Perfectionism is currently on the rise and a lot of people have already experienced its downsides. As we live in a technology-driven world, it’s easier to see how others excel in life and how they’re perfect. Every time you check your Facebook or Instagram feed, you see millions of successful people who – as you believe – are better than you are. This makes you doubt your self-worth and strive for perfection. You want to look perfect, work perfect, and live perfect.
The only thing is, there’s no such phenomenon as perfection. No one is perfect. The earlier you understand it, the better. Here’s why it’s so important to let go of perfection today:
1. Perfectionism reduces productivity
Productivity and perfectionism don’t go hand-in-hand; they’re actually enemies. When you have impossibly high standards, it’s impossible to tackle even the simplest tasks. First of all, perfectionism makes it hard to start doing something. Instead of completing a task, you sit and wonder what if or why not and how it’s best to do it. It can take a few hours or even days before you finally start doing that task. Perfectionism induces procrastination. No wonder, you always worry about your endless to-do list.
2. The quality of work is poor
Even if you start doing your task, you won’t be able to do your best job as you have unreasonably increased expectations for yourself. Being productive doesn’t mean doing tons of work. It’s about quality and not quantity. Perfectionism can prevent you from taking risks and trying new things, which can help you do your job more effectively. In order to do your best job, you need to take certain risks and learn a new technique. Relying on your perfect skills only is a road to nowhere in your career.
3. Perfectionism kills teamwork
When one of the team members is a perfectionist, accomplishing a project might be a double headache. That team member is never satisfied with the results and can stop you from trying new ways to complete a project. Perfectionist tends to have unrealistic expectations, especially when working with someone. No matter what you do, it seems like they’re disappointed with your actions. It’s hard to build an environment that promotes connection, authenticity, and growth when one team member embraces perfection. Perfectionists have difficulty working with people, so they tend to work from home.
4. Perfectionism breeds fear
Perfectionists are afraid of making mistakes, which is why they think they would rather avoid doing something than would do it in a wrong way. They limit their options and possibilities since they believe they’ll be unable to deal with the outcome of their choices in case they turn out to be incorrect.
Perfectionism is often the major cause of why people don’t get promoted at work. It’s not that employers don’t appreciate the efforts perfectionists do when accomplishing their job. But still, employers can’t rely on them because perfectionists are afraid of taking risks and experimenting with new approaches.
If you’ve been hoping for a promotion for a long while but your boss seems to ignore you, consider letting go of perfection. It’s best to be imperfect and commit mistakes than staying stuck in one place and never move forward.
5. Perfectionists waste a lot of precious time
Perfectionists aren’t lazy. They’re actually busy all the time, yet their productivity is ridiculously low? Why? That’s because they waste a lot of time doing less important tasks. They might start organizing their desk, replying emails, or watering plants in the office instead of doing an urgent task or project. Although all those little tasks must be done too, priority tasks should always be done in the first place.
Once you write your to-do list, see which ones are critically important and start doing them right away. Avoid distractions and leave less important tasks for later. You’ll be more productive if you do urgent tasks first.
6. Perfectionists have trouble accepting help
Perfectionists set too high expectations for themselves, so no wonder they can’t delegate any tasks to anyone. This leads to overscheduling and results in chronic fatigue. It’s absolutely okay if someone wants to help you. You’re not a superhuman who can do everything alone. If you feel like your to-do list is over-brimming, delegate some of your tasks. Take care of your health, not of perfection.
7. Boost health
When you let go of perfection, you automatically improve your overall well-being. Trying to be perfect equals stress and stress is a number one cause of numerous diseases and conditions. Moreover, perfectionism triggers chronic fatigue, which can also negatively affect your physical and mental health. Perfectionists also tend to suffer from panic attacks, which stop them from doing their job.
8. Perfectionism sets you up for a failure
Even if you spend three days making your project perfect, there’s no guarantee that it’s actually correct or successful. When you don’t allow yourself to make mistakes, you’re doomed to fail. Give yourself enough room for mistakes. Those mistakes can lead you to enormous success one day. We learn from mistakes and we grow due to mistakes. Unlike perfectionists who get depressed when they fail, successful people learn valuable lessons from their failures and move on.
9. Gain a sense of freedom
Perfectionists feel imprisoned all the time. They set too high expectations and create too strict rules to live a free and happy life. Give yourself enough room for failure and mistakes and accept them. You’ll instantly feel a great relief and a sense of freedom. Stop worrying about the things that you or people you know can’t do perfectly. Don’t let your mind control you and steal your freedom.
Perfectionism is like an addiction. Some people are too blind to see how their attempts to being perfect are gradually ruining their health and life. It’s important to get rid of perfection and begin to enjoy your life. Life doesn’t revolve around perfect things only. No one is perfect, after all.