. Maybe that's extra prep Sunday night or a simplified Monday morning focused on just getting started.
The Bottom Line
Your morning routine doesn't have to be perfect to be powerful. Perfectionism tells us broken streaks mean failure, but every morning is a fresh start. Survival mornings are still successful mornings. Listener Action: Pick one tiny thing to add to your morning and anchor it to something you already do consistently. Create both a high-energy and low-energy version.
Connect With Us
Whether your morning routine is humming along or you're still in yesterday's workout clothes, we'd love to hear all about it! Call or text 413-424-GTGE (4843) or find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube @gettingtogoodenough.
If this helped you think differently about mornings, please share, rate and review!
Want more like this?
Check out Episode 11: Morning Routines (our original deep dive into this topic) and Episode 45: Getting Back on Track (perfect for when life derails your best intentions).
After a two-year hiatus, Shannon and Janine realized their new listeners might not know who they are! In this fun episode, we share the friendship origin story that began with dogs with Addison's disease, and blossomed into a 24-year friendship built on different personalities that complement each other.
What You’ll Learn:• How we met through a listserv for dogs with Addison's disease in 2001 (02:50)
• The canceled conference and Shannon's flight on one of the first planes after 9/11 (05:25)
• Why Janine's friends thought they'd known each other for 15 years when they had just met (07:45)
• Their different approaches to challenges: Shannon's mountain climbing vs. Janine's cozy preferences (18:50)
• Shannon's solo 200+ mile Camino de Santiago walk through Portugal and Spain (23:40)
Key Takeaways for Building Authentic RelationshipsFriendship doesn't require similarity: Shannon and Janine's 24-year bond proves that different personalities can create beautiful balance. While Shannon loves an outdoor adventure like walking the Camino, mountain climbing and marathons, Janine's more of an “indoor cat" preferring knitting and more cozy challenges.
Trust creates transformation: Janine has a policy of trying anything Shannon suggests because she's learned to trust her friend's judgment completely. This has led to life-changing discoveries like YNAB and wool clothing.
Embrace your natural preferences: Whether you're drawn to physical challenges like Shannon or mental challenges like Janine, honoring your authentic self leads to better relationships and decisions.
Good partnerships complement each other: Their different strengths—Shannon's coaching expertise and Janine's organizing skills—create a richer experience for everyone around them.
The Bottom LineTrue friendship isn't about being identical—it's about finding someone whose differences complement your strengths and whose trust allows you both to grow. Whether you're naturally "good enough" like Janine or working toward it like Shannon, the key is embracing your authentic self while staying open to gentle pushes from people who truly know and care about you.
Listener Action: Think of one person in your life whose suggestions you trust. What's one thing they've recommended that you've been hesitant to try? Consider giving it a shot this week—you might discover something wonderful about yourself.
Connect With UsHave questions about our friendship or want to know more about our individual journeys? We’d love to hear from you! Leave us a voicemail at 413-424-GTGE (4843) or find us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @gettingtogoodenough.
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the podcast with a friend, and rating or reviewing it on your favorite podcast platform. It really helps others discover the show and means so much to us!
Want more like this?Episode 70: {GEIP} Personal Progress Update - Listen to Shannon and Janine check in on their various commitments and goals, showing how they practice what they preach about progress over perfection
Episode 243: Are We Having Fun Yet? - Hear Shannon and Janine's laughter-infused discussion about prioritizing fun and how their different personalities approach having a good time
Financial Peace: How Smart Money Strategies and YNAB End Financial Stress (Best of GTGE) - Discover the financial tool that Shannon introduced to Janine and that she now loves "to the universe and back"
Welcome (back) to Getting to Good Enough! After two years away, Shannon and Janine are reconnecting and beginning the podcast again. In this podcast relaunch episode, they share why they stepped away, what they learned during their hiatus, and how they're returning with fresh eyes and zero pressure for perfection.
What You'll Learn About Starting Over* Why taking breaks can be the reset you need - sometimes stepping away is the best growth strategy * How life challenges shaped their perspective - Shannon's surgery recovery, Janine's move, and her husband's heart transplant journey * The power of 20+ year friendship in keeping doors open for new beginnings * How new podcasting technology is making content creation enjoyable again * Permission to grow beyond perfectionism into bigger life conversations about wellness and daily living
Key Takeaways for Recovering Perfectionists* Starting over isn't starting from scratch - you bring all your personal growth with you * "We can always change our mind" - flexibility beats perfectionism every time * Small steps create big life changes - progress over perfection wins * Embrace uncertainty - perfect plans are overrated anyway * Low expectations work - if one person benefits from your work, that's success
What's Different About The Podcast this TimeNew Technology Stack:
- Captivate hosting platform for better distribution
- Riverside recording for crystal-clear audio quality
- Video episodes now on YouTube for visual learners
- AI assistance streamlining modern podcasting workflows
- Improved documentation and content planning systems
Same Authentic Approach:
- Two genuine hosts + one engaged listener = podcast success
- Real conversations about imperfection and self-compassion
- Weekly episodes focused on doing more of what you love
The Bottom Line on Starting OverSometimes the best way forward is to embrace a "good enough" mindset and just start. Shannon and Janine are living proof you can take a break, let life happen, and come back when ready - no shame, just fresh beginnings and authentic conversations.
Ready to start something over in your own life? Hit subscribe for weekly conversations about embracing imperfection, overcoming perfectionism paralysis, and doing more of what you love.
Connect With Getting to Good EnoughFind us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for behind-the-scenes content and episode highlights. Leave a voice note at 413-424-GTGE (4843) with topics you'd love us to explore in future episodes!
Money stress affects so many of us, but it doesn't have to be that way. In this Best of episode from our archives, Janine and Shannon dive deep into the budgeting tools and money management strategies that have brought them genuine financial peace. Shannon shares her expertise with YNAB (formerly You Need a Budget) software, while Janine discusses her journey from financial stress to feeling "in the driver's seat" with her money.
Fun FactSince recording this episode, both Shannon and Janine became Certified YNAB Coaches! (links below)
What You'll Learn* How YNAB's "give every dollar a job" approach revolutionizes budgeting [4:12] * The game-changing concept of paying next month's expenses with this month's income [5:56] * Why checking your budget daily takes less than 15 minutes and creates lasting financial peace [7:22] * How to budget for annual expenses monthly to eliminate financial surprises [10:08] * Strategies for couples to manage money peacefully with separate fun budgets [12:47] * The brilliant pairing of YNAB with QuickBooks for business owners [18:29] * How to create a financial buffer using "magical paychecks" [27:31]
Key Takeaways for Recovering PerfectionistsStart imperfectly, but start: Janine's experience shows that you don't need to master YNAB immediately. Begin using it, then learn more to deepen your understanding.
Daily habits beat perfect systems: Shannon manages three budgets and 15+ accounts in under 15 minutes each morning. Consistency trumps perfection.
Roll with the punches: YNAB's "whack-a-mole" feature lets you move money between categories when life happens. Your budget can be flexible, not rigid.
Progress over perfection: Janine went from being perpetually behind on QuickBooks to staying current by pairing it with her established YNAB habit.
Links* Want to give YNAB a try? Use our referral link to get an extra month free and support the podcast at the same time. * Shannon's YNAB & Money Coaching * Janine's YNAB Coaching
The Bottom LineFinancial peace isn't about having tons of money—it's about knowing where your money is and feeling in control. Whether you try YNAB or create your own budget and buffer system, the goal is making money feel supportive rather than stressful.
Frequently Asked QuestionsIs YNAB worth the monthly cost? Shannon and Janine both say absolutely yes—the peace of mind and financial control are worth far more than the subscription fee.
How long does it take to see results with YNAB? Most users feel more in control within the first month, with significant stress reduction after 2-3 months of consistent use.
Can YNAB work for irregular income? Yes! Shannon explains how to handle variable income by building buffers and prioritizing essential expenses first.
Connect With UsHave questions about YNAB or financial peace strategies? Find us on social media @gettingtogoodenough or leave a voicemail at 413-424-GTGE (4843).
Learn how to curate a closet you love with practical decluttering tips, Project 333 insights, and strategies to end decision fatigue when getting dressed.
Transform Your Overwhelming Closet Into a Curated Wardrobe You LoveMost of us have way more clothes than we actually wear. When our closets become museums of "maybe someday" pieces and impulse purchases, the simple act of getting dressed transforms from a daily pleasure into a source of stress and decision fatigue.
In this comprehensive 50-minute deep-dive episode (our longest—we had SO much to say!), Shannon and Janine explore the art of closet curation: creating a minimalist wardrobe that serves your real life and contains only pieces you genuinely love wearing.
What You'll Learn About Closet Organization and Wardrobe Curation:The Closet Struggle is Real• Why most people battle some form of clothing overwhelm and closet clutter
• The domino effect of a crowded, chaotic closet on your daily routine and mental energy
• How "just in case" thinking keeps us trapped in closet organization paralysis
The Magic of Curation Over Perfection• The life-changing benefits of an uncrowded, intentional closet
• Implementing a sustainable "one in, one out" policy for wardrobe maintenance
• How frequent travel accidentally becomes the best capsule wardrobe teacher
Practical Closet Decluttering Strategies That Actually Work• Project 333: The minimalist clothing challenge that's surprisingly doable
• Shannon's brilliant DIY closet-clearing method (seriously, try this!)
• Organizing clothes by color vs. other systems that might work better for you
• Marie Kondo-style folding techniques (Janine's been doing this for years!)
