• Books
    • Chaos to Clutter-Free
    • 101 Time-Saving Tips for Busy Moms
    • 28 Days to Timeliness
  • Start Here
  • Sign Up

Davonne Parks

  • Room by Room Organization
    • Bed and Bath
    • Kid Spaces
    • Kitchen
    • Laundry
    • Living & Family Areas
    • Office and Art
    • Storage and Outdoors
  • Cleaning Inspiration
    • Homemaking Encouragement
    • Cleaning Tips and Tricks
    • My Fixer Upper
    • My Messes (Before & After)
    • Reader Q & A
  • Home Management
    • Crafts and Decor
    • Easy Recipes
    • Finances
    • Holidays
      • New Years
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Patriotic
      • Thanksgiving
      • Christmas
    • Time Management 101
  • Self Care
    • Book Recommendations
    • How to Care for Yourself
    • Jesus
      • Bible Reading
  • Caring for Others
    • Friendship
    • Parenting
    • Marriage

Why I Stopped Waiting for Perfect

Cleaning Encouragement· My Messes & Successes· Storage and Outdoors

24 Feb

“Mommy, come play with me,” my little one requests. We only have ten minutes before bedtime and we still need to brush teeth and put on PJs. Tomorrow, I tell myself. Tomorrow I’ll have more time to play.

StopWaitingForPerfect

Except that when tomorrow comes, it’s filled with school lessons, office work, laundry, and dinner. Then, before we know it, it’s nearly bedtime again. And as I reflect on our week, I know this whole time I’ve been waiting for perfect:

  • The perfect amount of energy to clean.
  • The perfect slower schedule to be a really fun mom.
  • The perfect mood to exercise.
  • The perfect timing to watch a movie and fold laundry.
  • The perfect opportunity for a service project.

I try to absorb the realization: I miss out on so much good because I wait for perfect.

But I can make my house clean enough even if I’m tired. I can jog in place and do crunches in the living room when it’s too cold to go for a run outside. I can appreciate my husband even though he doesn’t do everything just the way I’d like (I’m pretty sure I don’t do everything exactly how he’d choose, either).

I can also savor time with my kids today even though we’re busy. Here’s a photo and caption I shared on Instagram over the weekend. I’m so glad my desire for perfection didn’t stop me from seeing the beauty in this:

What I saw when I walked into the living room tonight tugged on my mother heartstrings. For once, I didn’t mind the mess. In fact, it was quite lovely. The papers, the food, the markers… they were all signs of life and love that happens in this home. My sweet girls are growing up so fast. The things all over the floor are beautiful. We can clean it up tomorrow. Tonight, we will create beauty and savor the evening together.
#Motherhood #MomOfGirls #GetOrganizedChallenge #idhtbptbb

A photo posted by Davonne (@davonneparksorganizer) on Feb 21, 2015 at 7:42pm PST

If I continue to wait for perfect, then I’ll spend the rest of my life waiting because perfect will never show up. What I have – and what all of us have – is today.

We can eat healthy foods that fuel our bodies and give us energy. We can savor the fleeting moments we have with our family members. We can organize and declutter so we no longer need to spend time searching for missing items.

In spite of our imperfect circumstances, and in spite of our shortcomings and struggles, there is hope and redemption. We can do amazing things. And those first steps towards amazing things start at home.

Coming Soon Image 2

Declutter Update (Nathan’s spare closet)

Nathan completely surprised me on Saturday evening by cleaning out his closet! I was so excited when I realized what was going on and I ran upstairs to help! 3 bags and 1 hour later, we were done!

I love the imperfectness about his closet – it’s a wonderful reminder to me that organization isn’t always about perfection.

WhenOrganizationIsntBeautiful

Organization isn’t always about beauty or perfection. Sometimes organization is simply about being able to find what you need, when you need it.

Nathan’s Closet Summary:

  • Spent 1 hour decluttering Nathan’s spare closet.
  • Filled 3 trash bags with trash.
  • Filled 0 trash bags for donation.

OVERALL TOTALS:

  • Time spent cleaning, decluttering & organizing my home in 2015: 52 hours (not including everyday maintenance)
  • Bags for donation: 22
  • Bags of trash: 21
  • Plus we purged 1 huge Christmas tree, a bag of egg cartons, and a broken bookshelf.LiveDeclutter2015b

Make Your Home a Haven

    You’re only 10 days away from a haven at home. This FREE email course will help you get there.

    During our time together, I'll teach you how to implement specific processes and systems so you can make immediate progress.

    If you want to stop feeling stuck at home so you can be ready for whatever God has in store for you, sign up now.

    Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

    There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

    I won't send spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Powered by ConvertKit

    2 Comments

    « Simple Laundry Solution for Winter Gear & $100 Winner
    Kindle Giveaway & Spring Clean eBundle »

    Trackbacks

    1. Homeschooling for Busy Parents: 5 Ways to Thrive and Lose the Guilt - Your Vibrant Family says:
      January 14, 2017 at 7:26 pm

      […] we continue to wait for perfect, then we’ll spend the rest of our lives waiting because perfect will never show up. What we have is today. Let’s embrace our kids and our schedules the best we can and choose […]

      Reply
    2. Davonne’s Live Declutter says:
      December 30, 2017 at 1:39 pm

      […] 19: Why I stopped waiting for perfect (Nathan’s spare closet is […]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    FREE Email Course

    Make Your Home a Haven

      You’re only 10 days away from a haven at home. This FREE email course will help you get there.

      During our time together, I'll teach you how to implement specific processes and systems so you can make immediate progress.

      If you want to stop feeling stuck at home so you can be ready for whatever God has in store for you, sign up now.

      Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

      There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

      I won't send spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Powered by ConvertKit

      Search this Website

      A Note from Davonne

      Hi! Are you weary from accomplishing the same, seemingly invisible tasks every day and wondering if what you do really matters? I was. If you need to believe, deep in your soul, that your role at home is valuable, then you've come to the right place. Read More

      Connect on Social Media

      Featured Freebies

      • 101 Time-Saving Tips for Busy Moms eBook
      • Making Your Home a Haven email course
      • Printable Encouraging Notecards
      • Printable Verses to Teach our Children
      • Printable Snowman Soup Poem
      • Reader Q&A
      • Tidy Up Club on Facebook

      Instagram

      Copyright © 2022 · Refined theme by Restored 316