The key to getting the most done to the highest level and impressing the most people is actually through aiming for less than perfect. Here’s how to adopt this more effective way of tackling your key projects.Understand that you can’t do everything all at once and that it’s good to plan so you can pace yourself. But if you struggle with perfectionism, then planning to do something “later” can easily slide into procrastination, because you aren’t willing to start until you reach some optimal state of professional nirvana that never comes.

Aiming For Perfection Backfires

At the very least, sit down and brainstorm what steps you’ll need to do to get the project done.You may prefer to record the steps digitally. Either way, you want to start to flesh out what it will take to get things done and start the process of gaining momentum.

Start Today

If you <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90628373/why-tackling-perfectionism-must-go-beyond-letting-things-go">struggle with perfectionist tendencies</a>, once you get started on a project, you’ll need to have a plan for how to stop yourself from investing too much time in individual parts of the work.As you focus on the production, get the work to an acceptable level in each area with the understanding that you can come back and refine it if you have more time before the deadline. This leads to an overall better outcome than fixating on making a particular part of a project perfect and then having to rush through the rest.

Catch The Perfectionist Habits Early

The key to success is to give yourself a time limit, do the work, and then move on to the next part. This doesn’t mean everything will always go accordingly to schedule—there may be times when you need to spend an extra 30 to 45 minutes to get something done. But if you’re going hours and hours beyond what you had determined was the appropriate amount of time, then you likely need to stop yourself and move on.

Give Yourself The Time Limit

Once you get into producing work, you may find yourself getting stressed and overthinking things because you’re wondering how others will respond to what you present. This can lead to analysis paralysis, where you invest much more time in thinking than doing.To avoid this trap of perfectionism, integrate constructive feedback on how you could improve, but then try to block out thoughts of the future about how people will or won’t respond. Vague concern about whether people will think you’re amazing doesn’t do anything to help you actually get the work done.

Focus On The Work, Not The Feedback

When those invasive thoughts slow you down, shut them out with this truth: I can’t control how people do or don’t respond to me. All I can control is what I do now.This will reduce your stress in the process and help you to get the work done which can lead to better results and therefore better feedback. And even if you do get some legitimate critique that can help you do a superior job next time, that’s okay. A growth mindset is healthy; recognize that you can always develop and improve over time. You don’t need to get everything right all at once.

Negative And Invasive Thoughts

If you’ve followed the above pieces of advice, you shouldn’t be scrambling at the last possible minute in order to get work done. You started early enough to at least get the basics done, didn’t over-invest in a particular part, and weren’t wrapped up in what other people might think.Now the deadline is here: so you give everything a final look over—then ship it out. <ul><li>Don’t redo a whole part that was already fine.</li><li>Don’t decide you’re going to go in a different direction.</li><li>Don’t keep refining it so much that it’s so amazing and you miss the deadline.</li><li>Do let it go.</li></ul>

Hold Yourself To Every Deadline

Yes, people want you to do excellent work. But many times good work delivered on time actually serves them better.Your boss, colleagues, and clients don’t need the mental burden of being constantly concerned that if something is in your court it might not get done or very likely will be late. If you consistently start to deliver on time, their trust levels in you will greatly increase, and they’ll need to spend little to no time and energy worrying about whether you’ll come through.

Don't Deplete Your Energy

Aiming for 'good enough' can dramatically improve your relationships and reduce work for you because you’ll need to spend less time replying to follow-ups and explaining why the work isn’t done.A perfectionist approach may seem like a great way to excel in your work, but it’s often counterproductive. If you use a few of these strategies, you can get more done with less stress.

Let Go Of The Perfectionist Approach

You’ll feel better when you’re done—over endlessly agonizing over a task.

Stashed ideas

Why getting things finished is better than getting things perfect

Basically it is when we take destructive steps that get us further from our own succes.But if we want to achieve our goals, why do we sabotage ourselves?And more importantly, what can we do to stop this harmful behavior that impacts on every aspect of our lives?Well, first we must identify the causes, stop or eliminate the trigger and keep going with treatment.