Real Stories, Real Solutions for Wardrobe Overwhelm• How Janine embraces wearing the same beloved pieces repeatedly without guilt
• Shannon's uniform evolution—from uninspired to intentional with professional style guidance through a clas
• Our recent (surprisingly painless!) closet cleanouts and breakthrough moments
The Psychology Behind Closet Clutter• How perfectionism sneaks into our wardrobes and sabotages getting dressed
• Why closet curation matters beyond just having fewer clothes
• Creating space for joy in your daily routine through intentional choices
Featured Resources for Closet Organization:* Marie Kondo folding techniques - The one t-shirt folding video that actually makes sense * Stasia Savasuk's transformative TEDx Talk about discovering your personal style * Project 333 minimalist fashion challenge - The game-changing approach to capsule wardrobes
Perfect for Listeners Who Want To:✓ End decision fatigue when getting dressed each morning
✓ Create a capsule wardrobe that actually works for their lifestyle
✓ Learn proven closet decluttering methods without overwhelm
✓ Transform their relationship with clothes and personal style
✓ Implement minimalist wardrobe principles without extreme measures
This isn't about creating a perfect, Pinterest-worthy closet—it's about curating a wardrobe that makes getting dressed a pleasure instead of a chore. Whether you're drowning in clothing choices or just ready to love what you wear, this conversation offers practical wisdom without the pressure.
Ready to transform your closet chaos into curated calm? Listen now and discover why sometimes less really is more when it comes to the clothes we love.
Self-Care Without Perfectionism: Key TakeawaysStruggling with self-care because it never feels "perfect enough"? This episode from our Getting to Good Enough archives offers practical self-care strategies for perfectionists and busy people. Originally published January 3, 2019, this honest conversation between life coach Shannon Wilkinson and professional organizer Janine Adams explores realistic ways to prioritize your well-being without the pressure of doing it perfectly.
This episode is part of our "Best of Getting to Good Enough" series, featuring favorite conversations from our archives as we prepare to relaunch the podcast September 4, 2025. Whether you're a longtime listener revisiting this episode or discovering us for the first time, this conversation captures what Getting to Good Enough is all about: practical discussions on letting go of perfectionism to make room for what really matters in daily life.
(Originally aired January 3, 2019) Now that the holidays are over, it's the perfect time to focus on realistic self-care for perfectionists. This week Janine and Shannon discuss the importance of self-care without guilt and what sustainable wellness looks like for busy people.
What You'll Learn About Self-Care• Why self-care looks different for everyone (and that's okay)
• Shannon and Janine's favorite realistic self-care activities
• The joy of floating in a flotation tank for stress relief
• How to create time for self-care without perfectionist pressure
• Shannon's breakthrough idea for making exercise feel like self-care instead of punishment
• Removing barriers to consistent self-care routines
• How to ensure your treats (like shopping) are actually good self-care
• Simple self-care ideas: quiet reading and nice walks (Shannon's favorites)
• Social self-care: crafting with friends (Janine's go-to)
• How Janine and her brother practiced joyful self-care by gorging on pot stickers in Walla Walla
• Why belly laughs are essential self-care
Featured Self-Care Ideas from This EpisodeFor Introverts: Quiet reading, peaceful walks, flotation tank therapy
For Social People: Crafting with friends, shared meals, belly laughs with loved ones
For Exercise Skeptics: Reframing movement as self-care rather than obligation
For Busy Schedules: Simple treats that truly nurture (not just distract)
Resources Mentioned* Another favorite of both Shannon and Janine: More Cowbell * Shannon’s F-bomb-laden-but-hilarious cat video weird-looking stray cat – NSFW! * Another favorite from Janine: cats playing patty cake * Janine’s go-to belly laugh video: BBC interview is interrupted * A wonderful round up in the New York Times about what self care means for different people * A New York Times article about journaling as self care
Ready for more practical tips on letting go of perfectionism? Subscribe to Getting to Good Enough as we relaunch September 4, 2025, with fresh episodes on embracing "good enough" in daily life, realistic wellness strategies, and permission to be perfectly imperfect.
This episode is part of our "Best of Getting to Good Enough" series, featuring favorite conversations from our archives as we prepare to relaunch the podcast September 4, 2025. Whether you're a longtime listener revisiting this episode or discovering us for the first time, this conversation captures what Getting to Good Enough is all about: practical discussions on letting go of perfectionism to make room for what really matters in daily life.
This episode was originally published January 30, 2020. We had such a great discussion about how less stuff can actually add up to more freedom and happiness. It sounds counterintuitive, but when you're not managing, organizing, and stressing about all the things you own, you have so much more mental and physical space for what actually matters. Enjoy!
Shannon and Janine are living the "less is more" mantra this year as Shannon makes it a focus of her 2020 goals and Janine focuses on helping her organizing clients let go of excess. In this episode, they discuss how less stuff can add up to more freedom and happiness.
Discussion topics include:
• One of Shannon’s focuses for 2020: Letting go of excess
• How Shannon feels encumbered by her stuff
• A cogent quote from one of Janine’s clients: “I feel handcuffed to my house because of this stuff”
• How stuff tends to proliferate when you don’t focus on it
• The natural tendency to fill up empty space
• How having extra space after you finish decluttering is a good thing
• Shannon’s plan to re-embrace a version of Project 333 for her wardrobe
• The joy (and beauty) of a not-full closet
• How excess can get in the way of people’s freedom and happiness
• Janine's truism: The more you keep of a collection, the less special any of it is
• Clearing out the excess so you can enjoy and access what you decide to keep
• Storing items according to frequency of use
• Shannon’s shopping-list strategies that stop her from overbuying
• Less is more in practice: How Janine and Shannon decluttered their topics list for this podcast
• The keys to less is more: Paying attention to what feels good about it and knowing why you want it
We're BACK! After thinking we were done forever, Getting to Good Enough returns September 4, 2025 with new episodes every week.
What Makes Us Different:
Unlike other perfectionism content that focuses on "overcoming" perfectionism, we celebrate "good enough" as the goal. You get real conversations between someone who's naturally good at "good enough" (Janine) and a recovering perfectionist still learning (Shannon) – so whether you relate to the struggle or need to learn the mindset, we've got you covered.
What You'll Get:
• Weekly episodes packed with perfectionism-busting tips from 20+ years of professional experience
• Real stories from our organizing and coaching practices (not just theory!)
• Permission to be human instead of perfect
• The same warmth, wisdom, and laughter you've loved for 5+ years
• 20-25 minute conversations that feel like chatting with supportive friends
Meet Your Hosts:
Janine Adams - Certified Professional Organizer who's naturally good at "good enough"
Shannon Wilkinson - Life Coach and recovering perfectionist still learning to embrace "good enough"
From everyday wins and hilarious fails to those moments when "good enough" saves the day, we're covering it all. This podcast is your safe space for perfectionism help, personal development, and life coaching with real heart. If you struggle with perfectionism paralysis, negative self-talk, or just need your permission slip to do more of what you love – we're here for you.
Subscribe now so you don't miss our return on September 4th!
Visit gettingtogoodenough.com for all episodes and updates.
Janine and Shannon have made the difficult decision to stop recording the podcast. In this episode, we discuss how we came to that decision and how life-changing the podcast has been for us.
We are so grateful to our listeners for their attention and support over the five years of this podcast. We hope that you've benefited from listening. Our plan is to keep past episodes of the podcast available indefinitely, so you can listen to any of the other 253(!) episodes whenever you want.
Janine and Shannon have made the difficult decision to stop recording the podcast. In this episode, we discuss how we came to that decision and how life-changing the podcast has been for us. We are so grateful to our listeners for their attention and support over the five years of this podcast. We hope… Continue reading Episode 254: A Good Enough Goodbye
We are taking a little break while Shannon recovers from shoulder surgery. We’ll be back in a few weeks! In the meantime, feel free to listen to past episodes, all of which you can easily find from our Episodes page.
Getting a great night’s sleep can be elusive, especially as we get older. Shannon and Janine have tried a lot of things to improve the quality of their sleep and we’re excited to discuss them in this episode. We provide lots of great links with this one! (A quick note: When we recorded this episode, we thought it was going to be Episode 250, but for a variety of reasons, we ended up re-running some episodes.)
Discussion topics include:
- The good old days when we could get a good night’s sleep and not even notice
- The app Shannon uses to check her sleep: AutoSleep
- The sleep app Janine uses: Sleep Cycle
- Shannon’s sleep-talking habit (she runs meetings in her sleep!)
- The double-edged sword of electronically monitoring your sleep
- Adjusting your sleep goals so you can achieve them more often
- Getting ready for bed
- Shannon’s current sleep solution: Drinking four ounces of tart cherry juice
- Janine’s current sleep solution: Dream Powder
- The challenge of varying temperature preferences when you’re sharing a bed
- Shannon’s eucalyptus weighted blanket
- Listening to sleep stories to get to sleep
- Shannon’s sleep mask with embedded bluetooth speakers!
- Practicing good sleep hygiene
Links:
- Shannon’s sleep app: AutoSleep
- Janine’s sleep app: Sleep Cycle
- Tart Cherry Juice
- Janine’s sleepy-time cocoa: Dream Powder from Beam (that’s an affiliate link)
- Shannon’s eucalyptus weighted blanket: Bearaby Tree Napper
- Calm Sleep Stories (free of charge)
- Shannon’s current source for sleep stories: Get Sleepy
- Shannon’s sleep mask with mini-bluetooth speakers
- Information on good sleep hygiene
- Episode 142: Getting ZZZZZs
Why is it so hard to acknowledge our small victories? In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss taking the win and how it’s good for our productivity (and our health!).
