The Perils Of Perfection

Online, February 28, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Too many of us take too long to get stuff done, because we are obsessed with perfection.

"I can't send the monthly report yet, because I need to check my figures a third time, and because I don't like the way I have worded big chunks of it, so it needs a rewrite".

Sound familiar?

Instead, what we should really focus on is completion, because something of average quality that is complete, is infinitely better than something of exceptional quality that's not quite ready yet. Beware the perils of perfection!

The following articles explain the perils of falling into the perfectionism trap, and how to avoid them.

How to stop being a perfectionist:

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." Henry van Dyke

I once read a job interview tip that recommended if asked what your biggest flaw is, say you're a perfectionist. The theory was that the interviewer would be delighted at the prospect of all that hard work in your quest for perfection and hire you.

This idea appealed to me at the time and although I never got to use the line I would have if anyone has asked me the question. But today I've changed my mind. I've been self employed for 12 years so I don't go to interviews but if I was looking for someone to hire for a job I'd steer clear of anyone who said they were a perfectionist.

I'm a recovering perfectionist because being a perfectionist's no fun and being friends with a perfectionist or working with one's not much fun either. The University of Texas even classes being a perfectionist as a mental health problem and a major cause of stress in The "Vicious" Cycle of Perfectionism.

So perfectionism is the enemy. It's not something you should aspire to or boast about and if you are suffering from perfectionism I hope you'll be able to recover from it. Here's why you should avoid being perfect or aiming to create perfection in anything you do:

1. It makes people unhappy since it's impossible to achieve perfection or be perfect.

2. It causes procrastination because striving for the unattainable makes it hard to get started.

3. It creates self criticism and low self esteem because perfectionists are never happy with what they've done.

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Completion versus Perfection:

There's a big difference between completing a project and perfecting a project. Perfectionism frequently works against the drive for completion.

A final work product doesn't have to be perfect to produce strong results. However, the project must be essentially complete.

A mediocre but complete film script can still be made into a movie. A beautifully crafted but half-finished script is largely worthless.

An unpolished but shippable software program can still provide value to customers and generate sales. A feature-rich but perpetually 'unshippable' piece of software will usually generate zero sales.

Completion generates results. Perfectionism delays or kills results.

Perfectionism vs. Polish

Perfectionism isn't the same thing as polishing. Polishing a completed project can make it even better, as long as the polishing process doesn't incur unreasonable delays or lead to the cancellation of the project. In many cases polishing can be done after the initial project is declared complete. A book can be revised in future editions. A song can be remixed. A website can be updated after it's online.

I've done well as a blogger because I publish articles, not because I write them. I never feel that any article I post is perfect. But I push myself to publish what I write, even though the result is always less than perfect. This gets value into people's hands, and it generates web traffic and income for me. My website is far from perfect as well, but it's functional enough to deliver value to people. This is a better result than the perfect website with the perfect content with the launch delayed indefinitely.

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Article Source: How To Stop Being A Perfectionist