It can be tempting to look around at what others are doing to get a sense of your own “progress.” But using someone else’s progress to benchmark your own, which we’ve written about extensively in our two books about getting sanely organized, almost always leaves you feeling inadequate.

Just yesterday, one of my favorite blogs, The Art of Non-Conformity, ran a thought-provoking piece on this topic of comparing yourself to others. I loved these lines in particular:

When we falsely compare ourselves to others, we needlessly belittle our accomplishments. We also give weight to the wrong idea that venturing out of our comfort zone is “no big deal” or that small successes are “overrated.”

Today, rather than looking out and judging in, take a moment to reflect on your progress in its own right. Celebrate the steps you have taken, whether they’re big or small.

If you have a tendency to compare your own state of organization to either those glossy, airbrushed images of perfectly clutter-free rooms found in magazines, catalogs, and coffee table books – or to your good friend who has the ability to channel Martha – do yourself a favor and stop. Instead consider how are the steps you have just taken are moving you toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.