Discussion topics include:
- How it can be hard to accept that what you’ve done is valuable and counts even if it’s not perfect
- The idea that if you feel good about what you’ve done you might slack off
- Would you play a game on your phone if all it did was buzz you when you got something wrong?
- How the things that are most addictive are the things that are rewarding you constantly for doing something
- If we talk to our friends the way we tend to talk to ourselves, we wouldn’t have a lot of friends
- Remember: Everything counts (even the easy stuff)! You can still take the win.
- A good companion to your to-do list: A “Done” list
- Paying attention to the areas where you could be kinder to yourself and feel good about what you’ve done
- How taking the win can help you get more done
- Accepting compliments (and taking them in)
- The person who gave us the idea for this topic: Shannon’s husband, Mike!
Shannon’s back from Italy and we’re running some episodes we recorded before she left. This week, Shannon and Janine are talking about the beauty of taking a simple approach to starting something and how that can be challenging for perfectionists.
Discussion topics include:
- Our virtual retreat to plan our YNAB coaching practices (simpler than trying to figure out how to work together in person)
- How starting simple can help you actually get started on a project
- Leaving open the possibility for change when you’re starting something
- Applying this concept to decluttering your closet
- How Janine made starting her car-buying process very simple by buying what Shannon had
- The beauty of narrowing down your options (and how Shannon accomplished that when she built her most recent house)
- How starting simple can make a project feel less overwhelming
- Remember: it’s not necessary to plan every single step of a project before you start it (something that perfectionists tend to want to do)
- How you can get more information with each step of a project (after you get started)
- Starting simple by guessing
- Figuring out what barriers need to be taken away to allow you to get started
- Getting past the “What If?”
- Recognizing that what feels simple to one person may not feel simple to someone else
Links:
- Episode 73: Too many choices
- Episode 199: Considering an electric car
It’s our 250th episode! This week we’re re-running an episode from May 2021, almost exactly two years ago. Next week, keep an eye out for a new episode.
Getting comfortable with stopping at good enough (rather than pursuing perfection) can be tough for some people. But it can also be really beneficial. This week Janine and Shannon talk about how and why to feel good about good enough.
Discussion topics include:
- Embracing the goodness of “good enough”
- Rejecting the negative connotations of “good enough” and “taking the easy way out”
- The journey of getting comfortable with good enough
- How Shannon was able to get more comfortable with good enough a little at a time
- Questioning the thoughts you have about perfectionism to make it easier to embrace good enough
- Paying attention to progress (and feeling good about progress), rather than trying to do something perfectly
- Being okay with what’s reasonable as opposed to striving for the unreasonable expectation of perfection
- Practicing feeling good about good enough in every day life
- Shannon’s practice of feeling good about good enough (and working little and often) in her garden-clean-up efforts
- Shannon’s good-enough lawn mowing practice
- The beauty of being able to walk away from something knowing that it’s goof enough (if not perfect)
- Saving bandwidth by embracing good enough
- Being kind to yourself about having a bad memory
This week we’re running a repeat from January 2020.
Shannon and Janine are living the “less is more” mantra this year as Shannon makes it a focus of her 2020 goals and Janine focuses on helping her organizing clients let go of excess. In this episode, they discuss how less stuff can add up to more freedom and happiness.
Discussion topics include:
- One of Shannon’s focuses for 2020: Letting go of excess
- How Shannon feels encumbered by her stuff
- A cogent quote from one of Janine’s clients: “I feel handcuffed to my house because of this stuff”
- How stuff tends to proliferate when you don’t focus on it
- The natural tendency to fill up empty space
- How having extra space after you finish decluttering is a good thing
- Shannon’s plan to re-embrace a version of Project 333 for her wardrobe
- The joy (and beauty) of a not-full closet
- How excess can get in the way of people’s freedom and happiness
- Janine’s truism: The more you keep of a collection, the less special any of it is
- Clearing out the excess so you can enjoy and access what you decide to keep
- Storing items according to frequency of use
- Shannon’s shopping-list strategies that stop her from overbuying
- Less is more in practice: How Janine and Shannon decluttered their topics list for this podcast
- The key to less is more: Paying attention to what feels good about it and knowing why you want it
Links:
- Project 333, the clothing minimalism challenge from Courtney Carver
- Proliferation of small creatures in the movie Gremlins
We first published this episode back in February 2019. It feels more relevant than ever in our post-pandemic world.
If you feel you should be running at 100 percent capacity, you’re not doing yourself any favors. This week Janine and Shannon discuss personal capacity and how making sure you’re giving yourself plenty of room capacity-wise can help you be happier and less stressed.
Discussion topics include:
- How personal capacity is like the memory capacity of your computer or phone – when you fill it up, everything slows down
- The fact that it’s unreasonable to expect that you can function at 100 percent capacity
- How unnecessary thoughts can take up valuable personal capacity
- Letting go of worry so that you can use that energy for more important things
- The many things that factor into personal capacity, including having a realistic perception of how long something will take
- Managing your own expectations of what you can get done in a given amount of time
- Setting yourself up for success with a realistic task list
- Ways you can expand your capacity (hint: stop overthinking and close up your loops)
- Getting stuff out of your head and onto paper (or pixels) to free up your brain
Links:
- Shannon’s blog post on easing phantom energy draws
- For more talk on realistic task lists, see Episode 6: Task Management and Episode 36: Feeling Satisfied
Shannon’s on vacation, so we’re rerunning some favorite episodes for the next month or so. This week, we’re revisiting Janine’s bad day in 2021 and how Shannon helped her (and, we hope, you) turn it around.
Everyone has a bad day some time. On the day we recorded this episode, Janine was experiencing a bad day that left a dark cloud hanging over her head. Shannon was able to make suggestions that helped her (and can help you) make a bad day better.
Discussion topics include:
- How it’s possible to reset bad day
- Janine’s terrible, horrible, no good very bad day
- Taking a step back during a bad day and looking on the bright side
- Wallowing vs trying to snap out of it
- “Yes, and…”
- The importance of acknowledging when something sucks; it allows your unconscious mind to feel gratitude
- Learning from our bad days
- Giving yourself a reset by moving your body and shifting your energy
- Getting in touch with what’s important to you to help you get past a bad day
- The value of a good laugh on a bad day
Links:
- For a little deeper dive on what Shannon said about the importance of acknowledging something bad before looking at the good, see her blog post, The Paradox of Affirmations
- To see Yoga with Adriene’s Knocking at Heaven’s Door in action, watch minutes 2:30 to 4:15 on this video, Yoga for Stress Relief
We recorded this episode and the previous one as a pair. So we’re re-running them in consecutive weeks as well. We hope this episode will help you keep stuff from piling up!
Bothered by an overabundance of paper and email? This episode is for you. Last week, Shannon and Janine discussed working through backlogs and this week we share some strategies for creating systems so those backlogs don’t come back. Specifically we talk about ideas for email, snail mail and paper in general.
Discussion topics include:
- How having a system allows you to bounce back when stuff piles up during transitions
- That it’s totally normal for systems to fail sometimes
- The more successful your system, the smoother things will go
- Creating systems for email
- Automating systems as much as possible
- Unsubscribing from email lists
- The value of daily attention to email
- Shannon’s strategy for handling her email by ignoring it most of the time
- Freedom Filer, the filing system that changed Shannon’s life
- Being very discerning about the paper you want to keep in your life
- Shannon’s need for a system for storing her cartoons and urban sketch notebooks
- Keeping accessibility top of mind when setting up storage systems
Links:
- Episode 4: Backsliding
- Freedom Filer (this is an affiliate link)
We published this episode back in February 2020 and unfortunately backlogs are not a thing of the past! We thought we’d rerun it for those who are still dealing with this challenge.
When stuff piles up in your home or office it can overwhelming to contemplate plowing through it and getting rid of the backlog. Add perfectionist tendencies to the equation and it can be even more challenging. In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss some strategies for working through a backlog. Stay tuned next week when we discuss preventing pileups so the backlogs don’t come back.
Discussion topics include:
- The satisfaction of working through a backlog
- Our own current backlogs
- Dealing with a (tremendous!) email backlog
- Picking the low-hanging fruit first
- How putting like things together can help you decide to get rid of stuff
- An easier way of dealing with filing: Keep less paper!
- The value of doing a high-level presort before filing
- How a timer can help you get through your backlog
- Allowing yourself to deal with a backlog with as much ease as possible
- Isolating a backlog to allow you to work on it a little at a time without adding to it
- Dealing with a backlog of postal mail
- Remember: The job’s not done until the tools are put away
Links:
Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management, by Mark Forster
A note from Shannon:
I worked through the bulk of my email backlog using an app called Chuck Email. It groups all your messages in your inbox into groups by sender, subject or time. Then you can process those batched groups very quickly. I went from over 12,000 emails in my inbox to under 300 in less than two hours!
Squee! Janine and Shannon have exciting news to share: We’ve both completed a training program to earn the certification YNAB Certified Budgeting Coaches. We’re very excited to coach people so they can benefit from this unique budgeting methodology and software as we have. This week we talk all about why we love YNAB (You Need a Budget).
Discussion topics include:
- We’ve finished our certification program and are now YNAB Certified Budgeting Coaches
- We learned so much!
- What’s YNAB? It’s You Need A Budget, a methodology and software for budgeting. We love it.
- How the training program gave us a deeper knowledge of both the methodology and software
- How YNAB’s Rule Three: Roll with the Punches appeals to the “good enough” in us!
