We are all perfectionists at times. How about a definition…
Definition of Perfectionism- The practice of demanding oneself or others a higher quality of performance than is required by a situation.
Well, what the hell’s wrong with that? Is there something wrong with overachieving? Absolutely not. Some of the world’s greatest athletes, musicians, and artists are self-proclaimed perfectionists. I want to discuss the toxic effect that perfectionism can have on your ability to get things done.
6 Ways to Kick Perfectionism, Become a Completionist, and Get Stuff Done
1) You’re not procrastinating, you just care– Stop confusing procrastination for laziness. When we procrastinate, we actually have extremely high expectations for ourselves. That’s why we call it procrastination and not laziness. Have you ever noticed how active you keep your brain when you know you’re procrastinating? There’s a certain level of anxiety that we keep in the back of our mind. That’s because you care. When you feel anxiety take over, bring it into your awareness.
2) Write drunk, edit sober– A lot of times, we wait to start something because we are scared. We judge ourselves, and it ends up crushing our productivity. Live your life like you’re on liquid courage (minus the sloppy texts to your pals and trips to Taco Bell). Let loose on a task, and do so without continuously judging the product. Later on, polish, polish, polish the details.
3) Plan less, adjust later– Naturally, perfectionists are “task-to-completion” oriented. The problem is, we spend so much time planning, organizing, and perfecting that we’re not getting anything done. Just get started. Focus on the ride instead of the final destination.
“An object at rest, tends to stay at rest.” – Issac Mother-Loving Newton said that
4) Use the “Big Mo” more often– You can’t be productive all the time. Aside from a few aliens out there (guys like Kobe Bryant, Nick Saban, and Jay-Z) it’s virtually impossible for human beings to enjoy workaholism. In reality, I think a lot of us would admit that it’s tough to stay on our game for even 40 hours per week. When we are mentally in-tune, and we see tasks to completion, use the momentum that you have. Keep going while you’re going. Ride the wave of productivity.
5) Stop hating on yourself– Becoming your own toughest critic is extremely dangerous. Expecting a lot from yourself is a healthy attitude, but when you get down on yourself for not accomplishing everything you want, the negative self-talk can be debilitating. If you’re continually beating yourself up for failing to reach your goals, you might want to re-evaluate. Break your goals/tasks into more achievable pieces, so that you experience more success and build more confidence.
6) Daily “hour of power”– Take one hour every day to get away from yourself. Get away from your tasks, don’t think about your goals, and get off your grind. Dumb it down, have a beer, play some Madden. It’s important that we humble-up and turn our brain off for a while every day. You always need to balance out. Make one “hour of power” a priority in your life. Schedule it into your day, and it will serve as a reward for your hard work and intensity.
16 Hour Guys 