Perfectionism, Procrastination, Paralysis, OH MY!

I shudder when I think of those words. As a recovering perfectionist, I'm incredibly familiar with how these "Three P's" fuel each other and lead to (at least for me) angry tears and exhaustion.

Highly Sensitive People are prone to perfectionism. We analyze things to death and it’s not hard for us to envision how something can be good, better, best! We also loath criticism, and chasing perfection seems like a good tactic to avoid it.

Too bad that never worked for me. But…a sticky note did. And it changed my life.

I had a sticky note that lived on my desk for years. It read, "Done is better than perfect." I kept it there to remind myself of that truth every day.

Perfectionism is a time-suck and a serious depressant.

Like all temperament traits, there is a light side and a dark side. High standards help me stay organized and be the best therapist I can be for my clients. But these same standards make me prone to insomnia and crushing disappointment.

The Three P's Trap

Most perfectionists are very well aware that perfection is an illusion and that the pursuit of it pushes us farther and farther from our goals. Here's where the other two P’s come in: We put off what we doubt will be "the best" or completely accepted by every single person in the world. (Oh my.) Hence, procrastination. Eventually, putting it off leads to completely freezing up, or giving up on it altogether. Hence, paralysis.

This blog is a great example of my own work at busting out of the trap of the Three P's. I don't blog consistently, although that's a goal I make every so often, and the more time that lapses in between postings, the less I want to create another one.

But here I am, once again proclaiming (and hoping this resonates with and can help someone reading this)...

DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT. 

Maybe a little sticky note could change your life too?

🙂