Learn this mantra: Don’t let Perfect be Enemy of Perfectly Good

I am the kind of person that has very high standards in my job. I used to consider that this was a great skill and that would be appreciated by most people I worked with, until it started creating some issues.

Working for a global company, in a fast paced environment was great, but my perfectionism became a challenge. While I was growing fast in the company, I started to realize that the time it was taking for me to complete my tasks was just too much, I used to have pretty tight deadlines and I had to work day and night to deliver projects with my own high quality standards. Sometimes I was asked just for a draft, or an estimate calculation for a particular project, however I would not just provide an estimate, nor a draft.

I wanted my work to be perfect and definitive.

During a conversation with the CEO of the company, he said a few words that I will never forget:

“Don’t let perfect be enemy of perfectly good”

He shared with me that I needed to learn how be a “work in progress” and take the risk of answering questions using my base knowledge, experience and intuition without dedicating three or more hours to get the exact information that had been requested from me.

I do not work for that company anymore, but the words “don’t let perfect be enemy of perfectly good” and “work in progress” remain in my head for every single project I start.

We should all strive to do our best, but while we aim for perfection we can lose great opportunities and affect other aspects of our lives. It’s recommended to get feedback from your boss and colleagues, and provide consistent and frequent updates on your work, perhaps that particular point they are trying to get from you is already there, but if you are a perfectionist like me, you will not share it until it’s finished and meets your own high standards.

Perfectionism may affect other aspects of your life, your relationships, your work-life balance and your health. Keep in mind that what is perfect for you, may not be perfect for others, so self-criticism will make you run in circles trying to not only meet your standards but theirs too.

How do I know if perfectionism is getting in the way?

• If you constantly procrastinate tasks thinking how long they will take to be completed.
• If you avoid sharing updates on your work until it’s finished.
• If you are asking your team to adopt your standards.
• If you never feel satisfied with your work.
• If you’re pursuit of perfectly is causing personal problems with family and friends.
• If you constantly compare yourself to others.
• If your perfectionism is causing stress and anxiety.

Breaking these habits is not easy, you can start by doing some self-awareness and get comfortable by taking the risk of failure keeping in mind that imperfection will allow you to identify areas of improvement that will make you learn, while avoiding frustration.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave your comment on how you deal with perctionism and how it’s affecting your life!