Perfectionism and Productivity
by Janet Barclay, MVA
Some people refer to themselves as “perfectionists” as if it were something to brag about. Although there is much benefit in the pursuit of excellence, striving for perfection often leads to procrastination, missed deadlines, and low productivity.
For one thing, when you set unrealistically high goals for yourself, you may delay starting a project until you have enough time to “do it right,” and then end up having to rush through it just before the deadline.
Perhaps you continue working on something after it’s technically finished, always finding “one more thing” that can be improved upon, instead of recognizing when it’s “good enough” and moving on to the next job. This causes you to spend more time and energy on a project than it actually merits, at the expense of other activities.
As a perfectionist, you might have difficulty with delegation, fearing that no one else can do the job to your exacting standards. As a result, you are often overworked. If and when you do bring yourself to delegate, you don’t gain as much time as you could, because you spend a lot of time checking and redoing the other person’s work.
Perfectionism can lead to stress, which can hinder your productivity even further, and even cause burnout and illness, which will bring things to a screeching halt. Before it reaches that point, consider adopting one or more of the following strategies.
- Break large projects down into smaller tasks. Focussing on only one task at a time will help you to feel less overwhelmed and free your mind to be more productive.
- Be realistic about what you can achieve, and list only high priority items on your to-do list. By lowering your expectations, you won’t lose valuable time agonizing over what you “should have” done.
- Schedule time to work on specific tasks. This will help you to remain aware of the other activities you need to fit into your day, so you don’t feel you have “all the time in the world” to spend perfecting certain jobs. If it’s difficult for you to set time limits, ask for help from a business or life coach, or a colleague.
- Consider the long-term benefits of delegating routine tasks. Although you may initially have to invest time in training and supervision, it will eventually pay off, leaving you more time to spend on higher value activities.
- Notice when you are procrastinating, and try to figure out why. When you are aware of the obstacle that is causing your procrastination, it is often easier to find a way around it.
For many people, perfectionism is a serious problem which affects not only their productivity, but their self-esteem, relationships, and other areas of life. If you are experiencing this, you may wish to read one of the books listed below or seek professional counselling.
About the Author
Janet Barclay, Organized Assistant, offers a variety of professional quality services to support entrepreneurs and other individuals who are overwhelmed by the demands and technology of the 21st century. For further information, please visit her website at http://www.organizedassistant.com.
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