How to Overcome Perfectionism and Get Things Done Today

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Are you wondering how to overcome perfectionism at work and home?

Even if you don’t consider yourself a perfectionist, you may find yourself working on something far longer than necessary every now and then.

You know how it goes.

Everything has to be just right.

You spend countless hours polishing that already decent presentation and days…sanding down the exterior of that hand-crafted bureau…

Or, you spend an entire weekend tweaking the final chapter of your manuscript for the 32nd time…

The only problem is that you’ve let your other work and responsibilities fall by the wayside.

That’s not a very practical way to go about your days.

In this post, you’ll find a gentle reminder that perfectionism can sometimes get in the way of getting things done.

Here are a few tips that will allow you to complete tasks in a satisfactory manner…and feel good about them.

Set production standards for your work.

Physically speaking, perfection is pretty near impossible.

You don’t have the time, energy, or resources to do everything perfectly.

As we all know, there’s only so many hours in a day!

While you can’t be everywhere at once, you can be fully vested in the quality of your work.

One way of doing this is to set a production standard for tasks completed on a regular basis.

Don’t fret, this isn’t anything complicated. All you have to do is set up some guidelines as to what your work will entail.

Once you set a certain standard for a task, you can work on the task, complete it, and move on to something else.

Here’s an example for you. You’re concerned about writing a simple internal email announcement for your office.

Instead of insisting that the item be picture-perfect, you can set up some practical guidelines to help you get your work done.

In this case, you might decide that the email covers three important points.

The email must be: 1) courteous, 2) direct, and 3) brief.

Once you’ve set your guidelines, you can get to work with your writing.

Once the email matches those three criteria, you can proofread it, and then send the message.

Then, it’s time to work on another assignment.

Not bad, huh?

Save your energy for the important stuff.

Spending too much time choosing between royal or peacock-blue for paper napkins at your company’s happy hour?

Look, there are times when it’s important to be discerning in your work.

Then, there are times when it’s not really all that necessary to be so discerning.

This begs the question: are you placing too much energy on a relatively unimportant decision?

If you’re having trouble with this, it’s well worth to take a mini-break and evaluate your situation.

Stop what you’re doing and ask yourself, “Will this really matter a week/month/year from now?”

If you still can’t see your way out your line of thinking, ask a colleague or friend for their unbiased opinion.

They’re bound to give you some helpful and brutally honest feedback.   

Once you’ve re-centered yourself, you can focus on the work that is really important to you.

You can look at it this way: you will reroute all the energy you would have put into the less-important task into honing and carefully crafting the more important task.

That’s not a bad trade-off, now is it?

Understand that it can always be better.

No matter which tasks you perform or what work you do for a living, everything can always be better.

It’s just a simple fact.

You might take comfort knowing that every email you write, every assignment you turn in, and every presentation you give can always be better.

This isn’t meant to be taken negatively; in fact, this can be downright inspiring.

This lack of perfection gives us something to work towards. It asks us to be better at what we do every single day.

So, do your best given the time and resources available.

Yes, it can always be better, but remember, you’ve got other things to do.   

Learn how to manage your time at work

Time management is an important skill that everyone should learn and practice if they want to be successful at work.

My time management guide can help you learn how to get things done, prioritize tasks, and manage time in meetings.

If you want to overcome perfectionism so you can cross to-dos off your list, then check out my time management coaching services. Book a strategy session with me today!

How about you? Which of the above tips are you going to try out? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!

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About the Author

Rashelle

Rashelle Isip is a New York City-based productivity consultant who helps successful entrepreneurs and business owners manage their time and energy so they can reduce stress, work less, and make more money in their businesses. She has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, NBC News, The Washington Post, NPR, and The Atlantic. Get her free guide, 5 Unexpected Things You Need to Organize a Work Notebook, by clicking here.

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