Sign up for a free recipe e-book →

About This Blog

I’m a lazy perfectionist — which means I hold myself to high standards I rarely meet, and get stuck in the paralysis that comes from trying too hard to get it right.

I should be doing something else right now.
But instead, I’m doing this.
And that’s what this blog is about.

I’m glad you’re here.

  • Perfectionism: When nothing ever feels ready

    Published by

    kschmunk

    on

    Perfectionism: When nothing ever feels ready


    You don’t have to color-code your spice rack or alphabetize your email folders to be a perfectionist.

    You might not even look like a perfectionist from the outside.
    You might look disorganized. Behind. Chaotic.
    (You might even be someone who refers to themselves as “a mess.”)

    But underneath the mess?
    A deep, quiet pressure to get it exactly right.
    To do it once, do it perfectly, and have it make sense the first time — or else.

    That’s perfectionism too.
    And it’s sneaky!

    Perfectionism isn’t always neat.
    Sometimes it looks like… doing nothing at all.

    Because if it can’t be perfect, you don’t want to start.
    Or maybe you start — but you never finish.
    Or you finish, but it never feels “ready.” So it just… sits there.
    Unpublished. Unsent. Unshared. Unseen.

    That text.
    That job application.
    That book you half-wrote and never opened again.

    Not because you didn’t care.
    Because you cared too much.

    And it sounds like this:

    “It’s not ready yet.”
    “I just need to fix a few more things.”
    “I’m not qualified.”
    “If I do this wrong, everyone will know I’m a fraud.”
    “This has to be amazing or it’s not worth doing.”

    Perfectionism convinces you that good enough is a trap.
    That your first try has to be your best try.
    That anything less than flawless doesn’t count.

    Which is funny, because perfectionism never lets anything feel flawless.

    So you keep chasing a finish line that keeps moving.

    The worst part?
    You end up never getting credit — even from yourself.

    Because if you never finish, you never get to feel proud.
    If you do finish, perfectionism tells you it still wasn’t good enough.
    And when someone else tells you it’s great?
    You deflect. You downplay. You secretly think they’re just being nice.

    So the thing never gets done.
    Or if it does, it doesn’t land the way it should —
    because perfectionism already got to it first.

    This post isn’t here to fix your perfectionism.
    (That would be a very perfectionist thing to try to do.)

    It’s just here to name it.
    To say: If this is what’s getting in your way, it makes sense.

    You’re trying to protect something that matters to you.

    That’s not weakness — it’s tenderness.

    And we can work with that.

    Next up: Executive Dysfunction
    When you know what to do — you even want to do it — and still… you can’t seem to start.
    Not because you’re lazy.
    Not because you’re avoiding.
    But because your brain won’t move.
    We’ll talk about that next.

    Continue reading →: Perfectionism: When nothing ever feels ready

  • Why Is It So Hard to Just Do the Thing?

    Published by

    kschmunk

    on

    Why Is It So Hard to Just Do the Thing?

    Most people think lack of follow-through is about effort. But it’s usually about something else.

    Sometimes it’s perfectionism.
    Sometimes it’s procrastination.
    Sometimes it’s fear.
    Sometimes it’s executive dysfunction, ADHD, trauma, burnout, or just plain old emotional overload.

    Sometimes it’s all of it at once.

    Sometimes the task is small — a form, an email, a text.
    Sometimes it’s big — a dream, a shift, a thing you really, truly want.

    And the more it matters, the heavier it gets.

    This post isn’t here to tell you which one is “yours.”
    It’s here to say:

    If you’ve struggled to do the thing, you’re not alone.
    And you’re not lazy — even if it looks that way.

    Some of the reasons we get stuck:

    🧠 Emotional + Psychological Roots

    • Perfectionism – when nothing ever feels good enough to finish
    • Fear of Failure – when trying feels like a risk to your worth
    • Fear of Success – when moving forward feels like pressure or exposure
    • Shame – when past mistakes or inaction make the next step heavier
    • Avoidance as Protection – when caring deeply makes it harder to begin
    • Threat to Ego – when doing the thing feels like a risk to who you believe yourself to be

    🧩 Cognitive + Processing Barriers

    • Executive Dysfunction – when you know what to do, but can’t make your brain do it
    • Looping + Overthinking – when you’re stuck in planning, spiraling, or second-guessing
    • Unclear Priorities – when everything feels important, so nothing moves
    • No System That Fits – when the tools you’ve been handed don’t work with the way your brain is wired

    🌍 Life Load + Nervous System Reality

    • Burnout – when even small tasks feel massive
    • Just Being Human – when life is heavy, and your nervous system isn’t a machine

    You might have one of these.
    You might have five at the same time.
    You might shift between them depending on the task, the season, or the day.

