Do It Today: Overcome Procrastination, Improve Productivity, and Achieve More Meaningful Things

How Perfectionism Is Destroying
Your Productivity
Do you always worry that you didn’t do a good job? Do you
always question your work and your actions? Are you afraid
of admitting your mistakes? Does rejection make you feel
like shit?
If so, you’re in great danger. I’m not a perfectionist myself.
At least, that’s what I try to tell myself. I bet that you try to
tell yourself that as well. In fact, the people who don’t admit
it are the worst.
But here’s the thing: If you’re a perfectionist, you’re just a
procrastinator with a mask. It’s no different from someone
who’s lazy and does nothing at all. Don’t believe me? Let’s
take a look. A perfectionist…
Always waits for the right moment.
Never makes mistakes.
Always needs more time.
But at the end of the day, life and work are about outcomes.
Results matter. And if you’re a perfectionist, you might get
the outcomes 
some
day. But the question is: When? And, at
what cost? Research specifically shows that perfectionism is
closely related to depression and low self-esteem.
“Perfectionists are their own devils.” —Jack Kirby
Is the price of perfectionism really worth it? I’ve found that
perfectionism is just another form of procrastination. When
you constantly worry about making mistakes, doubt creeps
in your mind. And that causes indecision. There are two
types of perfectionists:

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1. The one that never starts. You want to achieve
something, but you immediately start doubting
yourself. You think: “I don’t think I can do it.” So you
never start.
2. The one that starts but has too high
standards. You set a goal. You work hard (maybe
too hard). But you’ve set your goals so high, that
you’re always failing yourself.
Both scenarios can cause the following: Anxiety, worry,
depression, and Type A behavior.
These are things that we rather avoid. Joachim Stöber and
Jutta Joormann, who studied Worry, Procrastination, and
Perfectionism, write:
“The combination of concern over mistakes and
procrastination may be a crucial factor in the maintenance
of worry. On the one hand, it may prolong existing threats
because no steps are taken to cope. On the other hand, it
may increase existing threats or even produce additional
threats because initially solvable problems will pile up, thus
creating an overload of problems that may finally be
insoluble.”
And that feeling of being helpless is the biggest pitfall for
us. Because what do we do when we feel helpless? Exactly
—we give up. Just look at the studies about Learned
Helplessness.
However, perfectionism is not always bad. In fact, some
studies suggest perfectionism is related to greater
achievement. But that’s not the question here.
Of course, when you set higher goals and if you have higher
standards; you achieve more. Without a doubt,
perfectionistic tendencies can be a good thing. But as we all

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know, achieving goals is not the only thing in life. It’s more
about HOW we reach our goals and aspirations.