Overcoming your need for perfectionism is one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself. I can tell you now that I wish I had someone back then to help me get out of my head and concentrate on the more essential tasks.
When you spend hours trying to perfect one thing, you stop yourself from getting your work done and achieving your goals.
It took me forever to launch my website and start marketing my brand because I was terrified of it not being good enough. I was so worried that people would think I was inexperienced or unintelligent that I somehow equated my worth to my website’s appearance and content.
I lost so much time and energy stressing about such minute details. I honestly thought that my worth and value were linked to whether it was more aesthetic to use mint or moss green for my website… I know it’s ridiculous, but that’s what anxiety does!
For some reason, we think that people will judge us over things like this. When you’re overly hard on yourself, you quickly become discouraged and might lose focus on your overall mission and vision.
Looking back I can see how inconsequential it all was!
The most important part of working on my website was finishing it! Remember that perfectionism and actual achievement are two very different things. The only way you’ll ever progress is if you finally learn to focus on the positive and just get started!
Keep on reading to learn how you can start changing how you approach your work and seek progress instead of perfection!
How to Start Making Progress
Don’t worry about whether you’re doing everything flawlessly. You need to constantly remind yourself that it’s not going to be amazing the first time around and that mistakes are necessary to improve!
Here are the things that I started doing to change my mentality towards perfection and ease my stress:
Stop Holding Yourself Back
It’s a massive step towards your personal improvement when you finally realize that you’re seriously holding yourself back in life. You’re so desperate for everything to be impeccable the first time around.
Remember, though, that if you stunt your growth, you’ll never be able to reach your full potential. Focus on the positive and start appreciating your skills and talents more!
Start Small
The best way to let go of your negative self-talk and start making progress is by taking baby steps. Instead of setting impossible standards and then feeling dissatisfied with yourself for not meeting them, set reachable goals and reward yourself every time you achieve one.
It’s important to have attainable goals so you don’t burn out and give up. Celebrating small wins and little victories every day is crucial for increasing your motivation, making it much more likely that you continue moving forward, and becoming a happier and healthier version of yourself.
Do Three Important Things Every Day
If you’re having trouble getting started and constantly feel overwhelmed with your to-do list, take a breath! Stop putting dozens of things into your daily schedule because it will only hurt your productivity and make things worse.
When you’re constantly worrying about how much work you have to do, you end up procrastinating because you’re so stressed out and overwhelmed. Instead, just focus on three important things every day!
Starting to set your three priorities each day is much more manageable and allows you greater focus. Once you finish them, you’ll feel more accomplished and be one step closer to your goal! Don’t waste days or months thinking about what you want to do, and just get started by defining your three priorities at a time.
Strengthen Your Mentality and Enjoy the Process
One of the worst things you can ever do for mental health is let your fear of failure dictate your life. Learn from my experiences so you can avoid making the same mistakes! It’s natural that you worry about your work, but don’t let the anxiety grow to the point that it controls your progress or stops you from pursuing your goals and passions.
I still struggle with overcoming my perfectionism but am working hard at it every day. Use these tips to help strengthen your mentality and learn to enjoy the process. It’s okay to make mistakes–they’re part of the journey and are the only way you’ll start improving!
About the Author
Julie Zhu is an NYC-based marketing strategist. She helps women entrepreneurs simplify their marketing, become well-known experts, and attract their dream clients without spending a fortune.
very insightful. I struggle with procrastination a lot. And now I can clearly see why; it’s the fear of not wanting to create a negative impression of yourself the first time. While being too careless with your work isn’t what is meant here, being extremely careful can stall one’s progress. Striking a balance between the two is the big idea here.