    This blog is where I’m going to unpack each of them — one at a time.

    Not as an expert.
    Not as someone who’s figured it all out.
    But as someone who’s trying to understand why it’s so hard to do what matters most.

    Because I’m a lazy perfectionist.

    Which means I care a lot about getting it right —
    and that’s what gets in the way.

    So if you’ve ever found yourself staring at something that should be simple,
    and still couldn’t do it —

    Stick around. You’re in the right place

    Next up: Perfectionism
    What it looks like when it’s not obvious.
    How it slows you down.
    And why nothing ever feels done.

    Continue reading →: Why Is It So Hard to Just Do the Thing?

  • Let’s Talk About The Thing (You Know the One)

    Published by

    kschmunk

    on

    Let’s Talk About The Thing (You Know the One)

    There’s something you’ve been needing to do. It might be small — a form, an email, a phone call.
    It might be huge — a change, a leap, a dream you care about more than you’d like to admit.

    You think about it often.
    You plan for it, sometimes.
    You want to do it.

    But… you haven’t.

    You’re not sure why, exactly. You’ve got your guesses.
    Maybe it’s time. Or energy. Or fear.
    Maybe you’re just overwhelmed.
    Maybe you’re exhausted.
    Maybe you’re afraid of getting it wrong.

    Whatever the reason — it’s still there.
    Waiting. Lingering. Mocking you.

    Let’s call it “The Thing.”

    The Thing isn’t always one specific task.
    Sometimes it changes shape — like a to-do list item that turns into an existential spiral.
    Sometimes it’s crystal clear.
    Sometimes it’s just a foggy sense that something’s unfinished.
    Sometimes it’s been there for years.

    And weirdly — the more it matters, the harder it gets.

    That’s the part no one talks about.
    That wanting something — even loving something — doesn’t always make it easier to do.

    In fact, sometimes it makes it harder.

    This post doesn’t come with action steps.
    There’s no checklist at the bottom.
    You don’t need another system or hack right now.

    This post is just to say:

    🧡 The Thing is real.
    🧡 If you’re stuck, it doesn’t mean you’re lazy or broken.
    🧡 You’re not the only one carrying something that never quite gets done.

    In the next post, we’ll talk about the reasons it’s so hard to do The Thing — especially when it matters.

    But for now, just let yourself breathe.

    You’re not alone.
    And The Thing will still be there when you’re ready.

    Continue reading →: Let’s Talk About The Thing (You Know the One)

  • Welcome to Perfectly Lazy

    Published by

    kschmunk

    on

    Welcome to Perfectly Lazy

    I hold myself to high standards.
    But getting things done — especially the things that matter — is harder than it should be.

    I have ideas. Vision. Intention.
    But somewhere between knowing what I want and making it happen, something gets lost.

    Sometimes I procrastinate.
    Sometimes I overthink.
    Sometimes I loop on something small until it drains me completely.

    And the more it matters, the harder it gets.

    It doesn’t look like effort.
    It looks like chaos.
    Or inconsistency.
    Or laziness.

    But it’s not.

    It’s a barrier that’s hard to explain —
    this disconnect between my ideas and what I can actually bring to life.

    That’s what this blog is here to explore.

    Not how to be more productive.
    But why it happens.
    What it costs.
    And what it might look like if I didn’t have to fight myself every step of the way.

    If you know that feeling —
    if you’ve ever wanted to do the thing, and still couldn’t do it —
    you might be a lazy perfectionist too. Maybe we can figuire it out together.

    Welcome to Perfectly Lazy.

    Next up: Why its so hard to do “The Thing”.
    That task you’ve been carrying for weeks, months, maybe years —
    the one that matters, but feels heavier every time you try to touch it.
    Not doing it doesn’t mean you don’t care.
    We’re going to talk about that.

    Continue reading →: Welcome to Perfectly Lazy