Getting to Good Enough

Two years ago (almost to the day), we published an episode on hobbies, which has been one of our favorites. Hobbies are so important to self-care and so prone to falling prey to perfectionism that wanted to present it again. 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&nbsp...

We've all had a whole lot to cope with in the past year. Shannon's year was made even more difficult at the end of 2020 when her mother passed away. In this episode, Shannon and Janine discuss how to cope imperfectly during difficult times (big hint: grant yourself some kindness and grace). Discussion topics include: • The passing of Shannon's mother several weeks ago • The difficulty of going thr...

Way back in Episode 5, we published an episode entitled Good Enough In Practice, in which we discussed how we walked the walk and embraced good enough when we set up this podcast. We think it's full of useful information, so we've decided to publish it again! Janine and Shannon truly embraced the concept of “good enough” when creating this podcast. In this episode we talk about how we went from id...

We all have superpowers and kryptonite. (You might call them strengths and weaknesses.) In this episode, Shannon and Janine discuss how the things that you struggle with can also be your superpowers and how your superpowers gone too far can turn into your kryptonite. Discussion topics include: • How personality traits can be on a continuum • Case in point: perfectionism can be paralyzing but it ca...

This week, we’re re-running Episode 68 from September 2019. The premise of our podcast is that we want to help you let go of perfectionism. We think this episode about why that's important bears repeating. Why is that we're so passionate about helping you let go of perfectionism? In this episode Shannon and Janine talk about how perfectionism can get in the way of happiness--and how striving...

Both Shannon and Janine love taking on time-limited challenges they find on the internet. In this episode, they discuss some of their favorites  while offering some advice on keeping these challenges easy. Discussion topics include: • One of our favorite challenges: Yoga with Adriene's annual 30 day yoga journey • Janine's 30 x 30 challenge on her genealogy blog • National Novel Writing Month...

Since our work and social lives have been curtailed by the pandemic, it seems like it should be easy to get dressed. Not so much. In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss their challenges around clothing during this special time. Spoiler alert: There's lots of laughter in this one. Discussion topics include: • How much we're enjoying pandemic-friendly comfy clothes • The paradox that it's diffi...

It's the last month of the year and we have some goal-setting resources for you! This week, Shannon and Janine discuss the importance getting clear on your goals, especially after a year like 2020. And we talk about the workshop Shannon is teaching on Saturday, as well as our Good Enough Goal Setting kit. Discussion topics include: • We’re looking forward to turning the page on a new year! • How t...

These are stressful times. With the holidays, the global pandemic, passionate politics and everything else that's going on, your mind might be anything but quiet. In this episode Janine and Shannon discuss the benefits of quieting your thoughts and provide some strategies to try. (Spoiler alert: The secret ingredient is breathing!) Discussion topics include: • How quieting your mind isn’t about em...

It can be uncomfortable to try new things if perfectionism makes you worry about getting them right. In this episode, Shannon and Janine discuss a recent class they took together and how it provided a great lesson in letting go of perfectionism. Discussion topics include: • The class on flowcharting that Shannon and Janine took together •How perfectionism came up during this class for Janine but n...

The holiday season in 2020 is destined to be strange, thanks to COVID-19. In this episode Janine and Shannon talk about making the best of an unprecedented Thanksgiving holiday. In listening to the episode, we realized that we didn't directly address some important advice: Think about why the holidays are important to you, and what makes them special, and consider how you can bring some of that in...

This week, we're re-running Episode 21 from October 2018. It gets to the heart one of our most important recurring themes, so we thought it would be worthwhile to revisit. The bedrock of all the advice we offer on this podcast is, "Know what's important to you." In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss how to get in touch with your values so that you can more easily embrace good enough. Discuss...

This week, we're re-running Episode 7, from way back in July 2018. It presents a core message of our podcast that we thought was worth another listen. Enjoy! It's hard to know how to stop at good enough if you haven't identified what good enough means to you. Shannon and Janine discuss why it's important to understand your own standards of good enough--and how those standards are very personal. Di...

The prospect of changing a habit can feel difficult--but it doesn't have to be. The pandemic has given most of us a crash course in habit changing! In this episode, Shannon and Janine discuss some of the habits we've changed recently, along with some ways to make habit changing easier. Discussion topics include: • How under the right circumstances, habit change can be easy • Some of the many habit...

The notion of choosing imperfection (rather than striving for perfection) is counter-intuitive to folks with perfectionistic tendencies. But it can be a helpful way to approach things. In this episode Janine and Shannon discuss the benefits of choosing imperfection and the joys of welcoming imperfection into our lives. Discussion topics include: • How Janine chose imperfection when she made a flye...

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 strive to appear perfect. In this episode, we discuss the value of authenticity and how it can make your life easier. Discussion topics include: • How perfectionism can make it harder to show up authentically and be your true self in public • How sharing yo...

Little by little, we can make big strides toward our goals. The trouble is sometimes it's hard to even notice the tiny progress that we make. In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss incremental improvement and how it can make a huge difference in our lives. Discussion topics include: • The power of noticing small improvements • How it can be hard to take a step back and look at how far you’ve...

Shannon and Janine recorded this episode after experiencing some pretty significant unanticipated events on our September trips. Shannon's eastern Oregon RV trip was disrupted by heavy smoke from the wildfires and Janine, whose stay in Walla Walla was also affected by the smoke, had to grapple with her computer becoming inoperable during her big driving trip. This week we discuss how our careful p...

Janine and Shannon agree that this November's election feels like the most important in our lifetime. We're committed to helping get out the vote and want to help you make sure you're able to vote. We also want to help you help others vote, so we've put together some resources to help make taking action easier. We discuss the following steps with resources for each in the Links section below: • Le...

Shannon and Janine are both taking road trips the first week in September that require a good deal of preparation. This week we discuss how we've been trying to be plan productively without letting perfectionism hold us up. Discussion topics include:  • The paradox of 2020: How can it only be September and also how is it September already? • How we're trying not to let perfectionism get in th...

Sometimes perfectionism can hide from view so we don't even realize it's happening. In this episode, Janine and Shannon discuss that sneaky perfectionism, how it can show up and how "good enough" can be helpful. Discussion topics include: • Shannon’s flying her “recovering perfectionist” flag high in this episode! • She discovered in a coaching session that perfectionism was lurking sneakily behin...

For some people, the process of doing something is more important than the finished product and for other folks it's the other way around. This week, Shannon and Janine discuss process vs product and how it might be helpful to look at it from the other perspective. Discussion topics include: • The inspiration for this episode: a story about a ceramics teacher who graded half the class on quantity...

Both Janine and Shannon have bounced around using various task-management systems over the years. But Janine's been using a specific Trello task-management  board every day now for the past four months and is bursting with excitement to talk about it. Shannon's using it too and in this episode we break down the benefits of the Daily Task Management Trello board. Discussion topics include: • J...

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 important to you as a way to help you set boundaries that ensure you're doing the things that align with your why. They use a recent real-life example to illustrate how they recently benefited from boundary setting. Discussion topics include: • How it can be ha...

Our lives these days are shrouded in uncertainty. This week Janine and Shannon discuss building in some margin to make life--and decision-making--a little easier. Discussion topics include: • Creating a margin in your life so you have some flexibility • How this is particularly important during times of uncertainty (like now) • What we mean by margin • How things often don’t go as planned, even if...