3 Ways to Overcome Perfectionism

PERFECTIONISM IS ALL IN OUR HEADS. THE OPPRESSIONS WE INTERNALIZE ARE THE MOST DIFFICULT TO LET GO OF. WE GROW UP BELIEVING THESE LIES ARE TRUTHS, AND IT’S EVEN MORE BELIEVABLE WHEN WE LEARN THIS NEGATIVITY FROM FAMILY, SCHOOL, AND WORK. I HAVE THREE COURSES ABOUT PERFECTIONISM, AND I HIGHLY SUGGEST TAKING THE PERFECTIONISM BUNDLE TO CATCH UP ON MY FIRST TWO CLASSES. BESIDES TAKING MY CLASSES, YOU CAN START TACKLING THIS NEGATIVE MINDSET AT HOME. SO HOW CAN WE TRAIN OUR MINDS TO GET OVER IT? HERE ARE THREE WAYS TO GET OVER PERFECTIONISM.

Limit the Time You Spend on Each Task

ONE WAY TO STOP OBSESSING ABOUT A TASK IS TO LIMIT HOW MUCH TIME YOU SPEND ON IT. IF YOU ONLY ALLOW YOURSELF ONE HOUR TO COMPLETE SOMETHING, IT WILL GIVE YOU A SENSE OF URGENCY. LEARN TO PRIORITIZE YOUR TIME AND YOUR THOUGHTS. INSTEAD OF THINKING ABOUT DOING IT PERFECTLY, PLAN WHAT STEPS YOU NEED IN ORDER TO FINISH THE PROJECT. YOU CAN CHECK YOUR WORK FOR QUALITY WITHOUT WORRYING BY BEING OBJECTIVE. FOCUS ON BEING EFFICIENT RATHER THAN BEING GOOD ENOUGH. ONCE IT’S COMPLETE, LET YOUR WORK SPEAK FOR ITSELF.

Breakdown Tasks into Smaller Parts

SOMETIMES WE MAKE A PROBLEM LARGER THAN THEY REALLY ARE. WAHOME (2021, AUGUST 24) AFFIRMS, “IF YOU CAN BREAK DOWN YOUR JOB INTO SMALLER, MANAGEABLE BITS TO COMPLETE ONE STEP AT A TIME, YOU MAY AVOID OVERWORKING.” SOMETIMES WE DREAD COMPLETING TASKS BECAUSE WE CONSUME OUR THOUGHTS WITH HOW MUCH EFFORT IT WILL TAKE TO MEET THEM IN THE END. WORRYING ABOUT WORRYING IS PRECISELY HOW BEING A PERFECTIONIST IS A HARMFUL CYCLE. THINK OF EACH STEP AS A CHECKPOINT AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A BREAK AND CELEBRATE EACH LITTLE VICTORY. BREAKING IT DOWN INTO SEGMENTS MAKES IT LESS INTIMIDATING.