Don’t let perfectionism keep you from completing your project
Do you find it difficult to get your work done?
Sitting there, grinding away at the same project, redoing things for the fifth time?
Is the pressure of perfectionism holding you back?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
I know you feel alone — perfectionism is an isolating experience. You’re sure you are the only one who can’t figure it all out, and all the pressure is on you.
Perfectionism — A Perfect Enemy
Here’s the thing: it’s imaginary.
All the fear inside your head telling you that you’re not doing a good enough job, or that it won’t meet expectations, is just big talk from an even bigger bully.
As much as it seems like the bully is you – which it kind of is since it’s happening inside your thoughts – it’s not you.
Don’t believe the noise inside
Perfectionism is born from some old, obsolete messages inside of you that are trying to help you.
Unfortunately, they are doing exactly the opposite.
And, despite their good intentions, they are unable to recognize or understand that they are setting your brain on fire.
It’s up to you to take that pressure off of yourself.
The power is in your hands
Great. One more thing you have to do, right?
Now you have more pressure on yourself because it’s up to you to figure out how to take pressure off yourself.
Whoa, whoa there horsey!
Eeeeease up.
The last thing you need is more pressure, and pushing yourself harder is the root of the whole problem in the first place.
Here are a few ways to let that pressure off and still get your work done.
Because, in the end, that’s why you’re here, right? You want to feel better because you need to be able to get your to-dos done.
Okay, let’s take a look:
How To Relieve the Pressure of Perfectionism
1. Don’t Push
Just like I was saying above: don’t push yourself harder.
The perfectionistic view of your problem is that you’re just not doing enough.
You’re not working hard enough.
You are not enough.
If you were, you wouldn’t be struggling… right?
Wrong.
You are enough. Your work is enough.
Negative reinforcement is not a sustainable practice, so don’t give yourself a harder time to try to get things done.
In the end, you might get some work done, but it won’t be your best quality because it was completed under duress. And you’ll burn out while you’re at it.
Treat yourself like you would treat your favourite person in the world if they were as stressed and pressured as you are right now.
Have compassion. Understanding. Patience.
Let yourself see what you are doing right, and how you have accomplished something similar in the past.
Be your own best friend, my friend.
2. Get some distance
You need a little breathing room. From your project, your workload. Even from yourself.
You can’t solve a problem when you’re too close to it, so get up and away from your desk.
Even for five minutes.
Go have a glass of water.
Make some tea.
Call a friend.
Or, if you just can’t fathom taking time away from the project at hand, call a colleague and discuss it with them.
The point is to get distance any way that works for you. Whether it’s distance from the desk or distance from your thoughts, the point is to get distance from the frantic overthinking that is perfectionism.
Give yourself a fresh breath and a shot of new perspective.
3. Set a realistic bar
Before you go driving yourself into the ground trying to hit your goal, whatever it may be, take a second to reassess your needs.
Are your goals realistic? Achievable?
Or, are the goals even necessary?
If you need to generate some sort of deliverable, make sure that your priority is the bare essentials.
You may want to go above and beyond, but you don’t need to lump “complete” and “bonus extras” into one high-pressure goal for yourself.
Make sure that you’re not overdoing it and trying to overdeliver at the cost of possibly not delivering at all.
If you burn yourself out trying to complete the base project AND the extra sizzle, you may be grinding yourself to a halt just to put some lipstick on a pig.
Ground Yourself in Reality
Check-in with yourself, your project, and your resources. The biggest resource is time.
Do you have the time available to do what you need to do?
To do what you want to do?
Make sure you find the first one — get the need done. And, if that’s all you have the energy for, then good enough is good enough.
Save some gas in the tank for the next project.
Heck, for the rest of your life.
Liar, liar, brain’s on fire
Perfectionism is a false belief that everything you do has to be perfect, and it exists in a world where nothing is ever perfect.
Don’t believe the B.S. And don’t burn yourself down to the ground trying to please a voice inside of you that is nothing more than angry noise.
You’re great. Your work is great. And you have everything you need to get it done.
So let yourself be imperfect. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of great.
Just be enough.
That’s enough.
Written by Lyle Mustard
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