Self-Sabotage 

People who self-sabotage might be aware of their actions or they might unconsciously act. But there are several causes for these behaviors:<ul><li>Childhood issues: Our earliest engagement with caregivers affects how we connect to others.</li><li>Difficult relationship effects: Reasons included insecure attachment styles, fear of getting hurt, <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/how-fear-of-commitment-can-impact-your-relationship-5199748">fear of commitment</a>, and unhealthy relationship beliefs.</li><li>Low self-esteem: They behave in ways that confirm negative beliefs about themselves.  </li><li>Cognitive dissonance: Holding two conflicting ideas at the same time.</li></ul>

Causes of Self-Sabotage

Procrastination: You show others you’re never ready and put off a good outcome. It’s because people fear disappointing others, failing, or succeeding.Perfectionism: Holding oneself to an impossible standard will cause delays and setbacks.They end up feeling ashamed, when something went wrong. Prone to depression, they feel like they are letting everyone down.Self-Medication: To deal with the constant battle between wanting to be successful and the script in their brains saying they can’t be, many soothe themselves through drugs or alcohol.

Common Ways People Self-Sabotage

<ul><li>Stop procrastinating</li></ul>If you keep putting something off what’s important to you, it might be easier emotionally than reaching a goal that you were told you’d never reach. <ul><li>Stop perfectionistic thinking</li></ul>Maybe you overthink every detail. Aim to strive for excellence, not perfection. Make small improvements and note progress on the way toward accomplishing the desired goal.<ul><li>Stop looking solely at the big picture</li></ul>When you shoot for something big, like becoming a top salesperson where you work, a giant goal can feel overwhelming. To prevent acts of self-sabotage, don’t get hung up on minutiae.

How to Stop Self-Sabotaging

If you think you self-sabotage, ask yourself:<ul><li>Is your behavior aligning with your goals?</li><li>If not, what is stopping you from taking action to make your dreams come true?</li><li>Do you feel uneasiness or discomfort when you progress? If yes, dig deeper:</li><li>Is this discomfort based on what others told you that limited your aspirations?</li><li>Is this discomfort based on a fear of failure and worry about looking foolish?</li><li>Are you concerned with achieving more than you thought possible?</li><li>If you do better or achieve more, do you believe success is more than you deserve?</li></ul>

Questions to Ask Yourself

The reason why I wanted to share this article is because I notice I have sabotage myself for so long, losing many opportunities. So, if you are in the same situation I hope this can help you somehow :)

Self-sabotage occurs when people hinder their own success. Learn more about what it is and how to stop the cycle.

Why We Self-Sabotage and How To Stop the Cycle

Perfectionism is a double-edged sword. It can motivate you to perform at a high level and deliver top-quality work as it can cause you unnecessary anxiety and slow you down. So how you can harness the positives of your perfectionism while mitigating the negatives? What practices can you adopt to keep your perfectionism in check?

How to manage your perfectionism

A lot of perfectionist tendencies are rooted in fear and insecurity

Many perfectionists worry that if they let go of their [meticulousness and conscientiousness], it will hurt their performance and standing. And so they cling to their perfectionism even when it’s counterproductive.

Psychological Causes

“Ask yourself: Am I using my time wisely? Am I being productive?” focusing on “maximizing the impact” of your work.You’re going to be “less perfect about some things, so you can concentrate on what’s important.”

1) See the big picture

Managing your perfectionism also requires you to calibrate your standards.Ask always for feedback from others on your work to see if it is good enough from their perspective and adjust your own standards.“What you’re saying doesn’t have to be the final word, it just has to contribute something useful.”

