Not too long ago prior to a speaking event, I spent hours perfecting my slides.
Actually it was more like days.
Seriously, I spent painstakingly long agonizing colors and line spacing. I made slews of changes perfecting text and images.
Which of course meant I neglected some of my other important work at that time.
Only to find out the day before the event that I couldn’t use slides at all.
So not cool.
Do you go down the rabbit hole of perfection?
Feeling behind because you spend too much time making an edit or rethinking your work?
It’s exhausting, not to mention a blow to your confidence when you struggle to keep up with it all.
TRUTH BOMB: Your desire to get it perfect is holding you back from your potential and success.
I see this all the time, especially with smart and driven career women.
Surprisingly, letting go of perfectionism is NOT THE ANSWER.
There are some situations in which your need to be perfect will serve you very well.
Striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high standards for yourself is NOT a bad thing.
It will get you access and set you apart as a successful leader.
In fact, some of the most creative and incredible solutions have been a result of perfectionism.
But in other situations it is unnecessary, will delay your results, and hold you in mediocrity.
Not every email or proposal or social media post requires that level of accuracy.
This is why it’s critical to understand WHEN to embrace perfectionism and WHEN to let it go.
Without mastering this skill you’ll spend too much time on tasks that don’t best serve your results.
Which might also put you up against a deadline for tasks that do require more attention and detail.
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By differentiating perfectionist vs. non-perfectionist tasks, you put your efforts where they matter most.
I call it the B+ strategy.
While you should always strive for excellence, not everything has to be an A+.
Many times B+ is perfectly fine. (Very good is good enough).
Perfectionism isn’t always necessary but sometimes it is in your best interest.
But if you’re not using this strategy in the right way, it can cost you valuable energy, time, and a whole lot of sanity.
I love thinking through the A+ vs. B+ tasks with my clients so they get the most effective work done in the least amount of time.
So my question for you this week is: Do you know and implement perfectionism at the right time?
Shoot me back a reply and let me know. I read and respond to every message and would love to hear from you.
Xo,
Mridu
P.S. If you’re feeling like tasks take you longer than they should, there might be other reasons at play besides perfectionism. Perhaps you’re not leveraging assets effectively, are feeling scattered, or not planning your day accurately. If you have any of these challenges I’d love to work through them with you. Set up a time for us to chat here.
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