In a Harvard Business Review article, clinical psychologist Alice Boyes summed up the following undesirable manifestations of perfectionism that lead to a loss of productivity.
- Inability to decide and act: I'm afraid I won't choose the best possible solution.
- Inability to stop performing less important and unproductive tasks: If I've started something, I'll finish it.
- Avoiding challenges because of fear of failure: I'm not yet ready to start doing something new.
- Too high demands on others: If I can do everything absolutely perfectly, anyone can.
- Thinking about past mistakes and shortcomings all the time: I failed, I failed, I failed.
If you too are struggling with such tendencies, try the following practical tips.
Enjoy your success
Instead of constantly thinking about what you did wrong, analyse your achievements in your mind. You will learn to act based on your positive experiences rather than on detailed research and consideration of each step.
Learn to decide and act faster
Set rules for quick decision making. For example, you can say that if something meets four of the five criteria you have set, you will go ahead with it. Or, you can select priority activities based on the financial value they have for you or your company.
Improve by 1%
Do not make it your goal to be flawless; it's too complicated. If you try to improve yourself only by 1%, you will find that improving in small steps is much more effective.
Stop blaming yourself for imperfection
Be consciously aware of when you start ruminating over something you did wrong. Consider whether this way of thinking is helping you in some way. You will find that in fact it does not lead to a solution to your problem, just to a never-ending circle of self-blame. Learn from your mistakes and move on.
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