What is perfectionism paralysis?
Perfectionism paralysis keeps people frozen because of the fear that their work won’t live up to their unrealistic standards. When you think of someone who puts off tasks until the last minute you might assume it’s due to them being lazy, unconcerned, or incapable. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. People who chronically procrastinate care a lot, almost too much.
The correlation between procrastination and perfectionism makes a lot of sense when you dig a little deeper. Perfectionists have an internal pressure to perform certain or many tasks flawlessly. This pressure leads them to a life of fear and misery.
The belief is that if they can’t complete a task to perfection then there’s no point in trying. Unfortunately, even things classified as masterpieces still aren’t “perfect”. In a “perfect” piece of music, art, or cinema someone is bound to find flaws in it. Therefore, perfection is unattainable and unrealistic.
What Causes Perfectionism Paralysis?
Perfectionists may have grown up in an environment where they only received praise or were shown love and approval when an extremely high level of achievement was shown. This can lead to the soul-crushing ingrained belief that to feel worthy in life, you must perform excellent work.
If you feel incapable, unmotivated, or uninspired to start and finish work then you may procrastinate until the last minute.
This last-minute procrastination tactic is a sneaky and subconscious way to justify less-than-stellar work. If you have a short amount of time to work on a project then of course it’s not going to live up to standards because of a lack of time, not because of your lack of ability.
This keeps the perfectionist stuck in a loop of putting things off until the last second. Any subpar work won’t be blamed on the perfectionist and can be blamed on the lack of time available.
What would happen if a perfectionist could break down the need to be perfect and give things their fair shot?
Even if it wasn’t perfect (which is impossible anyway) it would at least get completed with time to spare for any potential reviews and adjustments. To learn how to overcome perfectionism paralysis read below for the following 9 steps.
1. Pomodoro Technique-
When projects loom over our heads it’s hard to know exactly how much time you’ll need to complete it. You might drastically over or underestimate the required time frame. Combat this by using this time-blocking technique called the Pomodoro Method.
Set a timer and spend 25 uninterrupted, focused minutes on the task at hand. When the 25 minutes is up, take a short 5-minute break, preferably not on your phone. Continue this method and after 4 pomodoros, take a longer 25-minute break.
Remember to keep the pomodoros completely distraction-free. You’ll often get more done in an uninterrupted 25 minutes than you will all day when distractions keep popping up.
Using the pomodoro method is a great way to get you started on any tasks you need to do. Even if you don’t complete it in one day you’ve gotten the ball rolling which is the hardest part.
2. Break Tasks into Smaller Pieces-
If you have a large project to complete it may seem completely overwhelming and scary. By breaking it into smaller bite-sized pieces it’ll be much more attainable and approachable.
If you want to organize your entire home, break it into each room. Break it up even further by sections. Have it categorized further by closet, dressers, master bathroom, etc. If you need to organize your kitchen break it down into cupboards, drawers, fridge, and freezer.
3. 2 Minute Rule-
Starting a task is usually harder than the task itself. When working out, putting on your gym clothes and getting to the gym is typically the hardest part.
If you feel overwhelmed by a task, aim to start it for 2 minutes and if you still feel overwhelmed then you can stop. Usually getting started, even for only two minutes is enough to get some momentum going. After you’ve gone on for two minutes you’ll usually think “Well I’m already in it so I might as well keep going.”
4. Lower your Expectations-
We already know that a perfectionist is expecting perfection and won’t accept anything less. But how can you practice lowering your expectations so that things get done as opposed to perfect? When starting a task can you lower your expectations to 50%, 60%, or 70%?
This doesn’t have to be your final product just a starting point. Perfectionists believe that to begin a project it needs to start and end at 100%. This is unrealistic even for the most skilled people.
If you can lower your expectations to start and feel content with a lower percentage, then you can still edit and revise later to reach 80% or 90%. Not perfect but good enough.
5. 1% Better Everyday-
The book Atomic Habits by James Clear mentions that the goal isn’t to go from 0 to 100% but to get 1% better every day. If you want to become a better writer but never write because you’re scared that your work won’t be amazing right away then you’re
1- Not writing
2- Not improving your writing because you’re not writing and the only way to improve is with practice.
The goal should be to get 1% better every day. To do that you’ll need to write regularly even if it’s a shitty piece of writing. You don’t need to publish all of your mediocre work but at least by working at it consistently, you’ll get to a point eventually where by default your rough drafts will be better than your final drafts were when you started.
6. See a Therapist-
Perfectionism paralysis can be super ingrained, deep, and subconscious. If you’re finding that you’re having a lot of trouble working through this issue it might be time to call in extra reinforcements.
Working with a licensed and trained therapist might help you to work through these deep-seated issues better than you would individually. The anxiety of perfectionism can be crippling and leave a trail of shame and low self-esteem. Don’t be ashamed if you need extra support to work through this.
7. Mindfulness-
We often don’t realize the stories we’re telling ourselves regularly. Whenever you’re procrastinating or get stuck while working on a project, pause and listen to what stories you’re telling yourself. Are you putting yourself down, are you feeling overwhelmed, or uninspired?
When you can find the root cause of what’s keeping you from pushing forward you can try to reframe it into a new perspective.
If your subconscious is saying “This is hard, I don’t know if I can do this up to my expectations” try to reframe it to “This is hard but I can try my personal best and that’s good enough for now”.
8. Practice Self-Compassion & Self-Love-
Perfectionists are insanely and unnecessarily hard on themselves. Try to practice some daily compassion and self-love rituals even if only for 5 minutes.
Whether it’s repeating affirmations, cooking yourself a healthy meal, moving your body, meditating, etc. do something nice for yourself daily to show yourself love.
9. Enjoy the Process-
Perfectionists are so obsessed with the final result that it gets in the way of enjoying the process.
If you’re any type of artist, isn’t creating the best part? If you get so caught up in the final product then it sucks the joy and creativity out of the artistic journey.
Practice saying screw the final result and try to start creating or whatever task needs completion for the pure enjoyment, wonder, and creativity of it all.
Conclusion-
Perfectionist might be something you say in a job interview to appear in a positive light but it’s a much more insidious trait. It can be crippling and cause stress, anxiety, shame and depression.
While wanting to produce high-level work isn’t a bad thing, watch out for when it starts to negatively affect your self-worth and productivity levels. Aim to strike a healthy balance between wanting to produce good work and not obsessing over unattainable perfection.
Perfectionism paralysis can be tricky to overcome but takes some intentional practice. Use time blocking with the Pomodoro method to help you budget your time if procrastination is getting the better of you.
Use the 2-minute rule when you’re having trouble getting started and break tasks into smaller bite-sized pieces so that they become less overwhelming.
Take care of your mental health by practicing mindfulness, compassion, and self-love, and work with a therapist if you need help breaking down your perfectionist tendencies.
Practice getting 1% better every day instead of expecting to start at 100% and learn to lower your expectations to be more realistic. Lastly, attempt to enjoy the process and focus less on the outcome so that you reduce the stress and anxiety that comes with working on something as a perfectionist.
Hopefully, these methods can help you overcome your perfectionism paralysis so that you can produce and create the things that the world needs from you!
