MANAGING PERFECTIONISM AT WORK
Perfectionism is hard to navigate. On the one hand, it can be a strength that pushes you to perform and deliver excellent work. But on the other hand, it can be a weakness that causes deep insecurity and an inability to feel satisfied with your career.
So how do you hold onto that desire to do well without holding onto the desire to do it perfectly?
CHANGE YOUR MINDSET
You may think striving for perfection, wanting to please everyone, and always keeping your mind ticking is the only way you can succeed in a job and evidently get a promotion. It’s the only way your boss will think you’re a hard worker and your employees will respect you. It’s the only way you can sleep at night because otherwise you feel dissatisfied.
But the problem with perfectionism is that even if you’re on the ball all day and everyone is pleased with your work – you still don’t feel satisfied.
Perfectionism is the mindset of reaching something that is completely out of your reach.
Yes, we all strive to do better and there’s no real ‘end goal’ with self-improvement, but usually that allows you to make mistakes so you can learn from them – perfectionism doesn’t. Perfectionism tells you that if you make a mistake, you’re a failure.
Perfection is demotivating, it’s unattainable, it’s anxiety inducing, it decreases job satisfaction, it ruins work-life balance. In the end, perfectionism does the exact opposite of what you think it’ll do.
Holding onto the ideal scenario leads you to let go of the beauty of being human, learning as you go, laughing at your mistakes, and truly being satisfied in your career.
No one’s perfect, so why do you think you have to be?
SET REALISTIC GOALS
Now it’s time for the practical tips. Planning your day around goals that aren’t in the slightest achievable instantly breeds stress and overtime, burnout.
Before you write 20 things on your to-do list to achieve by 11:30 am, think about what things are a priority, how long it’ll take, and whether any can be dealt with another day. Coming into the office with a burst of productivity is great, but don’t ruin it by putting loads on your plate and feeling insecure and stressed afterwards.
LEARN TO SAY NO
You may have been thinking that bosses or colleagues expect you to get everything on your list done, so how can you possibly slim the list down?
… How about saying “no” every once in a while?
This isn’t to say you should be rude, passive aggressive, or display frustration when they ask something – but it is to say you should manage their expectations. As a perfectionist, you’re probably also a people pleaser and if someone asks you to do something you say “yes” before they even finish their sentence.
This sets an expectation that you’re capable of taking on any task and completing every deadline without even breaking a sweat. This is not true and more likely than not, if people knew that wasn’t true, they probably wouldn’t put that much pressure on you.
But on the flip side you may think, “I want to be reliable, I want to be the person people can count on, I want to show my dedication”, you still can – but with better boundaries.
Look at successful leaders across the world. They succeed because they work smart as well as hard. They know their limits, they’re self-aware of their stress, they prioritise the right things, and guess what? They get things done and they get it done well.
Vincent Lombardi, one of the greatest coaches in the history of American sports, famously said,
“Perfectionism is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”
ASK FOR HELP
Perfectionism isn’t just feeling overly anxious about your work in case you don’t get things right, it’s also feeling overly protective about your work in case other people get it wrong.
You may think maintaining total control over your work is beneficial because you can ensure it gets done right, but it actually feeds a variety of unhealthy mindsets
Your work is better quality than everyone else’s
You’re the only one who cares about putting effort in
Asking for help shows weakness
This leads to arrogance, hostility, and then putting your perfectionism onto everyone around you. Not to mention the stress that could’ve easily been avoided if you trusted people to support you.
A huge part of your career is team work. Don’t avoid it, try to encourage it.
PRIORITISE SELF-CARE
Perfectionism doesn’t end once it hits 5pm. It usually carries into your commute home, your dinner with friends, your quiet evenings, and even to your bed at 3am in the morning when you should be thinking about anything but the email you forgot to send.
Finding a healthy work-life balance and being intentional about detaching yourself every so often from work can make a real difference. Some things you could try include:
Setting stricter boundaries at work (i.e. no checking emails after 6)
Finding a hobby that distracts you
Making sure you get plenty of sleep
Spending quality time with friends/ family
Taking annual leave for the sake of resting
SPEAK TO SOMEONE
Letting trusted colleagues like HR know about your struggles will not only make them aware but also give them the opportunity to find ways to help you – practically with workload or general tips.
But most importantly, as I said earlier, perfectionism doesn’t end when it hits 5pm. It’s probably something you take with you, in your relationships, your finances, and your general outlook on life and whether you should’ve achieved more.
Counselling can be great for finding ways to cope and talking through things that are worrying you.
- Written by Tim Macmillan
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