There is a dangerous mantra for doing good work:
Ready, Ready, Aim…
Keep aiming until every detail is in place and then — aim again.
It’s agonizing to grind through your work, making sure every detail is perfect. But it’s not only agonizing; it’s actually an inefficient way to work.
The problem with working to perfection is that it causes stress that limits your productivity. You need to get the work done, it needs to be done well — but your focus on getting it perfect causes your anxiety to increase. How can you get the work done quickly…and do it well?
I wondered about this as I watched friends finish 80,000 word manuscripts in weeks, while I kept slamming my head against a desk hoping to get a few paragraphs out for my thesis.
It’s a frustrating feeling, but the solution is simple:
Stop Striving for Perfection on the First Round
It’s much easier — and less stressful — to get the work done once and go back to refine it later.
There is a feeling of freedom when you let go of making your work perfect and strive instead to simply finish it. And the work gets easier every time you commit to just finishing.
When I stopped agonizing over making my work perfect, I began to write my thesis paragraphs at a time instead of one word at a time. I was happy as hell because the work was actually getting done! This ethic also carried over into other parts of my life and I found myself finishing a tremendous amount of items on my to-do list.
My fiancée recently started a new position where she took over for a co-worker who was constantly stressed and did a tremendous amount of overtime. Two days into the job, she learned that this co-worker double-checked every detail as she did it. No wonder she always left the office stressed: she was doing double the work on every task.
These revelations helped me to commit to a new mantra:
Ready, Fire, Aim.
Now, my work schedule looks something like this:
- Establish Objective or Goal of the Project
- Work Until Objective is Met
- Make Necessary Adjustments
Let your work sit, and then come back to it after your brain has had time to refresh. You’ll see mistakes (probably plenty) but don’t take it as a personal blow to your ego. In fact, tell your ego to keep its mouth shut so you can finish the job. This will lead to an increase in creative flow because your brain is focused solely on finishing the task… and nothing else.
It may take a few attempts to let go of that need for perfection; but it’s worth it. Next time you sit down to get something done, just keep telling yourself to finish the job and you’ll perfect it later.
Your brain will thank you.
(Photo credit: Closeup of Handsome Archer via Shutterstock)
Wow… this hits home for me. This is EXACTLY the world I live in most of the time. Thanks for the clarifying thoughts. Blessings, man!
Thanks Charlie! I lived in this world for quite a while and it takes some practice to leave. You got this – just keep at it :)
As long as we are talking about writing… I’ve found a lot of my perfectionism with academic assignments (if not all of it) is rooted in a fear of criticism. And not just criticism in itself, that’s easy to handle. ;) What isn’t though is when the criticism is personal, aimed at your character (perhaps even unknowingly to either party), and you end up being threatened that you’re somehow going to get convicted of a crime you never meant to commit. lol I’m not even exaggerating.. I’ve held back on saying so many things in assignments because I was picturing people saying my methodology was flawed, my reasoning behind the entire premise was flawed outright in like the first paragraph, my reasoning must be skewed by my own emotions, I made a math error that would have become a federal case if it were a professional academic publication… when you’ve experienced enough of such threats in your life it does carry over into your so-called “business” aspects of your life. My entire focus is often just “how do I express what I want without getting into trouble?” Like some kind of outlaw.. lol.
RJ – you’re right on point!
Academia is horrible for making you feel that every mistake is a personal attack on you. It feels better to say something safe rather than something new, which not only hinders creativity, but serious developments in thinking. That’s why it can be so tough to just let go sometimes.
However, if you can learn to just shut that part of your brain off, you’ll feel much happier with your work.
When I first started my blog it took forever to publish an article because I wanted it to be “perfect”. Now things are speeding up a bit, but still my mind works against me sometimes. I will try your mantra of ready, fire, aim. Thanks.
I know the feeling. However, the nice thing about blog posts is the ability to edit them after they’re posted.
You still want to make sure the work is good, but you’re better served by writing another article instead of nitpicking a current one to death. Thanks for the comment!