Published: The Hindu
On: February 8, 2012
At: Hyderabad, Chennai
To read The Hindu's online version, click here.
Do you settle for nothing less than perfect? Are you taking a lot of time over trivial matters and missing deadlines? Are you hard on yourself? Do you hate making mistakes? Do you believe you must be perfect for everything to work out fine? If so, you may be a perfectionist.
Perfectionism is laudable. However, beware it is vicious and corrosive as well. Being a perfectionist is no fun. With outstanding demands and high expectations, quite often, a perfectionist earns the title of a ‘workaholic'. As Meha Ved, online content manager at Electronic Arts says, “A perfectionist takes longer time than a practical person to fulfill a commitment and achieve the same level of responsibility.”
Quite often, perfectionists are so focused on being conscientious, orderly and attentive to detail that they end up with problems such as procrastination, controlled behaviour, missed deadlines and ultimately low productivity. Perfectionism places unrealistic demands on both the individual and the organisation as a whole. Meha Ved further points out, “A perfectionist finds it difficult to adjust to the average team mates. He may not accept their proposals unless he is fully convinced, thereby not being a good team player.”
Perfectionism can also take a toll on your health. You may be vulnerable to a host of unnecessary health issues from depression, loneliness, social anxiety to anger, frustration and impatience.
On the flip side, if this trait is used where it is most valued and turned off when not required, it can do wonders to your career graph. Needless to say, perfectionism with pragmatism is a tricky blend. Yet, it is crucial. As Shilpa Yalamanchili, an account executive at Hanmer MS&L points out, “While perfectionism is good, it becomes bad when taken to an extreme.” Here are some strategies to avoid the perfectionist mistake:
Prioritise: Prioritise your tasks. Mark the importance of each task: H for high, M for medium and L for low. Concentrate on completing the high priority task first. Break it into small incremental goals.
Eliminate unnecessary goals and be realistic about it. Don't set yourself up for failure. Set timelines and stick to it. What is it that needs to be done immediately? What can wait for next week? Re-prioritise if necessary. This gives you a sense of control over the situation.
Focus on process: Instead of getting lost in the outcome of your efforts, focus on the process of accomplishing a task. Let not the relentless pursuit of the ultimate goal become a burden for you. Look for the bottlenecks in the entire process and solve them first thus creating opportunities to boost your performance.
Seek help: Approach your colleagues or boss. Ask for feedback. Most likely, the report you just completed is not as awful as you imagine. Delegate when deemed appropriate. Reassign a part or an entire project to your subordinate.
This allows you to focus on important tasks. Coaching can also be used to identify self-defeating thinking patterns and substituting them with self-enhanced thinking. Thus resulting in a change in the way you perceive things.
Self-talk: When you are beating yourself up for showing a less-than-perfect performance, talk yourself out of it. Focus on acknowledging the positive part of the performance.
Consider that your way might not be perfect. Shift your approach. Find your own worth in yourself rather than fishing for praise from others.
Be practical and realise that worrying about trivial issues only leads to a waste of your time and energy. As Shilpa Yalamanchili adds, “There is no sense in having a tunnel vision. Accept criticism, learn from your mistakes and move on.”
Relax: Take it easy. Drop your guards and be yourself. Learn to put up with life's frequent imperfections. Relish the chance of knowing something new. See mistakes as learning opportunities. Understand that everyone does not have your same stellar standards.
Give yourself the go-ahead to accomplish something the only way one can in a real world, imperfectly.
On: February 8, 2012
At: Hyderabad, Chennai
To read The Hindu's online version, click here.
Do you settle for nothing less than perfect? Are you taking a lot of time over trivial matters and missing deadlines? Are you hard on yourself? Do you hate making mistakes? Do you believe you must be perfect for everything to work out fine? If so, you may be a perfectionist.
Perfectionism is laudable. However, beware it is vicious and corrosive as well. Being a perfectionist is no fun. With outstanding demands and high expectations, quite often, a perfectionist earns the title of a ‘workaholic'. As Meha Ved, online content manager at Electronic Arts says, “A perfectionist takes longer time than a practical person to fulfill a commitment and achieve the same level of responsibility.”
Quite often, perfectionists are so focused on being conscientious, orderly and attentive to detail that they end up with problems such as procrastination, controlled behaviour, missed deadlines and ultimately low productivity. Perfectionism places unrealistic demands on both the individual and the organisation as a whole. Meha Ved further points out, “A perfectionist finds it difficult to adjust to the average team mates. He may not accept their proposals unless he is fully convinced, thereby not being a good team player.”
Perfectionism can also take a toll on your health. You may be vulnerable to a host of unnecessary health issues from depression, loneliness, social anxiety to anger, frustration and impatience.
On the flip side, if this trait is used where it is most valued and turned off when not required, it can do wonders to your career graph. Needless to say, perfectionism with pragmatism is a tricky blend. Yet, it is crucial. As Shilpa Yalamanchili, an account executive at Hanmer MS&L points out, “While perfectionism is good, it becomes bad when taken to an extreme.” Here are some strategies to avoid the perfectionist mistake:
Prioritise: Prioritise your tasks. Mark the importance of each task: H for high, M for medium and L for low. Concentrate on completing the high priority task first. Break it into small incremental goals.
Eliminate unnecessary goals and be realistic about it. Don't set yourself up for failure. Set timelines and stick to it. What is it that needs to be done immediately? What can wait for next week? Re-prioritise if necessary. This gives you a sense of control over the situation.
Focus on process: Instead of getting lost in the outcome of your efforts, focus on the process of accomplishing a task. Let not the relentless pursuit of the ultimate goal become a burden for you. Look for the bottlenecks in the entire process and solve them first thus creating opportunities to boost your performance.
Seek help: Approach your colleagues or boss. Ask for feedback. Most likely, the report you just completed is not as awful as you imagine. Delegate when deemed appropriate. Reassign a part or an entire project to your subordinate.
This allows you to focus on important tasks. Coaching can also be used to identify self-defeating thinking patterns and substituting them with self-enhanced thinking. Thus resulting in a change in the way you perceive things.
Self-talk: When you are beating yourself up for showing a less-than-perfect performance, talk yourself out of it. Focus on acknowledging the positive part of the performance.
Consider that your way might not be perfect. Shift your approach. Find your own worth in yourself rather than fishing for praise from others.
Be practical and realise that worrying about trivial issues only leads to a waste of your time and energy. As Shilpa Yalamanchili adds, “There is no sense in having a tunnel vision. Accept criticism, learn from your mistakes and move on.”
Relax: Take it easy. Drop your guards and be yourself. Learn to put up with life's frequent imperfections. Relish the chance of knowing something new. See mistakes as learning opportunities. Understand that everyone does not have your same stellar standards.
Give yourself the go-ahead to accomplish something the only way one can in a real world, imperfectly.
Posts
