Embrace Being Rubbish!

A method for creatives and content creators to overcome perfectionism so they can start taking consistent action (plus a Canva Template for Members).

Are you letting overcomplication hold you back from taking consistent action in your creative pursuits? Do you find yourself striving for perfection, only to feel overwhelmed and stuck?

In this article, I’m going to share how a jar of pebbles relates to the concept of being rubbish, and how we can use it as a technique for overcoming perfectionism so we can take consistent action.

So, if you're a fellow creative, especial one in the creator economy, who wants to push through the metaphorical 'wall' and start sharing your work, keep reading.

Overachievers Struggle with Rubbish.

In the book Effortless* by Greg McKeown, he says “Overachievers tend to struggle with the notion of starting with rubbish. They hold themselves to a high standard of perfection at every stage in the process. But the standard to which they hold themselves is neither realistic nor productive.” **

Does anyone else feel like those words directly describe themselves?

Perfectionism is Procrastination in a Costume.

How many of your great ideas are locked in an embryonic state within your head because you doubt your ability to bring them past the stage of inception?

How many of your Substack articles, or a YouTube videos, are left hanging in the “almost ready to publish” state because you’re continually tweaking them to near perfection?

Or perhaps there’s a creative piece your soul longs to share with the world, but you’ve left it stagnating in a notebook somewhere because to actually share it with the world means exposing it to the judgement of others?

I experience these set-backs, and I know many other creatives do as well.

But what if we could use a jar pebbles as technique that would gift us “the courage to be rubbish” to borrow Greg McKeown’s term.

How to Fast-Track Mastery.

In the book Effortless*, McKeown tells a story about his friend who teaches Spanish. The friend discovered that when it comes to languages, embracing mistakes is a fast-track to mastery. McKeown shares that his friend… “teaches his language students to imagine they have a bag full of 1000 beads. Every time they make a mistake talking to someone else in the language, they take out one bead. When the bag is empty, they will have achieved level one mastery. The faster they make those mistakes, the faster they will progress.” **

So That Got Me Thinking…

I’ve already managed to nail publishing a weekly Substack article. However, weekly YouTube videos seems to elude me still.

But what if I had a jar of pebbles on my desk, with each pebble representing the number of weeks left until the end of the year, and therefore a video that needs to be published each week? In that case, I could challenge myself to clear the jar as quickly as possible.

I’ve already done a few things to streamline my recording process and reduce resistance around hitting record! These include buying a podcast mic and webcam, setting them up in a place where they can stay set up and are ready to record, teaching myself the basics for OBS Studio, and getting software to do screen recording with!

So now final piece of the challenge is to have something that will hold me accountable - enter the jar of pebbles as a visual cue! 1 Published Video - 1 Pebble = Progress.

Your Mission, if You Choose to Accept it…

I’m curious though, has this inspired you to embrace being rubbish? If so comment below on how you plan to challenge yourself.

However, if you do accept this mission to be rubbish, remember it's not an excuse to be cavalier in your endeavours.

Because the goal of being rubbish isn’t about producing crap work, it’s about speeding up learning to get to mastery, as well as taking consistent action.

And so, to help with learning aspect I’ve created Project Review Cheat Sheet. It’s based on the Review section from The Project Planner Insert, which helps you reflect on your progress and identify areas for improvement. Because our aim is to continuously improve by 1% and witness the compounding effect over time.

The cheat sheet is included in the Planning with Chloe paid membership but you can also buy it as a stand alone item, all the details are below if you’re interested.

Next Actions

Is there a creative endeavour you’ve hit the wall on?

Would embracing being rubbish help to make progress?

If so grab a jar, bag, bowl or any other type of container - I’ve chosen a clear jar placed on my desk as a visual cue holding me accountable.

Fill the container with pebbles, beads, gold coins or any small items that are suitable and relevant.

Then, with grace, challenge yourself to empty the jar. You could even buddy up with someone else.

Don’t forget to review and reflect on what you’ve learnt so you can make improvements - use the cheat sheet to help you!

And Finally…

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4 NIV

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Citations

** The Greg McKeown Podcast, Episode 67. What's Essential: Greg on The Courage to Be Rubbish. This podcast episode is actually part of chapter 9 from his book Effortless ;-)

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* Please note: I found this [Audible] book through my own research, personally purchased and listened to it for my own use before writing this blog post, but as an Amazon Associate I earn from any qualifying purchases you may make after clicking these links.

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Additional Resources

Paid members of Planning with Chloe can download the Project Review Cheat Sheet for free below.

Alternatively, click here to purchase the Project Review Cheat Sheet, it’s available as a Canva Template in a choice of three sizes: A4, A5 and US Letter.