I recently came across an article in The New York Times that I thought would be helpful to those of us with a commitment to perfection. The article is titled, “It’s Never Going to Be Perfect, So Just Get It Done,” and focused on how challenging it is for perfectionists to get things accomplished, specifically when it comes to writing.
Too often, we perfectionists fall into an editing and re-editing spiral in a never-ending feat to make it better. As Tim Herrera writes, “By agonizing over tiny improvements in our work — if they even are improvements — we prevent ourselves from achieving the actual goal of, you know, doing the work.”
Essentially, we inadvertently paralyze ourselves with this thinking, which leads to no action at all. It’s a slippery slope and at some point, we have to realize when to cut bait. When stuck in this position, Herrera suggests that we must ask ourselves if the changes we are making are to make it better or just to be different, which doesn’t always translate into better.
Dr. Alex Lickerman wrote in Psychology Today on the topic of just getting things done. “Recognizing that inflection point — the point at which our continuing to rework our work reaches a law of diminishing returns — is one of the hardest skills to learn, but also one of the most necessary.” He added that “overworking something is just as bad as failing to polish it.”
In this article, Herrera points out that there are two types of decision-making styles: the maximizers and satisficers. He writes, “Maximizers relentlessly research all possible options in a scenario for fear of missing the ‘best’ one, while satisficers make quick decisions based on less research.”
The interesting takeaway, for one who identifies as a maximizer, is that research shows satisficers are more satisfied with their decisions than maximizers are. All this to say, just getting it done will leave you more satisfied than if you struggle with the fallacy of perfection. Not to mention, you’ll actually get it done.
Herrera also shared two strategies in the article that might help those of you who have experienced the perfection roadblock.
First, “Embrace the magic of micro-progress,” by focusing on small wins rather than the full-picture completion. It’s important to break big projects or decisions down into incremental steps, focus on one step at a time, and celebrate the wins along the way. This strategy dismisses the self-imposed expectation that we need a perfect idea before we even start something.
Second, “Reframe the way you think about the things you have to do.” Rather than focusing on the result, it’s important to take time to think about the process and how you get to said result. This strategy enables you to be aware of the forward momentum you’re making rather than getting bogged down in the stress of the result.
As the writer James Clear put it, “When you think about your goals, don’t just consider the outcome you want. Focus on the repetitions that lead to that place. Focus on the piles of work that come before the success. Focus on the hundreds of ceramic pots that come before the masterpiece.”
Herrera’s article motivated me to be more mindful about the power of positive thinking and personal expectations. I am going to apply his thinking the next time I approach a perfection roadblock.