Say Goodbye to Perfectionism
Raise your hand if you’re a perfectionist or recovering perfectionist!
For so long I proudly flew the perfectionist flag, but eventually I realized that perfectionism is a just a prettier word for fear, doubt, insecurity, unrealistic standards and comparison.
It held me back from taking risks, pursing my dreams and putting myself out there. I lived by the motto, “if it can’t be perfect, it’s not worth doing.”
This is NO way to live!
Now, I’m claiming recovery because I’ve learned that putting the tips and ideas below into practice and living my life fully is 10x better than staying stuck in the hamster wheel of perfection.
Take small action - It can be overwhelming to think of the BIG goal, but when you take small action, consistently, your goal becomes more manageable and you move one step closer. Also, instead of being focused on the ‘right, most perfect’ action, just think of the ‘next’ action.
Be consistent - When you consistently work on your goals, even 15 minutes a day, you start to build confidence in your ability to accomplish things, and that confidence leads to massive amounts of momentum.
Set timers and time limits - I’m a huge fan of the Pomodoro technique. Set your timer for 25 minutes, focus on a single task until the timer runs out, then enjoy a 5-minute break. You can even do a few Pomodoros in a row for big tasks. Because perfectionists could work on a project for days, months or even years, it’s important to set a time limit and make done better than perfect.
Failure is not a bad thing - This word used to terrify me! Failure was NOT in my vocabulary. You know a surefire way to avoid failure - never put your project, content or dream out there. Eventually, by taking action (and yes, sometimes failing), you realize it’s just a way of learning what works and what doesn’t so you can move on to the next thing.
Identify the worst-case scenario - When fear and doubt rear their ugly heads, acknowledge them and let yourself go down the “what if” road. By talking through the worst-case scenario, you’ll realize how you can creatively handle any adversity.
Embrace B- work - Adjusting our super high standards is the hardest thing for perfectionists, but these unrealistic standards is what keeps us from moving forward on so many things. Embrace the idea of B- work. Why? Because no else expects perfection. And a little hint: A perfectionist’s B- work is often other people’s A (wink, wink).
Experiment - Think of life as one big experiment. That project you’re working on - test to see what works and what doesn’t. Getting over perfectionism takes practice and the more you experiment with new ways of doing things, the more DOING becomes the habit, and you’re less tied to the result.
Unfortunately, perfectionism never fully goes away. When I’m working on something big, important or scary I can feel my old habits creep back in. What can you do? Put one of the above techniques into practice - taking the next small action and setting time limits help me the most.
What helps you when you’re battling perfectionism? Comment below.