- The baked-in expectation that you will change things in your YNAB budget
- A key component of YNAB: You budget only money that you have
- The similarities between YNAB and an envelope system of spending
- A major YNAB goal: Get out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle
- The peace of mind YNAB has given Janine while she and her husband plan the financial implications of his retirement
- How YNAB is helpful for people with lower and higher incomes (and everyone in between)
- How YNAB is useful for both getting out of debt and saving money
- The two-person virtual YNAB retreat that Shannon and Janine are planning
- The joy of having a new focus
- Shannon’s 20th anniversary as a life coach!
- Our plan to talk about YNAB monthly in this podcast
- The freedom of having clarity around your finances
Links:
- You Need a Budget (that’s an affiliate link: if you use it to sign up, you get a free month and so does Shannon)
- YNAB Certified Coaching Program (in case you’re interested)
Having fun is important! In this laughter-infused episode, Shannon and Janine have fun discussing how to prioritize fun and adding fun to every day life.
Discussion topics include:
- Our criterion for continuing with our podcast: We’ll keep doing it as long as we’re having fun
- How fun is different for different people
- We agree: Things are fun when laughter is involved
- Things can be fun without laughter too!
- Fun with jigsaw puzzles
- Janine’s upcoming trip to Australia to attend a super-fun live-music-centric wedding party
- All the fun dancing at Shannon’s wedding
- How your attitude can affect how much fun you have
- Understanding what fun is for you and incorporating it into your life
- Making day-to-day stuff more fun
- Janine’s dog Bix, the Fun Enforcer (and how perhaps she should change her attitude about it)
- Letting things be fun
- Shannon’s cat, Cleo, who thinks being chased is very fun
- The psychological and physical benefits of having fun
- Prioritizing fun
- Janine and Shannon’s obsession with the TV show Station 19
- How things are more fun when you share them
- How YNAB has made budgeting fun
- Finding fun ways to do the things you need to do (Zumba class vs step aerobics, for example)
- Gamification
- The fun reward of gold stars
Link:
- Episode 182: Gamification
One of the hardest parts about perfectionism is that it can mess with your feelings of self worth. In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss how your value as a person has nothing to do with how perfectly you do things.
Discussion topics include:
- Early spring in Portland and St. Louis!
- One of the difficult things about perfectionism: Feeling bad about not being able to be perfect
- How some people can really beat themselves up over imperfection
- How hard it is to get over this when you’re caught up in it
- The valuable message from KC Davis of Struggle Care
- How a messy house is value neutral
- Starting to consider the possibility that your struggles don’t make you a bad person
- How your worth doesn’t change based on how perfectly you do things
- How recognizing that your actions don’t define you can calm down your nervous system
- The debilitating effect of letting perfectionism dictate your self worth
- How things can be organized and still a little messy
- Thinking of yourself as a good person independent of the state of things around you or your unfinished task list
- Entertaining the idea that it’s okay to be imperfect
- The heart of our podcast: We want people to feel good about themselves and be okay with however they are
Here’s a photo of the card Shannon painted featuring the early-blooming daphne in her yard. It bloomed in January!
Links:
- K.C. Davis’s Struggle Care website
- The Bob Newhart “Stop It!” clip
Life can get so frazzled when you don’t build in buffers. In this episode Shannon and Janine discuss the value of buffers and some different ways you can build them into your life.
Discussion topics include:
- Janine’s current frustrations about her busy schedule
- The culprit: She’s not scheduling the desk time she needs
- How Janine gets cranky when her schedule is too full
- Being realistic about what you can do in a day without feeling tired and cranky
- How we are able do fewer things in a day as we get older
- The importance of being aware that things needs to change
- Different ways to build buffers in your life
- The demoralizing effect of having things undone on your task list day after day
- How arriving somewhere early is creating valuable time, not wasting time
- Making a buffer non-negotiable
- Shannon’s three-thing limit in her calendar and how she builds a buffer around that limit
- Building a buffer when you don’t have complete control over your time
- Delegation as a tool for building a buffer
- Building a financial buffer (hooray for YNAB!)
- Allowing a buffer of white space in your physical surroundings
Doing the easiest thing first (the low-hanging fruit) gets a bad rap. But it can actually make everything easier. In this episode Janine and Shannon discuss strategies around using low-hanging fruit to get stuff done.
Discussion topics include:
- Low-hanging fruit counts!
- How allowing yourself to address low-hanging fruit first can help you get started
- Starting with something easy and stopping when it stops being easy
- Shannon’s ingenious closet-cleaning method
- How there’s always the lowest hanging fruit
- Addressing low-hanging fruit in any situation
- Low-hanging fruit in task management
- Remembering that you don’t have to do everything at once
- Counting every step (even the easiest step!)
- Magical words: “Done for now”
- Giving yourself credit for what you’re doing
- Making sure your next action feels really doable (and if it doesn’t, scale it back or move on to something else)
Links:
- Episode 33: Closet Curation, where Shannon goes in-depth into her closet-cleaning method
- Mark Forster’s Autofocus task-management system
- Episode 2: Rewards
- Episode 143: Progress, Not Perfection
In honor of next week’s big in-person and virtual genealogy conference, RootsTech, we are re-running a 2018 episode about applying a good-enough mentality to genealogy research. Enjoy!
Shannon and Janine are among the millions of people who enjoy doing genealogy research. In fact, as a genealogy blogger, Janine devotes a significant amount of time to it. In this episode, we discuss Shannon’s challenges with her genealogy research (which involve an enviable literal treasure trove of original documents given to her by her mother) and discuss some strategies to help her get past the perfectionism that’s stopping her from proceeding with her research.
Discussion topics include:
- How a lot of people get hung up on perfectionism in genealogy
- How genealogical standards can feel intimidating
- How the discovery of Shannon’s treasure trove was both wonderful and stress-inducing
- The responsibility Shannon feels to the rest of her family to care for these documents correctly and share them
- The importance of knowing why genealogy research (and anything else) is important to you
- Some practical advice for dealing with these precious documents (keyword: checklist)
- Creating a “good enough” standard to make source citations easier
- Getting past the overwhelm of genealogy research
- Janine’s “good enough” research log
Bonus! We get an update on Shannon’s morning routine at the end of the episode. She shares how her good enough attitude and the minimum standards she has set have helped her establish and stick with a great morning routine.
Comment from Shannon: Right after we recorded this episode, I purchased archival document boxes and folders and started sorting my documents into them. It was a perfect rainy day Sunday activity and I no longer feel overwhelmed!
Here’s a photo of her set up:
Links:
- Janine’s genealogy blog, Organize Your Family History
- The Morning Sidekick Journal Shannon used to establish her awesome morning routine
- RootsTech conference
Why are we so hard on ourselves? This week, Janine and Shannon discuss self-compassion and treating ourselves as nicely as we treat our besties.
Discussion topics include:
- The folly of harping on your past mistakes in an attempt to avoid those mistakes again
- How constantly reminding yourself of your mistakes makes it hard to do the thing you’re trying to do
- A technique for letting go of past mistakes
- Acknowledging a past struggle before asking yourself to do the thing again
- Shannon’s Boring Change technique that helps you understand the deeper need behind your behaviors (and can help you modify your behavior)
- Understanding when you’re struggling and being kind to yourself
- Channeling your own BFF and thinking about what they’d say to you
- Ask yourself, “What would I say to a friend with this challenge?”
- Recognizing that you’re not the only person struggling with something
- Nobody is flawless!
- Setting realistic expectations so you don’t beat yourself up
- How it’s helpful to put a positive spin on things
- An important reminder: How you choose to perceive things makes a big difference in how you experience them because it has a bearing on what you notice
- The value of a gratitude journal to help you look for the good things in your life
- A recipe for being your own BFF: Acknowledge the issues, looking for the good, and let the feelings that the good inspire in you help you move forward
Links:
- Shannon’s Boring Change audio and workbook
- A lovely illustration: Three Steps For Self Compassion Illustrated
- Some simple guidance on keeping a gratitude journal
Prior to recording this episode, Shannon and Janine listened to a podcast discussing the new book “The Perfectionist’s Guide To Losing Control: A Path To Peace And Power.” The podcast sparked this week’s discussion of aiming for ideal rather than flawless, the more commonly used definition of perfectionism. To us, ideal feels much more attainable and healthy than flawless.
Discussion topics include:
- The inspiration for this topic: a Life Kit podcast episode called “What Kind of Perfectionist Are You?” featuring Katherine Morgan Schafler, the author of the new book, “The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control: A Path To Peace and Power.”
- The Latin root of the word perfect: “Completely done” not “flawless”
- Shifting away from thinking that perfect means flawless
- The author’s take that perfectionism can be powerful if it is approached in a healthy way
- The interesting idea that there is a constructive, rather than destructive, side to perfectionism
- According to the author, people who are perfectionists are people who see the gap between reality and the ideal and want to bridge that gap
- The problem becomes when the reasons behind bridging the gap are unhealthy
- How Janine’s husband is happy to be a perfectionist and uses his drive in a way that serves him (and her)
- How the word “ideal” is more subjective and therefore more attainable than “flawless”
- The relief in pursuing an ideal rather than striving for perfection
- How this is one of the least flawless recordings we’ve done, but we’re embracing it!
