Do you keep putting off goals because the timing just isn’t right? Is it difficult to complete any project because you’re still putting the finishing touches on it? Do your family and coworkers accuse you of being impossible to please?
You know where this is going. You’re a perfectionist. In a coy sort of way, you might even be proud of it. You call it being ‘thoughtful’ ‘conscientious’, ‘excellent at what you do’. You may be all of those things, but sometimes you are ‘anxious’ ‘stressed’, and ‘perpetually dissatisfied’.
Perfectionists are more likely to put off making a decision. They procrastinate. And they are less happy than those who have high standards, but who aren’t obsessed with perfection. If you aren’t careful, perfectionism can cause you to miss the joy in the journey as you focus exclusively on the destination. If this sounds like you, try these three strategies to rein in your perfectionism habit.
- Focus on progress, not perfection.
Get a clear sense of the purpose in everything that you do. Then it will be easier to know which things deserve that extra time to get things just right, and which don’t.
- Set your minimum standard and stop when you meet it.
Today, we are bombarded with more choices and options than ever before. It can be easy to get stuck in a cycle of trying to make every choice the perfect choice, but research shows that people who do this are more anxious and less content. Whether you are deciding what to order off the menu, or which new television to buy, get clear about your minimum standards—and once you find an answer that meets those minimum standards, choose it. Stop searching for more options. Save yourself the stress and start satisficing.
- If you must perfect something, perfect your top priority.
If you are a hard core perfectionist, get clear about your top priority. Give yourself permission to be perfect at that, but refuse to spend valuable extra time trying to perfect the things that do not top your priority list. After all, if you’re going to get just one thing right, make sure it’s the thing that has the most impact.
