Don’t Let Your Perfectionism Get in Your Way

Don’t Let Your Perfectionism Get in Your Way

Perfectionism can push you to deliver excellent work, but it can also increase your anxiety and lower your productivity. To keep perfectionism from getting in your way, learn when it’s time to let go and move on. One way to do this is creating a checklist of a task’s essentials. If you’re working on a client pitch, for example, make sure the presentation addresses the client’s major concerns and details why the client should hire your company. Your inner perfectionist might fret over the font choice and every semicolon — but once your checklist is complete, take a breath and slowly back away. Another tactic is to ask a trusted colleague to help you get perspective. Do you need someone to tell you when your first draft is good enough? Or just tell you to stop nitpicking? Remember to keep the big picture in mind. High standards are great, but they shouldn’t keep you from getting your work done.

Adapted from “How to Manage Your Perfectionism,” by Rebecca Knight