The Perfectionism Problem – Revisited

Just shy of three years ago, I wrote a blog post about the problem with perfectionism, and how to (gently) let go of it in order to let your creativity thrive. You’d think after three years of applying my own lessons, I wouldn’t need to be writing another post on the same subject, but here I am. The problem, it seems, is not as easy to defeat as I thought it would be.

As I continue to grapple with perfectionism and come up with new strategies to make “good enough” my new “done”, I thought I’d revisit my advice from before, share what worked and what didn’t, and provide some new advice I’ve picked up over the course of the past few years. 

Decide to Decide

What Worked:

Learning to be more decisive by practicing quick decision-making in all aspects of your life and trusting your gut feelings. For example, making your decision about what you want at your local coffee shop before you make it to the counter. This definitely helped me get better about making smaller decisions more quickly.

What Didn’t Work:

That strategy still doesn’t work for me on bigger decisions like “should I apply for this job” or “how do I ask about a promotion” or “do I approach that cute guy and ask for his number”. I will definitely get caught up in panic mode about my own worth and back down. 

My New Advice: 

Try The Five Second Rule to help make gut decision-making and everyday courage a bigger part of your life. Mel Robbins’ simple tip (which she invented to try and get herself out of bed on time in the morning), has been very helpful in getting me to trust my gut and make decisions—even big ones—much quicker. Just count down, 5-4-3-2-1, and make your decision. Then make a move to accomplish the task. It’s that simple!

Stick to Your Commitments

What Worked: 

Honestly, I want to say some part of my advice from the last post worked, but...it really didn’t. So I’m just going to move straight on to what didn’t work. 

What Didn’t Work:

Everything. Sticking to my own deadlines is really hard. I’m not only a perfectionist but a procrastinator. I set a deadline and when it comes too close and I haven’t even started yet, my argument would becomes “well...I make my own deadlines so I can just push it back a day”. Which starts as a day, then become two days, three days, a week, a month, and so on.

My New Advice: 

Make yourself so busy that you have no choice but to accomplish your projects as they come up and/or when you set time out for them. I find making a paper to-do list helps immensely with this, as you can keep track of things you need to take care of as you think of them, then schedule them in accordingly.

Know Your Limits

What Worked: 

Saying “no” to projects, timelines, or commitments that aren’t do-able. Protecting the integrity of your work and your health is so critical in this time where clients, managers, and friends alike expect constant and round-the-clock updates on your work. Learning your limits and when to say “no” helps you stay sane and make sure that you are performing at your best.

What Didn’t Work: 

There are some situations where saying “no” isn’t an option, especially if you aren’t your own boss or you’re working within a timeline someone else created. In that situation, how do you handle unrealistic expectations? How do you still deliver quality work?

My New Advice:

Say “no” when you can and manage expectations when you can’t. If you work for yourself, negotiate dates based on clients and/or programs you already have on your calendar. If you work for someone else, communicate your current tasks to negotiate and prioritize work and ensure that you complete the most important tasks on time. In my experience, communicating the (reasonable) timeline for when I can expect to get something done has gone over very well with my managers.

“Good Enough” is the New “Done”

If you cringed when reading that, don’t worry – I do too, though less than I did when I last wrote an article on this topic. It’s still challenging to share something before I feel like it’s ready, but I’m not letting it stop me from putting myself out in the world and improving on the form later.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past three years, it’s that practice is the only way to get better at doing something. So if you’ve got a big idea or dream, 5-4-3-2-1, and just start working on it. Even if the steps you take are small, even if it’s something as simple as putting up a blog post, get started. Someone, somewhere, will appreciate your work. Don’t hold yourself back!

Do you have any tricks you use to just “get it done”? Share with me in the comments!