- Thinking about what parts of perfectionism can be useful
- Letting go of the idea that perfectionists are striving for flawless
- Getting in touch with your why to identify whether your perfectionistic drive is healthy or not
Links:
- The Perfectionist’s Guide To Losing Control: A Path To Peace And Power, by Katherine Morgan Schafler
- What kind of perfectionist are you? Take this 7-question quiz to find out, the Life Kit podcast episode that inspired this episode
The anticipation and anxiety around starting a new adventure can be even more intense when you’re dealing with perfectionism. In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss a new adventure they’re both embarking on and how they’re preparing for it.
- How Shannon is feeling good (not just better) at good enough!
- Janine and Shannon’s excitement to be starting the YNAB Certified Coaching program together
- How there are some nerves mixed in with the excitement
- Easing our nervousness and setting ourselves up for success
- Our different approaches to getting ready for this course
- Electronic vs paper note taking
- The value of staying flexible when you’re starting something new, because you don’t know until you know
- How our plans for structure around Getting to Good Enough fell by the wayside very quickly
- Thinking about whether a project needs to be structured or not when you’re starting out
- How building in some structure can make a new adventure feel doable
- Getting in touch with why starting a particular new adventure is important to you
- Putting your why into a few words to help you stay on track in your new adventure
- Acknowledging that things probably aren’t going to go perfectly so that you’re not derailed by problems
Links:
- You Need a Budget (that’s an affiliate link: if you use it to sign up, you get a free month and so does Shannon)
- YNAB Certified Coaching Program
In what appears to be a new tradition, every other January we run this episode on Hobbies, one of our favorites. It first appeared in January 2019. Enjoy!
Perfectionism can get in the way of starting or enjoying hobbies. This week Shannon and Janine talk about their hobbies (and attempted hobbies) and share strategies for getting past perfectionism so you can enjoy your hobbies.
Discussion topics include:
- How every hobby Shannon’s had has been marred by perfectionism
- How perfectionism can get in the way of starting and enjoying a new hobby
- The fact that new hobbies usually have to be bad before they can get good
- How Shannon inspired Janine to start knitting fourteen years ago (spoiler alert: only one of them is still knitting)
- Process versus results in doing hobbies (like knitting)
- Janine’s 12-year adventure with Barbara Walker’s Learn-to-Knit Afghan
- Why starting a hobby by shopping can be a mistake
- How Shannon is managing to stick with her latest hobby: Learning Portuguese
- How guided lessons can help provide structure to make learning a new hobby fun
- Figuring what counts as engaging in your hobby when you’re starting out
- How frequent practice can make learning a new hobby easier
Links:
- Barbara Walker’s Learn-to-Knit Afghan book (tip from Janine: After you buy the book, take it to a copy shop and have it spiral bound so it lies flat)
- Janine’s blog post on finally finishing her Learn-to-Knit afghan (with pictures of the finished product)
- Blog post on how Janine organizes her yarn and knitting supplies
- Janine’s genealogy blog, Organize Your Family History
- Duolingo, which is helping make learning Portuguese fun for Shannon
- Memrise, which is teaching Shannon European Portuguese
P.S. During the episode, Shannon asked Janine what she was knitting. The answer, which Janine couldn’t share at the time, was that she was finishing a cat bed for Shannon’s cat, Cleo! She used the leftover yarn from the afghan and sent it to Shannon and Cleo as a surprise.
Thankfully, Cleo loves the bed. And we love her. So we just had to share a couple of pictures.
Sometimes finishing up a project that you’ve put down can feel daunting, especially if you’re concerned about doing it perfectly. But finishing can be so rewarding! In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss how to start finishing–and how to decide something is finished.
Discussion topics include:
- Shannon’s concern that she’ll find it hard to remember that it’s 2023
- The four-decades-long project that Shannon finished over the holidays
- Her project: a crewel embroidery project she started when she was 11
- The ideal environment that allowed her to finish: She was trapped inside with crafty friends during a blizzard
- How she’ll use the pillow cover she embroidered
- Crewel embroidery vs other embroidery
- Letting go of perfection with this project
- The value of having other people on board when you’re trying to finish
- How things look less imperfect with time (but you don’t have to wait 44 years!)
- Another finished project: Multiple unfinished crossword puzzles that Shannon had been saving up
- The feeling you get when you finish something you’ve put aside
- Calling something done even if it’s not completely finished
- The Loose Ends project where crafters help finish craft projects started by people who have died
- How perfectionism can make the decision to finish something difficult
Here’s a photo of Shannon’s finished crewel project. Click on the image to see it larger.
Links:
- The difference between crewel and embroidery
- The Loose Ends project
Getting dressed doesn’t have to be hard. Creating an effortless wardrobe can make everything easier. In this episode Shannon and Janine talk about the benefits of simplified dressing and how they go about making their wardrobe more effortless.
Discussion topics include:
- Is it a flock or herd of sheep?
- Janine’s recent closet clearing (including stats!)
- Shannon’s unhappiness with the lack of ease in her closet
- Shannon’s unwritten (and perhaps ill-conceived) rule about “wasting” clothing
- How Shannon handled the logistics of a capsule wardrobe
- Janine’s experience with Project 333
- How focusing on a single fabric makes it easy for Janine to keep her wardrobe lean
- The magical odor-resistant properties of merino wool
- Strategies for doing less laundry
- Letting go of the idea you have to wear something different every day
- The beauty of having a wardrobe that you don’t feel the need to update
- Shopping for recreation (we don’t recommend it)
- The environmental impact of creating and maintaining a wardrobe
Update from Shannon: I am loving dressing out of my one section of the closet! While I have enjoyed the ease of wearing the same things repeatedly, I have also had fun getting creative and putting together new outfits with my slimmed down choices.
Links:
- Herd or flock? (Janine’s wardrobe is small enough we’re going with flock!)
- Courtney Carver’s Project 333
- Janine’s blog post after her first three months with Project 333
- What Is a Capsule Wardrobe?
- The Washington Post article that prompted the episode: You’re not going to stop shopping for new clothes. Here’s what to do instead.
- The Wool& 100-day dress challenge that Janine participated in
Just in time for the new year, we’re re-running the second part of our 2018 short series on habits. We hope you find it helpful!
Last week Janine and Shannon talked about creating helpful habits. This week, we look at the other side of the coin–letting go of bad habits. Shannon shares her view that all habits (even bad ones) are the result of good intentions and talks about how we can use that information to kick bad habits.
Discussion topics include:
- The inherent value of bad habits
- Peeling back the many layers of a bad habit to find the need it fulfills
- Figuring out how to fulfill the positive intention in a more beneficial way
- Being kind to yourself as you work on letting go of bad habits
- Creating a helpful habit that is incompatible with the bad habit
- The double-edged sword of habits becoming so automatic
- Becoming conscious of your unwanted habits and breaking their spell
- Shannon’s three-step process to letting go of a bad habit
- Remembering that your bad habits don’t define you
Link:
- An excerpt from James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits: How to Automate a Habit and Never Think About it Again
The new year is a great time to think about creating habits that will make your life easier. Shannon and Janine discussed habits early on in the podcast–way back in October 2018. We thought now would be great time to re-run this episode.
When it comes to living an easy life, helpful habits are everything. In this episode Shannon and Janine discuss why good habits are important and how to create them.
Discussion topics include:
- How automating the mundane tasks frees your brain for more important things
- The challenge of creating and maintaining new habits
- Janine’s misguided compulsion to start creating new habits on the first day of the month
- The unwritten rules and beliefs we all have about habits
- How a good enough mindset can help in creating new habits (hint: take teeny tiny steps!)
- Some strategies for remembering new habits
- The power of chaining habits together into a routine
- Shannon’s gentle method for creating new habits
- Sticker charts — they’re not just for kids!
Tune in next week for our episode on overcoming bad habits!
Links:
- Shannon’s blog post that includes a picture of her training chart with orange hearts
- Janine’s blog post on the magic of linking new routines to old (warning: the blog post involves poop)
- The incredibly useful 3 Steps to New Habits from BJ Fogg of Stanford University
A vision board is a great way to get clear on what’s important to you and keep it in sight year-round. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be difficult! Janine and Shannon got together on Zoom to create digital vision boards and recorded this episode right after they finished. We had so much fun!
Discussion topics include:
- We created vision boards together!
- How Shannon used magazines to hone in on her theme for the year prior to creating her board
- Combining personal and work aspirations in a single vision board
- What is a vision board?
- Keeping your vision board in front of you
- The traditional way to create a vision board: cutting out pictures from magazine to make a collage
- Janine’s interim digital vision board tool: Comic Lite
- The digital tools Janine and Shannon used: Canva + Pinterest
- Figuring out when to call a vision board done
- The beauty of being able to change a digital vision board
- The time Janine’s vision board came true in spades
- The two-pronged value of a vision board: getting you clear on your goals + keeping it in front of you
- Integrating a word of the year into a vision board
- Creating goals or guidelines that support the vision board
Here are our vision boards. Fun and easy!
Shannon’s vision board:
Janine’s vision board:
(Click on the pictures to enlarge them.)
Link:
Here’s the terrific video from Ellen Coule that taught us how to use Canva + Pinterest for our boards.
Self care never goes out of style. When we originally recorded this episode in January of 2019, we had no idea how important self care was going to become during the pandemic. This holiday season, we thought we’d share this important message again.
Now that the holidays are over, it’s a good idea to focus on taking care of yourself. This week Janine and Shannon discuss the importance of self care and what that means for them.
