"Perfectionism is a dangerous state of mind in an imperfect world."
- Robert Hillyer
Your friends, family and colleagues describe you as thorough. Sometimes they laugh at how long you take, but you're the one they can depend on to do a great job on any project. You could ask for help, but it's usually easier to do it yourself and know it's been done right. In other words, you're a perfectionist. Is it a bad thing?
Striving for excellence is an admirable trait. Consistently expecting perfection of yourself and others, however, could negatively impact your reputation at work and your relationships at home. It's time to use those exceptional analytical skills to examine your actions and determine when your perfectionism is an asset or a liability.
| law of diminishing returns | ||
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A perfectionist always seeks higher standards, and is often an unfairly harsh critic of what he does. He completes 90% of a job, then spends excessive hours fixing the minute details that usually aren't all that important anyway. In economics, it's called the Law of Diminishing Returns. In brief, this law states that once a certain level of production is achieved, the effectiveness of any continuing effort is reduced.
Rumor has it that one of Microsoft's philosophies is that if a project is 80% complete, it's ready to launch. Any last-minute problems will be worked out afterward. Whether or not Microsoft employees really do adhere to it, the idea has merit. If you've designed something innovative, why risk having the specs leaked while you're tweaking it and letting your competitors beat you to the punch? Nothing will ever be perfect, so knowing when a product is good to go takes vision, expertise and courage.
| perfect to a fault | ||
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Some men are perfectionists because of the personal satisfaction they derive from attention to detail. Others are ruled by a nagging, negative, self-critical inner voice. While perfectionists may appear to be strong and capable, many of them are driven by insecurity -- and that kind of fuel is mentally draining. Aiming for a 0% margin of error will make achieving your goals extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Furthermore, your thoroughness, attention to detail and willingness to spend a disproportionate amount of time perfecting something can impact other people. Your actions and expectations could be putting undue pressure on those around you, at work and at home. It's time to regain control and lighten up.
1- Decide when to stop 2- Accept mistakes 3- Don't procrastinate 4- Know when to be perfect 5- Relinquish control 6- Delegate tasks 7- Eliminate non-essential tasks 8- Ease the pressure
Consider whether the extra effort you're putting in is worthwhile. Will that painting or sketch you're agonizing over ever be finished? You could keep adding brushstrokes or shading ad infinitum. You'll need to confidently balance your investment in your task and the quality you achieve. Allot a maximum amount of time and stop yourself if you go over.
You want to grout the tiles in the shower instead of paying a handyman to do it. If you don't execute this chore to perfection, what's the worst that can happen? No one will go into your shower with a magnifying glass to inspect it. Start caulking. It doesn't have to be perfect.
It can be paralyzing to spend too much time analyzing. Perfectionism often leads to procrastination: don't start and you won't fail. Just do it. Putting something off because it may not work out perfectly is no good for your body or mind.
In select instances, perfectionism is important -- like when building a deck. A fraction of an inch off at the start means the entire deck will be crooked when you reach the other side. Savvy carpenters measure twice and cut once. This shouldn't be dismissed as an obsession with perfection -- it's using your head to save time, energy and resources.
If you're a brilliant, creative webmaster who thinks your design could be improved upon, you might spend hours, days or even weeks fine-tuning it. This will frustrate your business-minded boss who sees touching up the design as a waste of time, energy and resources. So you may be best off delegating control of the project to him in the first place.
Cleaning up your desk may be a solo performance, but clearing out your closet, basement or storage locker could be a shared task. Invite someone to help you and resist the temptation to spend any more time on the project than necessary. Hire a cleaning service if excessive housekeeping is sapping your energy and depleting your time. You don't have to do everything yourself, so delegate, outsource or ask for help.
Unless it's mission critical, don't spend hours checking and perfecting. Washing and detailing your car can be a pleasant way to spend some time on a weekend. Wasting your entire Saturday morning making every inch sparkle is overdoing it. It's not essential that the carpet in the trunk be spotless. No one is going to know or care.
You've painted your living room. There's no mess on the floor, no marks on the ceiling and no obvious drips on the window frames or baseboards. Most men would crack open a beer and congratulate themselves. But the perfectionist will spend another hour or more inspecting his work, fixing barely visible imperfections and touching up what he thinks is not acceptable. No one expects things to be perfect, so stop stressing yourself unnecessarily. take it easy
It's not worth pursuing a goal that doesn't exist. Lighten up. Measure your success by your accomplishments, not your failures. Find your satisfaction in your achievements and talents, not your imperfections. Strive for excellence, do your best and give up the compulsion for perfection. You and your family, friends and coworkers will feel happier and more relaxed.
