There's a line in the movie "Spaceballs" where Dark Helmet says, "What're you preparing? You're always preparing! Just GO!"

That line got a lot of use in conversations with my mother and sister (I still get it today from my sister). I like to think new-to-me things through over and over again before I do them. I haven't mastered the art of "just go!"

Like, I had to organize and reorganize (on paper or onscreen) where I wanted to plant everything. I had to write down what kind of soil each variety preferred. I had to write down the watering preferences. And then I had to rearrange where stuff was again so they could hopefully be neighbors with similarly-minded plants.

Kind of like doing and redoing a seating chart for a reception.

I'm not sure if it's procrastination (though it certainly could look that way from the outside) or if it's that fear of not doing something as perfectly as possible.

Which, ironically, tends to lead to missing deadlines for when to plant things...

@AngelaPreston Personally, I think you just want it perfect and that it’s not procrastination 🙂 At least, that’s kind of how I work too, at least for some things ..

I go over things multiple times in my head when I’m composing a paragraph or a reply to somebody. Instead of just sitting down and writing, I’d go over phrases or sentences in my head till I’m sure that I’ve got the right tone before I actually write something.

@f I think you're right. I want to do it "right," and right means "perfect." As if I am going to get a good grade in "Gardening with Native and Pollinator-Friendly plants."

My husband likes to remind me not to let the "perfect" be the enemy of the "good." For things that are early changed, it's not so bad. But I worry about putting a plant in a wrong place or without what it needs, because of the time, effort, and expense involved in fixing it. I take it really hard when a plant doesn't thrive because of something I did or did not do.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does the "compose it in my head first" thing for writing. And I edit my emails a bunch before sending. I'm deliberately a little more relaxed here (and I'm terrible about proofreading on my phone) but I still cringe if I post a typo.

(And I made a typo in this post! Early should be easily)

@brentendo This perspective is helpful to me. If I feel like I'm overthinking it, I can remind myself that one thing I'm NOT doing is worrying about whether the colors of the flowers clash. I'm looking for utility in this flower bed rather than conventional beauty.