Is Perfectionism Slowing You Down?
Jaya Schillinger

Have you ever found yourself doing the least important things on
your to-do list, while procrastinating on the very things that
matter most? It's easy to understand why we procrastinate on
things that are unpleasant, expensive, or time consuming. (That's
why there's a line at the post office on April 15th at midnight.)
But why do we procrastinate on doing the things that will yield
truly beneficial results in areas we feel passionate about? I
read an interesting comment recently that said, "Inside every
procrastinator lives a perfectionist."

Have you ever delayed starting a project because you were waiting
for conditions to be "just right," so you could complete it? If
so, you might be a perfectionist. But have you ever put it off so
long that you had to submit work you were unhappy with, or worse
yet -actually missed the deadline altogether? Then you may very
well be a "procrastinating perfectionist." This is the double
bind: by setting up the unreasonable standard of perfection, the
procrastinating perfectionist has sabotaged themselves so that
work conditions and subsequent results end up being below
average.

So what does one who is stuck in this self-defeating pattern do?
The long-term solution is to do a little deep-digging to see what
your relationship is to perfection, control, and self-sabotage.
Ok, so there's a life-time worth of work! What about right now?
Sometimes it's easier to work with a perceived problem rather
than try to eradicate it. Can your inner-perfectionist be
mobilized to overcome your inner-procrastinator? Here are a few
tips to psyche yourself out of a perfectionist slow down.

First, consider that no self-respecting perfectionist can stand
the shame of missing a deadline and use this to your advantage.
Give yourself extra credit for timeliness. Deduct points for
procrastination.

Just start! If you are a true dyed-in-the-wool perfectionist, you
don't need conditions to be as perfect as you would like. Once
you get going, your natural excellence will kick in.

Remember, that your perfectionism is largely subjective. Don't
complicate your projects with unnecessary details. Focus on
accomplishing the "must do's" first. Then add the extras that you
love so much.

And lastly, give up the idea that you must do everything on your
own. If you don't want to give up control by delegating some of
the work, that's fine. But do get an accountability partner that
you report your progress to on a regular basis.




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Jaya Schillinger "The Turnaround Queen" at
http://www.InspirationInc.com is a certified life coach
& small business consultant with over 20 years of business
ownership & management experience in the fields of personal
development, health, and beauty.
(c)2005 Jaya Schillinger, Inspiration Inc.