
Letting go of perfectionism could be the key to a healthier, more productive, more successful and more satisfying working life.
I know, I thought it sounded counterintuitive too.
Why wouldn’t you always strive to achieve your best?
Well, in this case, you'll do just that - the best you can do. Rather than chasing the elusive ‘perfect’ which ultimately threatens productivity and drives procrastination.
Because 'perfect' doesn’t exist.
And it causes you to spend way too much time fussing over a task, tweaking, amending and polishing when all you’re doing is circling and circling around the same thing.
Trello argues that the quest for perfectionism is fuelled by a number of factors, from competitive work environments to our own innate neuroticism. We live in a hyper-competitive culture, thanks to social media and the constant availability of showcasing platforms. So much so, that studies are finding significant jumps in perfectionist tendencies. But aiming for perfect doesn’t mean you are actually getting more done, or that the standard of your work is improving in any way. Fear of failure can hold us back and the nitpicking tendencies of perfectionists are actually counterproductive.
Are you guilty of perfectionism tendencies?
We live in an era of overachievement, and in this era flaunting those achievements (we’re looking at you, social media) is totally the norm. Because pretty much everyone’s achievements are on full display at all times, it can be easy to get caught up in the idea that “perfect is the new black,” and if you want to be successful in today’s hyper-competitive culture, you need to be perfect, too.
https://blog.trello.com/productive-not-perfectionism