The Not-So-Wonder Twins: Perfectionism and Procrastination, from Solopreneurial Tendencies

The Not-So-Wonder Twins: Perfectionism and Procrastination

December 19, 2006

My client Philippa Kennealy has a really insightful post on her Entrepreneurial MD Blog on The Price of Perfectionism.

I've always been pegged as a "perfectionst, to a fault." (Even on the comments section of elementary school report cards...right under "difficulty accepting constructive criticism" and "still can't snap her fingers.") Until recently, I don't think I really understood what that meant, just how my perfectionistic tendencies manifested themselves as procrastination. As I've become more aware of the connection, I've been struggling to learn to "let go."

Here are a few of the reasons offered for becoming a former perfectionist:

You can take advantage of the opportunity to get a head start.
You will shorten your learning curve. Contrary to expectations, being willing to learn from your own mistakes and those of others will speed up your learning, rather than hamper it.
Your stress levels will drop.
You will have more fun.

Read her full post here

While these are all compelling reasons to not dwell in the muck of perfectionism, I honestly have to say my number one motivator is trying to ease the often-crippling stress that comes with being a perfectionist.

There's also a link to a self-assessment on perfectionism. As a sucker for any kind of quiz, I was all over that. Not surprisingly, the synopsis describing my results was less than flattering:

According to this test, you have some perfectionist tendencies that may be making you unnecessarily unhappy. While a desire to do well, to do your best work and to explore your full potential can give you sense of satisfaction and personal fulfillment, you have to learn when it is 'good enough'. It is important to learn how to distinguish between aspirations and unreasonable demands.

Gee...thanks for the bulletin. I didn't need a quiz to tell me that, but perhaps seeing it in black and white (or at least on my computer screen) will be one more virtual kick in the pants to learn to let go.

filed under: Getting Through the Day

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