Discussion topics include:
- The fact that self care means something different to everyone
- Shannon and Janine’s favorite self-care activities
- The joy of floating in a flotation tank
- The importance of creating time for self care (whatever that means to you)
- Shannon’s idea for making exercise feel like self care when it usually doesn’t
- Taking away the barriers to taking care of yourself
- Making sure that your treats (like shopping) are actually good self care
- Quiet reading or nice walks as self care (Shannon)
- Crafting with friends as self care (Janine)
- How Janine and her brother practiced self care by gorging on pot stickers in Walla Walla
- Belly laughs as self care
Links:
- A New York Times article about journaling as self care
- A wonderful round up in the New York Times about what self care means for different people
- Janine’s go-to belly laugh video: BBC interview is interrupted
- Another favorite from Janine: cats playing patty cake
- Shannon’s F-bomb-laden-but-hilarious cat video weird-looking stray cat – NSFW!
- Another favorite of both Shannon and Janine: More Cowbell
And finally, as promised, here’s a picture of Janine, her father Gene, and our waiter, Steve, at Shiki Hibachi Sushi on Main Street in Walla Walla, Washington in 2018. You can see the dish of potstickers (pork gyoza) in front of Steve. Delicious!
We all make mistakes. And sometimes it can be hard to figure out how to mitigate those mistake, especially if you let perfectionism get in the way. This week, Janine and Shannon discuss a Big Mistake Janine made and how she dealt with it, extracting some lessons for us all.
Discussion topics include:
- The mistake Janine made in buying discounted postage stamps and recommending them to her newsletter readers
- How she tried to rectify the mistake by sending another email to her newsletter readers warning them about the potential for counterfeit stamps
- One lesson: If something seems too good to be true, it probably is
- Minimizing the amount of time spent dealing with mistakes
- Apologizing and moving on
- Rectifying mistakes without causing any harm (even to yourself)
- Letting mistakes be a learning opportunity
- Trying to avoid making the mistake again without creating convoluted systems
- How beating yourself up over a mistake doesn’t help
- Resisting the temptation to fix inconsequential mistakes
- People appreciate when you admit mistakes!
- Being gracious when other people make mistakes
- Assuming good intentions
- Being kind to yourself and others when it comes to mistakes
Link:
Janine’s monthly organizing newsletter
We make so many choices each and every day and some are way more important than others. In this episode, Shannon and Janine discuss saving your brain power for the tougher choices and some strategies for making those choices easier. Discussion topics include: The executive functioning drain of having so many choices to make… Continue reading Episode 227: Making Tough Choices Easier
It’s officially winter holiday season, which can be stressful for many people. We want to help our listeners let it be easy! This week, we’re re-running Episode 28, which we originally recorded for the 2018 holiday season. Our wish for you for this holiday season is less stress and more joy. The holiday season can be… Continue reading Episode 226: Letting the Holidays Be Easy (Redux)
Being content with your life is something most of us strive for. And it’s so within our reach. This week Shannon and Janine discuss ways to be cultivate contentment while still being open to change. Discussion topics include: Janine’s unremarkable but happy-making dog walk Noticing the things that are enjoyable and going well Paying attention… Continue reading Episode 225: Cultivating Contentment
It is so easy for even the most ingrained habits to go by the wayside when you have a change in routine or other disruption. This week, Janine and Shannon discuss taking baby steps to reinvigorate your beneficial habits. Discussion topics include: Janine’s good-enough pre-Halloween raking of leaves How disruption of routine can affect habits… Continue reading Episode 224: Reinvigorating Habits
Being sick is hard. And perfectionism can make it even harder. In this episode Shannon and Janine talk with Jen Singer medical writer and author of the Just Diagnosed Guides. Jen has had her share of illnesses and she has used her extensive experience as a medical writer and a sick person to help other… Continue reading Episode 223: Jen Singer
It can be so rewarding to volunteer for a deserving organization. But it can difficult to find the right place. In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss some considerations and strategies for finding an organization to donate your time or money. Discussion topics include: Avoiding perfectionism in finding a place to volunteer How Shannon found… Continue reading Episode 222: Charitable Actions
Janine’s father, Gene, passed away in August and she was the beneficiary of much help and kindness from her friends, including Shannon. This week, we discuss her experience and some of the things that have made navigating loss a little easier for Janine. Discussion topics include: The beautiful fall weather that Shannon and Janine… Continue reading Episode 221: Navigating Loss
We’re back! After an absence of six weeks, Janine and Shannon are happy to be back at their microphones! This week we’re discussing Shannon’s trip of a lifetime, her 217-mile walk along the Camino de Santiago. In the episode we learn all about her amazing trip, including how perfectionism sometimes reared its head. Discussion topics… Continue reading Episode 220: A Trip of a Lifetime
Hey, listeners! We usually publish a new episode every Thursday, but we’re taking a little break while Shannon walks the Camino de Santiago in Portugal and Janine regroups after losing her father on August 20. We’ll see you back here on October 13!
It can be really helpful to let go of perfectionism when preparing for big things. Shannon is embracing imperfection in her preparations for her much-anticipated trip to Portugal. This episode Shannon and Janine discuss preparing imperfectly as a way to free yourself from stress. Discussion topics include: Shannon’s (imperfect) preparation for her month-long trip… Continue reading Episode 219: Preparing Imperfectly
Being authentic can be hard, especially if you want to project a perfect image. Back in October 2020, we talked all about authenticity and we wanted to share again. Enjoy! Shannon and Janine both embrace being authentic. But we understand that if you have a tendency toward perfectionism that it can be hard not to… Continue reading Episode 218: Authenticity (Redux)
Shannon is an avid gardener (Janine actively avoids it) and this year her gardening efforts got a very late start. In this episode Shannon and Janine discuss embracing good enough in the garden and acknowledge that an imperfect garden is better than no garden at all. Discussion topics include: Janine’s aversion to getting her hands… Continue reading Episode 217: Good Enough Gardening
Perfectionists tend to want to have all their ducks in a row before getting started on a new project. That tendency can be paralyzing. And it’s so unnecessary. In this episode, which originally ran in November 2018, Janine and Shannon talk about how just starting where you are can benefit you in so many ways.… Continue reading Episode 216: Start Where You Are (Redux)
Sometimes we have to be persistent in order to settle disputes that arise. And that can be a source of stress. In this week’s episode, Shannon and Janine discuss making resolution easier (and potentially more effective) by staying positive during the process. Discussion topics include: The happy message on Shannon’s chai latte How Shannon’s husband,… Continue reading Episode 215: Positive Persistence
We have all heard how important it is to stay hydrated. But for some of us, taking in the water our bodies need can feel challenging. This week, Janine and Shanon discuss some strategies for getting (and staying!) hydrated. Discussion topics include: How hydration is important year-round The origin of this week’s episode title… Continue reading Episode 214: Hydrate or Die
We all get stressed from time to time, and some times are worse than others. In this episode Shannon and Janine discuss some stress-relief techniques, as well as some ideas for keeping stress levels low. Discussion topics include: Janine’s litany of things that are stressing her out right now Shannon’s husband’s recent surgery… Continue reading Episode 213: Relieving Stress
Shannon’s robust meal-planning and food inventorying system that she shared in Episode 209 wasn’t created in one fell swoop. In this episode we discuss how incremental problem solving can help you create systems that make you happy. Discussion topics include: Monarch butterflies! How complex systems are often built a little at a time How incremental… Continue reading Episode 212: A Little at a Time
Do you have a tendency to run late? Shannon and Janine used to run perpetually late, but no more. This week we discuss the strategies we’ve used to go from tardy to early (or at least on time). Discussion topics include: Our past challenges with punctuality How perfectionism played into it Taking into account all… Continue reading Episode 211: Running Early
Janine and Shannon love reading novels for pleasure and we have found ways to fit it into our busy lives. If you like to read but don’t seem to have time to read as much as you’d like, this episode might give you some ideas for squeezing in some enjoyable reading. Discussion topics include: Our… Continue reading Episode 210: Enjoying Reading
What’s for dinner? Wouldn’t you like to have a ready answer for that question? Shannon is living the meal planning dream and in this episode she and Janine talk about the benefits of meal planning and how Shannon goes about doing it. Be ready to be inspired! Discussion topics include: Janine’s challenges with meal planning… Continue reading Episode 209: Meal Planning
It’s the podcast’s fourth anniversary! We published our first three episodes on June 15, 2018. On our third anniversary, we published a post called Three Pillars for Three years and this year we decided to add a fourth pillar for our fourth anniversary. It’s Let It Be Easy, and it’s focus of our episode today.… Continue reading Episode 208: A Fourth Pillar for Our Fourth Year
Shannon and Janine have experienced first-hand the challenges (and rewards) of caring for elderly parents. In this episode (recorded right after Janine returned from helping her father move into assisted living), we discuss ways to make it easier to help your elderly relatives when they need your help. Note: We had some audio difficulties with… Continue reading Episode 207: Everyday Eldercare
Back in 2020, Janine and Shannon had a robust conversation about our passion for the budgeting software You Need a Budget (YNAB). Our enthusiasm has not dimmed in the slightest, so we wanted to run it again. Money is a source of stress for so many people. One tool that both Janine and Shannon use to… Continue reading Episode 206: Financial Peace (Redux)
Taking care of ourselves is always important. But it’s especially important during stressful times. This week Shannon and Janine discuss prioritizing self care so it’s there for you when you need it the most. Discussion topics include: The fact that self-care doesn’t have to take a lot of time The fallacy that you will get… Continue reading Episode 205: Prioritizing Self Care
Janine is in Walla Walla moving her dad into assisted living, so she didn’t have a spare moment to record an episode. So we’re re-running an episode from August 2020. Enjoy! Setting boundaries allows you to live a life based on your core values. This week, Shannon and Janine discuss getting in touch with what’s… Continue reading Episode 204: Setting Boundaries (Redux)
Travel in 2022 feels very different from travel in 2020 (or 2019, for that matter). In this episode Janine and Shannon discuss planning travel in this time and letting of perfectionism around it. Discussion topics include: Some differences between travel earlier in the pandemic and now Shannon’s plans to walk the Camino in Portugal (canceled… Continue reading Episode 203: Travel in 2022
Due to circumstances beyond our control, we’re not able to publish a new episode this week. Instead, we’re rerunning this episode, which we originally published on February 13, 2020. Enjoy! Good people (like our listeners) have many good impulses. But how often do you act on them? This week, Shannon and Janine discuss how perfectionism… Continue reading Episode 202: Acting on Good Impulses (Redux)
Shannon and Janine were so tired from celebrating our 200th anniversary last week we decided to take a week off and re-run an episode from June 2021. Enjoy! It can be so frustrating when you don’t have control over things in your life. This week Shannon and Janine discuss relinquishing your desire for control over… Continue reading Episode 201: Relinquishing Control (Redux)
This is our 200th episode and we’re so proud! This week Janine and Shannon celebrate our 200th episode and discuss some of the benefits of talking about (and embracing) good enough week after week. Discussion topics include: Happy anniversary to us! How talking about “good enough” for years has made us better at it The… Continue reading Episode 200: Our 200th Episode!