2) Adjust your standards

"The pursuit of perfection is a bit like wandering on an aimless journey, You keep walking and walking, but you’re not sure that you’re getting any closer to your destination”

Create a checklist for each task to know when it will be done independently of your satisfaction level.“You’re following a process with discrete and measurable goals,”. Once you’ve ticked off the items on your list, “you’re done.”

3) Create a checklist

Many perfectionists have <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/02/how-to-stop-obsessing-over-your-mistakes">a proclivity to ruminate</a> — repetitively mulling over a thought or problem without ever coming to a resolution. “It’s related to anxiety,”People who ruminate tend to be “less forgiving of themselves.” It’s unhealthy, and it’s unproductive.Identify your triggers. “learn to recognize when you’re ruminating,”Don't Trust your first reaction, Try hard to get perspective and give yourself time and distance before taking action.Think positive, <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/04/how-perfectionists-can-get-out-of-their-own-way">Think about the successes you’ve had</a> in the past, reminding you of meaningful outcomes you've accomplished without being 100% certain.

4) Break the cycle of rumination

Talk to someone about your tendencies, and be honest and open. Make it clear that you want to hear how you come across.  “Say, ‘I may get defensive, but I promise to think about what you say.’” And be sure to make good on that pledge.

5) Get perspective

Undertake a weekly review, in which you reflect on your progress.Try to get some psychological distance and ask yourself: “Was there anything I avoided this week due to fear of making mistakes? Were there any instances where my perfectionism was not worth it? Were there any times this week when I took action, even when I felt uncertain, and ended up moving things forward?The goal is to learn where perfectionism has a positive impact and where does not."you’re not fundamentally “changing course”; rather, you’re, “redirecting your personality.”

6) Monitor your process

<ol><li>Learn to recognize the point of diminishing returns when you’re aiming to complete a task perfectly. Sometimes just getting it done is a worthy goal.</li><li>Reflect on your progress. Identify examples of when you successfully moderated your perfectionist tendencies.</li><li>Calibrate your standards. Oftentimes what you’re writing or saying doesn’t have to be the final word, it just has to contribute something useful.</li></ol>

<ol><li>Mistake ruminating for problem-solving. When your mind is twisting and turning, seek out distractions to break the cycle.</li><li>Toil in pursuit of an amorphous goal of perfection. Create a checklist that ensures you follow a process with measurable targets.</li><li>Go it alone. Ask others — a trusted colleague, friend, or mentor — for perspective and support.</li></ol>

Don't

I've always been struggling with being less productive and less accomplished until I've discovered that I actually suffer from perfectionism. This article had helped me at that time to start thinking differently and getting things done appropriately !

Perfectionism is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can motivate you to perform at a high level and deliver top-quality work. On the other, it can cause you unnecessary anxiety and sometimes annoy your colleagues. How can you harness the positives of your perfectionism while mitigating the negatives? Start by recognizing the opportunity cost of your behavior. Sure, you can spend an additional five hours making that PowerPoint presentation perfect, but is that a productive use of your time? Will it make a material difference to your boss or client? Focus on maximizing the impact of your effort so you can concentrate on what’s important. Similarly, learn to calibrate your standards. Of course, as a perfectionist you’re never going to aim for merely adequate — nor should you. But the next time you find yourself nitpicking niggling details, ask a trusted colleague for feedback. You may discover that your first draft is already good enough.

How to Manage Your Perfectionism

When we decide to create a new habit — exercise, healthy eating, meditation, writing — we can get excited and optimistic, and have an idea of how it will go perfectly.This is such a hopeful time! Unfortunately, reality has other plans.Our perfect idea of how our new habit will go is pretty much never how it actually goes. We might do really well for a few days or even a couple of weeks, but inevitably we’ll miss a day or two because of tiredness, busyness, sickness, visitors, forgetting, etc. And then things get derailed, because of our perfect idea of how we hoped the habit would go.

