A Cure For Perfectionism

Perfectionism is the enemy of growth and progress.

You think perfectionism is one of your strong points. You proudly announce to the world that perfection is one of your (desired) flaws. I am here to tell you that perfectionism is the number one enemy of your productivity.

I struggle with perfectionism. I tend to focus on the minute details. Back in the day, when I used to edit photos I took, I would focus on minute details. Everything had to be perfect. If it was less than that, it wasn't worth it.

But, as I have been struggling to write in the last few months, I have come to realize that perfection is one of the most ingenious ways to kill your productivity. Perfectionism will make you question your every move. It will be your biggest critic. It will criticize you so much that you won't finish what you started.

Following are some of the points I have learned to deal with perfectionism. Let's dive in.

Perfectionism = Procrastination

Perfectionism is one of the sneakiest forms of procrastination.

After all, why would you think that you are procrastinating when you are trying to be 'perfect?' But, you get so lost in the nitty-gritty that you forget the big picture. You forget that progress has to be made. Food has to be brought to the table. You get so fixated on making a project as perfect as possible, that you don't even start it.

I gave up multiple blog ideas just because I thought that it was not up to the mark. If I wasn't obsessed with perfectionism, I would have gotten a lot more blog posts out by now.

Realize that you procrastinate when you try to be perfect. Realize that it's never going to be perfect. Nothing ever is.

Shift Your Focus To Mastery

A Perfectionist is trying to focus too much on one individual performance.

In the book The Anxiety Toolkit by Dr. Alice Boyes, there is a concept called 'Shifting Your Thinking From Performance Focus To Mastery Focus.' Performance focus is when you are desperately focused on doing well in the next performance in an endeavour. Mastery focus is when your focus is on learning through your performances by getting feedback.

The perfectionist is invested too much in performing well in her next act. A perfectionist remains a beginner in most things because she is not able to progress further. If one of her performances gets bad (which it eventually will, because she is a beginner) she is disheartened and quits. She thinks she will never be good enough.

A Master, however, is in it for the long run. She knows that she can't expect to perform perfectly as a beginner. She will have to practice. She will have to grow. She realizes that she will fail multiple times. But she accepts the failures because she knows they are part of the process. It's through failures that she will grow the most.

Becoming a Master is the best way for a Perfectionist to progress in any endeavour.

Perfectionism Makes A Task Seem Monumental

Oftentimes, doing something is easier than you think.

A master will just see a task and do it. A perfectionist, however, will be hell-bent on finding the best resources she can, to do the task perfectly.

If a master wants to learn how to write, she will learn the basics and go practice. She will learn the next thing only when she has become comfortable with the fundamentals. A perfectionist, on the other hand, will try to learn everything and write the perfect first essay. Very soon she will realize that it's too much work to make everything right the first time. It's just not possible.

Realize it's a long and patient process to do great work. You can't do great work the first few times. Great work comes with time and practice.

Take Action To Beat Perfectionism

Because perfectionism is procrastination in disguise, action is its first casualty.

The most effective and simple way to overcome perfectionism is to take the action it's making you not take.

If you are a writer, write.

If you are a painter, paint.

If you are an entrepreneur, build.

Don't wait around reading and researching your stuff. Don't wait around getting ready. You are ready now. There is no better time for you to do your thing.

Just. Do. It.

Art Is Done For The Sake Of Joy

Why do something if there is no joy in it?

Everyone is an artist. It doesn't matter if you are a painter or a doctor or a philosopher, you practice your own form of art. We are all after fulfilment. We just use different mediums to get there.

A perfectionist finds joy in a desired result. But results are temporary. And desired results are not guaranteed. If the perfectionist gets favourable results, she is happy. If she doesn't get it, she becomes discouraged and quits.

A master finds joy in the process. A master knows that she can't control the outcome, but she can control her attitude towards the outcome. She learns to enjoy the process, not concern herself with the result. She knows the desired result will come. It will come with patience and practice.

Do things for the sake of doing them. Because you love doing them. Learn to enjoy the process.

Parting Thoughts

"It’s not the quest to achieve one perfect goal that makes you better, it’s the skills you develop from doing a volume of work." — James Clear

I hope this article has shed some light on one of the craftiest forms of procrastination.

Perfectionism has stopped me from completing multiple projects. It's really a sneaky form of putting things off. I am learning to deal with it as I move forward. I am learning to be imperfect. After all, imperfection is what makes you authentic.