Both Shannon and Janine drive a Nissan LEAF, the SL Plus trim. It’s a 100 percent electric vehicle (EV) and we think it’s 100 percent awesome. It’s not a coincidence that we drive the same car: Janine bought one after Shannon raved about hers (and answered all her questions). We love our EVs and we… Continue reading Episode 199: Considering an Electric Car
Think of how much time we’d save if we trusted our intuition, rather than agonized over decisions. In this episode, brought to you by Wordle (kidding!), Janine and Shannon discuss how trusting yourself can benefit you in living your life, as well as playing games. Discussion topics include: The spontaneous nature of our podcast What… Continue reading Episode 198: Trusting Yourself
Genealogists in the U.S. are excited about the release of the 1950 U.S. census, which happens at midnight tomorrow. Janine is eagerly awaiting it (it’s been on her calendar for months!). This week Shannon and Janine discuss the value of planning ahead — and enjoying the anticipation. Discussion topics include: The upcoming release of the… Continue reading Episode 197: Planning Ahead: The 1950 Census
We bring up little tips and tricks for getting past perfectionism all the time in this podcast. Do you remember them when you need them? We don’t. This week Janine and Shannon discuss building an anti-perfectionist toolkit that you can turn to when you’re stuck in perfectionism. Discussion topics include: How the possible techniques we… Continue reading Episode 196: Building an Anti-Perfectionist Toolkit
Shannon’s crowded basement was bringing her down and perfectionism was getting in the way of her doing anything about it. In this “Good Enough in Practice” episode, Shannon and Janine discuss Shannon’s basement challenges, her beliefs around what she needed to do before she could start decluttering and organizing her basement and they talk it… Continue reading Episode 195: {GEIP} The Basement of Doom
This week we’re rerunning an episode from September 2019, back when we recorded slightly longer episodes. This one’s all about keeping focus when we’re surrounded by distractions. Who can’t relate to that? Every day, we’re bombarded by constant distraction and it can really get in the way of productivity. This week, Janine and Shannon talk about… Continue reading Episode 194: Dealing with Distractions (Redux)
Holding someone (or yourself) accountability doesn’t mean holding their feet to the fire. Accountability can be really effective. This week Shannon and Janine discuss ways to stay on track without beating yourself up.
Discussion topics include:
- Our love for the words gentle and kind
- How accountability doesn’t have to be harsh or forceful
- The effectiveness of a carrot over a stick
- Fun accountability: To-Do List Bingo!
- Janine’s powerful habit tracker in her Bullet Journal
- How gentle accountability doesn’t prompt resistance
- Wanting to do something rather than making yourself do something
- How gentle accountability can be helpful in relationships
- The language Shannon uses at home to ask for or provide gentle accountability
- How neither Shannon nor Janine likes to be told what to do
- Asking how you can be supportive versus nagging someone
- Follow up question: How will I know if you don’t want to support?
- Starting a conversation off with a request for the right kind of support
- Making it easier for people to give you accountability
- How the type of accountability that works for you might have to change periodically
- The gentle accountability of Janine’s 30 x 30 genealogy challenges
- The ways Janine and Shannon are holding themselves accountable with yoga
Links:
- Janine’s current 30 x 30 genealogy challenge
- Janine’s blog post about To-Do List Bingo
We can be our own worst critics. Being overly judgmental does not help us achieve happiness (or anything else). In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss some strategies for letting go of judgment and living with more kindness and compassion.
Discussion topics include:
- How unhelpful self judgment can be
- How Shannon sometimes feels disappointed in herself
- Unrealistic expectations for what we can accomplish in a day
- How Janine and Shannon never judge our clients but often judge ourselves
- Shannon’s expectations for her clients (spoiler alert: she doesn’t have any!)
- Practicing treating ourselves with the same kindness and concern as we treat our clients
- Stopping the cycle of self judgment
- How people with perfectionistic tendencies might be particularly judgmental
- Using feelings of disappointment as a reminder to look on the situation with kindness
- Thinking about what you’d tell a friend in a given situation
- Making “good enough” a happy phrase
- How perfectionism is all about judgment–and how we often think we’re being judged
- Letting go of concern for someone else’s judgment in a situation
- How so much self judgment originated externally from us
- Examining the things you’re feeling judgmental about and checking in to see if it’s something you really feel
- Cultivating compassion and kindness for yourself
Note from Janine: I got the tagline of The Feel Good Effect podcast from Robin Conley Downs wrong. It is “Gentle is the New Perfect,” which is also wonderful!
Links:
- Confirmation that it was in the movie Vertigo that Barbara Bel Geddes said, “stupid, stupid, stupid!”
- Episode 4: Self Talk
Staying focused on a single task is so beneficial–and so challenging. This week, Shannon and Janine discuss how our brains aren’t wired to multitask and some strategies for doing one thing at a time.
Discussion topics include:
- The soothing and healing power of a cat’s purr
- How hard it is to resist multitasking
- The impossibility of doing more than one thing at the same time
- How multitasking usually results in none of the things being attempted done well
- Situations where you can truly multitask (at least sometimes)
- Shannon’s strategy: Placing a sticky note about the one thing she’s trying to do on her computer monitor to keep her on task
- Another tip: Turn off notifications
- How focusing on doing one thing at a time seems more important these days than ever
- Acknowledging the temptation of other things and jotting the distraction down to come back to later
- The relationship between our poor memories and distractibility
- The limits of our working memory
- How we can (purportedly) hold only seven pieces of information (plus or minus two) in our memory at a time
- How multitasking is actually rapid switching between tasks–and it takes a lot of brainpower
- The benefit of staying focused on one thing until you complete it: The reward of completion!
Links:
- An update on the concept of working memory capacity
- Piece on why context shifting is detrimental and how to shift the habit
This week, we’re re-running an episode we originally recorded in January 2019. Despite all the changes that have happened since then, the message still rings true!
Feeling satisfied–even when something isn’t perfect–allows you to embrace a good-enough mentality. This week, Janine and Shannon discuss the importance of finding (and recognizing) satisfaction. Feeling satisfied doesn’t lead to complacency–in fact, it’s life enhancing.
Discussion topics include:
- Janine’s shocking (to Shannon) inability to tell a joke
- How feeling satisfied is an important aspect of a good-enough mentality
- Looking for places to feel satisfied without perfection
- Paying attention to what you can do instead of what you can’t do (and feeling satisfied with that)
- Shannon’s post-concussion challenges and how she is trying to feel satisfied with what she is able to do
- Gratitude vs satisfaction
- Setting yourself up to feel satisfied by putting the brakes on perfectionism
- Applying this concept to your task list (hint: include tasks instead of projects on your list and keep the list short)
- How being satisfied with less than perfect doesn’t make you complacent
- The fact that feeling satisfied can actually enhance your productivity
- How you can feel satisfied with something while also looking to improve it (which Janine is proving with her new yoga practice)
- Cultivating the habit of finding satisfaction in where you are, rather than waiting for satisfaction to find you
When your mind is too clogged with thoughts for your comfort, there are some things you can do for relief. This week and Shannon and Janine discuss some techniques clearing your cluttered mind.
Discussion topics include:
- Janine’s cluttered mind
- One of the most obvious strategies for clearing your mind: Writing things down
- The tricky way our brains count thinking about something as doing something
- How writing things down lets you focus on other things + helps put things in your long-term memory
- Hand writing something vs typing it into a computer
- The more senses involved in something the easier it is to remember it
- The value of writing things in a consistent place (like a Bullet Journal or Evernote)
- Practicing mindfulness techniques to focus on one thing and quiet your mind
- Paying attention to your breathing
- A strategy for clearing your mind to go to sleep: Coming up with a list that is enough to occupy your mind but not interesting enough to keep you awake
- Janine’s enthusiasm for Fifty Nifty United States, the song she learned in grade school that has benefitted her so much
- Allowing thoughts to pass through your mind without paying attention to individual thoughts
- Letting go of worry by asking yourself whether there’s anything you can do about it now
Links:
- Episode 132: Quieting Your Mind, where we discuss strategies for letting go of worry
- Shannon’s flow chart illustrating one technique
- Fifty Nifty United States
Janine and Shannon have talked quite a bit about electronic task management, but in this episode, we delve into bullet journaling, a hand-written task management system. Shannon’s been using this system for years and Janine is a starry-eyed novice.
