procrastination Archives

Are You a Perfectionist?

Some people say “I’m a perfectionist” with pride.

But the pursuit of perfection is just an advanced form of procrastination. Here’s 3 good reasons to stop trying to make it perfect.

You’ll never achieve it

How are you going to achieve perfection?

You won’t, it’s not possible.

So how will never being able to achieve what you’re striving for make you feel? Confidence is key to creation and your pursuit of perfection will kill it.

Perfection isn’t the same as good

Why assume that something perfect is better than something imperfect?

Our Western ideal of beauty and perfection probably comes from the Ancient Greeks. But this isn’t the only way to think.

The Japanese aesthetic of Wabi Sabi – beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete – makes much more sense to me than any ideal of perfection.

Failure equals growth

Success is 99% failure
– Soichiro Honda

A neverending quest for perfection has its roots in fear of failure.

But if you build your courage, you’ll learn to accept and expect failure as a natural and important part of the creative process.

Fail, fail and fail again. Because when you fail you learn.

A caveat

I’m not suggesting you want to immediately release a load of crap. And I’m assuming that you care about what you do and make deeply, and you always want to be your best.

But assuming this, forget about perfection. Because it is more honest, courageous and useful to your development to get on with it, finish it, and get it out the door.

Worry whether it’s any good later.

How to Dispel Fear with One Question

You’re at the end of the creative process. You’re about to complete.

But you can’t get to the finish line. You keep tweaking, perfecting and polishing. In fact if you’re honest with yourself, you’re thinking of scrapping it all and starting over.

Sound familiar? Well don’t worry, this happens to everyone.

Just stop and ask yourself one simple question:

If I finish this now and send it out into the world, what’s the worst that could happen?

The answer is probably:

Someone won’t like it.

Hmmm, but someone won’t like it whatever you make and however you feel about it.

And the negative repercussions of not finishing are much worse for you and your confidence than any amount of criticism.

So finish it. Send it out. Move on.

Because what’s the best that might happen?

Well you’re never going to know unless you finish it, are you?

How I Beat The Fear (Today)

Steven Pressfield calls it “Resistance”. It comes from what Seth Godin calls “The Lizard Brain”.

I call it The Fear.

Anyone who’s tried to create, build or do anything knows The Fear; it’s what lies between us and our art. It’s the source of all procrastination and failure to complete.

Recently I’ve read voraciously about The Fear and how to overcome it. It’s been a relief and joy to find that I’m not alone, it’s something we all face every day.

But The Fear is such an wily foe that it’s hijacked my investigations. The more I read, the more I succumb to it. Researching and reading isn’t doing.

So today I’m back on the attack. I’m playing it at its own game. I’m writing this post about The Fear in order to overcome it.

And I just won.

(For today anyway)