Everyone seems to have some sort of perfectionist tendency about one thing or another in life, but some of us tend to continually strive for perfection. You probably already know that it's ok not to be perfect, but sometimes it's hard to let go... Below are some techniques to help you determine when near perfection may be advantageous, but more importantly, to help you feel comfortable letting other areas be perfect in their imperfections.
Sometimes being less than perfect-is perfect.
Let me explain:
Aiming for perfection has a cost in time, energy and resources. Sometimes, striving for perfection is worth the cost because you receive sufficient reward in affirmation, compensation and/or accomplishment. Other times, trying to be perfect is simply not worth the expense. Recently, I talked through strategies for overcoming being a perfectionist with one of my time coaching clients and thought you might benefit from this exercise.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to figure out when less than perfect is best :
- Where are the areas where I tend to aim for perfection?
- Why is it so important to me to make these particular things "perfect"?
- What's the cost of making these things perfect?
- When is this quest for perfection worth the extra time, energy & resources?
- When is perfection not worth the cost?
- How can I let go of being "perfect" in the low value areas?
About Real Life E®
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E® a time coaching and training company that empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed and frustrated to feel peaceful, confident and accomplished through an exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. She is an expert on achieving more success with less stress. Real Life E® also increases employee productivity, satisfaction and work/life balance through custom training programs.
McGraw Hill published her first book The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success with Less Stress. Elizabeth contributes to blogs like Lifehacker, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and the 99U blog on productivity for creative professionals. She was selected as one of the Top 25 Amazing Women of the Year by Stiletto Woman.