Discussion topics include:
- How Bullet Journaling is one of a number of things that Janine has embraced after Shannon did it for a long time
- Shannon’s assertion that she benefits because Janine then tells her stuff she didn’t know about
- Janine’s shift from electronic to paper for task management
- What is a Bullet Journal? A bound, indexed journal in which you capture information quickly
- The Bullet Journal’s special sauce: Its index, which is brilliant in its simplicity
- The value of handwriting the weekly schedule and tasks for Shannon (even though she also captures them electronically)
- Shannon’s weekly approach to her Bullet Journal vs Janine’s monthly/daily approach
- Shannon’s notebook recommendations: hard cover, dot grid with pre-printed page numbers
- Pen recommendations: Shannon loves the Pilot Frixion pens and Janine loves the Pigma Micron 01 + Zebra Mildliner markers
- Fast-writing vs slow-writing pens
- The perils of watching Bullet Journal YouTube videos
- Our agreement that the fancy spreads shown off on YouTube don’t really represent what Bullet Journaling is all about
- Shannon’s advice to new Bullet Journalers: Read Ryder Carroll’s explanation and avoid YouTube
- Keeping Bullet Journals simple and sustainable
- The Bullet Journal Companion App
- How the ever-changing content of a Bullet Journal helps keep the system fresh
- How a good-enough attitude helps when you Bullet Journal
- Shannon’s weekly spread that she based on the Planner Pad
- Bullet Journal Collections + the Future Log
- Starting small with the Bullet Journal
Photos:
Here’s Shannon’s weekly spread from way back in 2017. It hasn’t changed!
Here’s Janine’s monthly log + habit tracker. She’s embracing good enough!
Links:
- The Bullet Journal four-minute video tutorial
- The Bullet Journal backstory
- The Bullet Journal Method book
- The notebook Shannon uses most for her Bullet Journal
- Janine’s next notebook (waiting in the wings after she finishes her current one)
- The Bullet Journal Companion App
We all know how bad regret can feel. But did you know you can turn it around? In this episode Shannon and Janine discuss how to glean the learnings from a situation and then let go of the regret. And Shannon demonstrates the process on Janine, helping her let go of regret around catching COVID.
Discussion topics include:
- Janine testing positive for COVID
- Janine’s regret over letting her guard down by going to a restaurant
- Shannon’s process for letting go of regret
- Taking Janine through the process to help her let go of regret over how she thinks she caught Omicron
- Why regret exists: To keep you from making the same mistake in the future
- Taking it that extra step: Ask yourself “What can I learn from this to make it easy to let go of the regret?”
- Recognizing the positive intention of the regret
- Looking for additional learning in the situation
- Janine’s COVID silver linings
- By the end of the process, Janine let go of her regrets! (Regret she didn’t even realize she had.)
- Shannon’s process for letting go of regret (we invite you to try it!):
- Identify the thing that you are feeling regret about
- Ask yourself what you can learn from it or what is important for you to take forward from the experience. You can ask, “What’s the positive intention of the regret?”
- Keep checking in with yourself until the regret is gone (“What else do I need to know to allow me to let go of this regret?”)
- Applying this to all sorts of regrets, including not sticking with your resolutions
Janine and Shannon have been selecting a Word of the Year for years. In this episode we reveal our 2022 Words of the Year and discuss the power of having a special word to guide you each year.
Discussion topics include:
- The weather. Spoiler alert: It’s cold but our electric cars started up like the champs they are!
- Janine’s love of having a Word of the Year–she’s had one every year since at least 2013
- The mistake Janine made in 2019 by selecting three words of the year
- Christine Kane’s Word of the Year selection tool
- Shannon’s 2022 Word of the Year: Encourage
- Janine’s 2022 Word of the Year: Generosity
- Our excitement over adding categories to our YNAB budgets based on our words
- How having a Word of the Year helps you frame your decisions and priorities
- The adhesive power of a really good Word of the Year
- The Word of the Year selection process from Cultivate What Matters
- Choosing a word that helps you move toward, rather than away, from something
- Words of the Year designed to help yourself vs help others
- Trying on a prospective Word of the Year for size
Links:
- Janine’s blog post about her Word of the Year
- Christine Kane’s Word of the Year selection tool
- BBC article about the generosity shown Kevin Strickland who was wrongly incarcerated
- PowerSheets from Cultivate What Matters
After six weeks off, Shannon and Janine are happy to be back recording a podcast episode. We missed our weekly conversations! In this episode, we discuss some of the ways we benefited from taking a break.
Discussion topics include:
- We’re back after our hiatus!
- Our mixed feelings about our break
- The beneficial rhythm of regular podcasting
- It turns out we’re out-of-sight out-of-mind people!
- How being actively involved with the podcast on a weekly basis makes life easier
- Shannon’s hope to come up with some touchstones during a future hiatus in order to be more mindful with the time that is saved
- The possibility of scheduling time during the next hiatus to discuss topic ideas or do other things to stay more connected to the podcast
- How we’ve both missed podcasting (and how we’re glad about that)
- Weekly tasks as an anchor for the week and the passage of time
- How a break can help you purposefully choose whether you want to keep doing things the same way or do something differently
- Our gratitude for our show notes to remind us what we have talked about
- A diversion into a brief discussion of Jeopardy! and life without cable TV
Happy New Year!
We’ll be back right here, and in all your favorite podcasting apps, with a new episode this Thursday!
Until then, you can get a dose of Janine here, in her interview during the Jennifer and Wendy Show, on KTRS radio. While Shannon was featured in two pieces by Kate Rope on the Sunday Edit, Reshaping Our Lives in 2022 and If Life is Supposed to be Going Back to Normal, Why Do I Still Feel Weird?
It’s the time of year to set goals (though, really, you can do it any time). We’re winding up our break by re-running our 2018 end-of-the-year episode about goals and resolutions. In this episode, we talk about setting realistic, good enough goals. Way back in 2009, we created a teleclass and workbook about resolutions and we’re revisiting it in this episode. (The messages of the teleclass will feel very familiar. They’ve stood the test of time!) Stay tuned next week for a new episode!
Discussion topics include:
- The details of Janine’s personal retreat day where she sets her goals for the coming year
- The perils of setting unrealistic goals and the alternative of good enough goals
- Flashback to a teleclass called “Why Resolutions Don’t Work and How to Get What You Want Anyway” that Shannon and Janine created in 2009. It’s like a prequel to this podcast.
- The one element the teleclass has that this podcast lacks: Hypnosis!
- The three main problems that stop people from achieving their goals and how you can get past them to get what you want
- Janine’s word for next year and how she plans to remind herself about it
- The hashtag we created: #goodenoughgoals
“Why Resolutions Don’t Work and How to Get What You Want Anyway” had not been available for years, until 2018 when we took it out, dusted it off and renamed it “Good Enough Goal Setting.” We’ve updated the 25-page workbook and are making it available to you for $15. When you buy the workbook, you’ll automatically get a download of the 2010 teleclass, complete with guided hypnosis exercises led by Shannon, who is a certified hypnotherapist. These exercises will aid you in setting–and achieving–your goals this year. Just click on the View Product or Add to Cart button to purchase via PayPal.
P.S. After you purchase, you’ll get an email from Peace of Mind Organizing and see Peace of Mind Organizing / Organize Your Family History on the download page. That’s because we used Janine’s e-commerce account to set this up.
Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. listeners! This week, Shannon and Janine discuss the value of taking a true break from things you do regularly. And announce that we’re walking the walk by taking a hiatus from the podcast for five weeks. (We’ll return on December 30.)
Discussion topics include:
- We’re taking a break!
- Our decision to take a podcast hiatus between Thanksgiving and the end of the year
- The value of taking a real break to refresh and revitalize
- Getting new things out of re-listening to podcast episodes (we think we have some good nuggets!)
- Please send us ideas for topics for future episodes!
- Stopping midstream to make it easier to come back to something
- We encourage you to take a break from something you’re doing regularly without worry
- Our feeling that whatever we gain from taking a break will far outweigh anything we might lose
Wishing you a great five weeks! We look forward to recording again in the new year!
Link:
- The article Shannon was thinking about regarding stopping mid-sentence: Stop Writing Mid-Sentence to Ward Off Writer’s Block
We’re all about the fun this week as we discuss gamification as a way to make tasks more fun and enjoyable. From decluttering to learning a new language to running a race, employing gamification can make everything easier!
Discussion topics include:
- Declutter Go! the new decluttering game that Janine’s friend Lynne Poulton has just launched
- Shannon’s favorite gamifying language-learning app, Duolingo. She has used it 656 days in a row!
- How Shannon took gamification to the next level by joining Duolingo Leagues
- The impact Duolingo Leagues had on Shannon’s effort (she’s now in the top-tier Diamond League!)
- How the extra gamification has allowed to Shannon to learn a lot more Portuguese
- The game that got Shannon back into running after a car accident (Zombies, Run!)
- To-Do List Bingo!
- Remember: Fun and easy absolutely counts!
- Gamifying anything
Note: In Portuguese, “Diamond League” is “Liga de Diamante”.
Here are a couples of photos of the new game Declutter Go!
Links:
- Declutter Go!
- Duolingo
- Zombies Run!
- Episode 39: Making Work Fun (in which we talk more about To-Do List Bingo)
- Janine’s 2011 blog post on To-Do List Bingo