Perfectionism & Procastination: A Tale of Two Traits
Posted by ablack on May. 26, 2015 / Subscribe 0
As I sit here gearing up to write this post that I personally suggested to BeatBlogger, I find myself wary…wary of what to say, wary of how to say it and wary of how much to write.
- Will this idea resonate with other professionals in my industry? Or will I make a fool of myself for admitting that I suffer from this mentality?
- Should it be argument-based (i.e. does this personality “defect” really exist at large or is it just me?) or should I come in with a funny story about the time I couldn’t get something done until the pressure of the looming deadline meant that I couldn’t put it aside any longer (a scenario which happens far too often).
- And is “short and succinct” the way to go? Or should I give my readers something substantive to chew on for a while?
What I’m experiencing as I write these thoughts down is typical of what happens in my head every time I prepare for a new task. I over analyze each and every option and fully expect failure if I don’t get it done “just right.” I AM the “perfectionist procrastinator.”
Although I like to think that I am anticipating potential hurdles and finding solutions to them, what I’m really doing is creating roadblocks to my own success. I find reasons for why my results will be less than perfect and therefore why I should obviously wait to start whatever task I am trying to tackle until later when I’ve got it “sorted it all out.” What actually ends up happening is that I get to it when the deadline is around the corner and I don’t have a choice anymore. I’ve romanticized this fail-to-start pattern by telling myself (and others) that I am highly motivated by deadlines. Nice marketing spin, right?
Here’s an example for you. Although we are now on the cusp of June and I’m finally making the time to write this piece, I initially brought this topic up to BeatBlogger WAY back in February at the SMPS Southwest Regional Conference. I mentioned to her that I thought it would be great if someone (not me, of course!) would write a post about this very issue, since I had been inspired by something that had found its way into my inbox. That somethingwas an e-newsletter by Sandler Training and I received it four months prior in OCTOBER of 2014!
The good news is Sandler Training did their job at least: their email had piqued my interest so much so that I am still thinking about it six months later. I knew I’d get to it eventually. But what did this e-newsletter say that resonated so much with me? It discussed perfectionism and procrastination as two sides of the same coin.
“Perfectionism is a mental obsession with achieving the ideal as a minimum requirement. For some people, it is a conscious form of procrastination that prevents them from getting started on goals and projects. For others, it’s an unconscious form that prevents them from completing projects, accomplishing their goals, and adding value to the world. In either case, it’s a debilitating condition.” Sandler Brief, Volume 13, Issue 10.
I had never really thought about it in that way. Or at least I had never put words to the fact that I may be a victim of this very condition…delaying doing all sorts of things for fear of not doing them perfectly. Case in point, here are a few additional examples from personal experience:
- In my professional life: Need to think about how to refresh the design on that proposal template? Too much! I’ll need to research the latest trends, try to find out what my competitors are doing these days, and come up with a few options to choose between. And then the “reveal.” What if my boss doesn’t like it? What if it’s no better than what I had already designed? What if I make a mistake? Let’s just leave it the way it is “for now” and I’ll try to redesign it sometime in the future…
- In my personal life: Need to hang a piece of framed art at home? Too much! I’ll need to measure where everything else is spaced on the wall, the exact height they each need to be from the ceiling and perfectly hammer each nail so that I KNOW they will be level when I place that wire on the hook. Don’t even get me started on when it’s off by a quarter of an inch… my level eye (aka anal retentive tendencies) can’t take it! Can’t we just do that tomorrow?
- As a volunteer: Need to write that blog post you suggested in the first place because the deadline is in two days and you’re still not sure what to say? Too much! Oh wait… That’s what I’m doing here isn’t it. Hey, I’m finally getting something done! Thank goodness for deadlines…
But here’s the thing. YOU control your own destiny. You can stop this counter productive routine in its tracks by simply saying “YES.” If you start with saying “YES, I can do this,” then you will get so much farther than if you never started in the first place (due to fear of not being perfect). Never mind the “I shoulds,” or the “but, what ifs.” Never mind with the “I can’ts” or the awful “I’m not good enoughs.” You ARE good enough. In fact, we are all better than we give ourselves credit for.
If we always kept our ideas to ourselves for fear of failure, then no one would ever improve. Methods of doing all things would stay stagnant and we would never discover innovative approaches to solving common problems. All it really takes is the courage to ignore your inner critic and try something new. In case you need some additional inspiration, here are three quotes by Albert Einstein that are helpful when dealing with your own perfectionist/procrastinator complex:
- “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”
- “The person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new.”
- “You never fail until you stop trying.”
Who knew I could get through this blog post if I just silenced my perfectionist tendencies and let go. Is it perfect? No. But is it something that wasn’t out there before NOW that I personally accomplished? Yes. Was it helpful for other A/E/C marketers and business development professionals? I hope so.
So if any of this rang true for you, I challenge you to say “yes” FIRST and figure out the details later. You will be amazed with what you can accomplish if you just get out of your own way.
About the Blogger: Maria Leshner is an inner perfectionist and outer procrastinator extraordinaire who decided to say “YES” as her 2015 New Year’s Resolution. She spends her time letting go by laughing with her husband and two dogs, Rylie and Jett. She can sometimes be found getting stuff done, but usually only at the last minute for an impending deadline. She is an artist turned graphic designer who loves ctrl+z (undo) so that she can fix any unintended mistakes. She also provides marketing and business development to a great MPE engineering firm in the valley that embraces her tendencies to make things “just right.”
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