The Obstacles In Creating A New Habit

Perfection is one of the main obstacles to forming habits. Our hopeful idea of how it will go, and then our disappointment and frustration with ourselves when it doesn’t go that way.The idea that we should be super consistent and perfect in our habit attempts …  derails us.

Your Perfect Expectations Is The Problem

What if we simply said, “Let me try to bring a daily ritual of doing X into my life, and be curious about what it will be like”?So there doesn’t have to be a fantasy that it will go perfectly or brilliantly. We don’t know how it will be. But we can bring an intention to do it, and a curiosity about what that will be like.Then we start doing it. We miss a day, but this is not a cause for discouragement. It’s a cause for curiosity — what got in the way? What would it be like to start again today?

Reality-Based Habit Change

Each day becomes a lovely place of learning.The “successful” days and “failure” days are not really binary results of success/failure, but instead a rich place of curiosity and learning.Instead of competing with ourselves, we can glide through forming a new habit by simply being open, curious and non-judgemental.

Learn Each Day

Why Perfectionism Stops Us from Creating New Habits - zen habits

There are two types of perfectionists. 
<ul>
<li>Avoidant perfectionists have trouble beginning tasks. Deadlines trigger their anxiety about doing things perfectly, and therefore, they drag their feet when starting a new project.</li>
<li>Obsessive perfectionists tend to struggle to complete tasks. Both kinds of perfectionists have trouble prioritizing and struggle to allocate their time according to what’s most important. Both types also share a habit of expanding the scope of projects. But how you deal with these traits may differ according to the type you’re dealing with.</li>
</ul>

Figure Out Which Type of Perfectionist You’re Dealing With

Perfectionists tend to equate time with quality, so you’ll need to be particularly thoughtful and diplomatic in explaining why you don’t want to spend that much time on this project. The goal is to explain the opportunity cost of spending excess time filling in ten marginally useful columns of data when you could be serving the company in more productive ways. 
Be specific and detailed about what those “more productive ways” are, and clear and concrete in explaining why those additional 10 columns won’t be useful.

Don’t Internalize Unrealistic Expectations

Find out how your perfectionist colleague prefers to receive feedback. Some will prefer to receive it via email so they have a chance to privately process any initial defensive reactions they have. 
Self-aware perfectionists typically come-around to a constructive reaction once they’ve had time for their initial strong responses to feedback subside.

Giving Feedback

During team meetings, you might ask:<ul><li>Is there a simpler way we can achieve our goal?</li><li>Can we shrink down the amount of time we’re spending?</li><li>What’s the opportunity cost of spending extra time on this versus another task?</li></ul>For projects where you’re working with a perfectionist, you can also try creating a basic checklist to help the group stay organized, relieve anxieties surrounding to-dos, and ensure that nothing is being overlooked.

Support Processes that Help the Team Focus on the Big Picture

A perfectionist’s unrealistic expectations can unintentionally make their teammates feel like their time is not being valued. Let’s take the example of a hard-driving perfectionist who sends you an excessive number of emails — each one with a different question or suggestion — when he’s feeling overwhelmed.  You have to try setting boundaries.It’s important to recognize that every individual will engage in some self-sabotaging behaviours that, in turn, affect the rest of the team. But by developing boundaries, you will create a culture that encourages personal growth.

Set Boundaries

Mutual influence is when a teammate allows you to influence their way of thinking and vice versa. It is an important factor that helps any relationship feel more secure. 
If a perfectionist’s habits irritate you, try compromising. Identify elements of their routine that may be useful to incorporate into your own. If you expect someone else to bend to your way, then you need to show that you’re willing to bend to theirs.

Enhance Feelings of Security Through Mutual Influence

Five ways to prevent the relationship from becoming too draining.

Why getting things finished is better than getting things perfect

Why We Self-Sabotage and How To Stop the Cycle

How to Manage Your Perfectionism

Why Perfectionism Stops Us from Creating New Habits - zen habits

How to Collaborate with a Perfectionist

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