How do you deal with perfectionism?
by earthWindFi on 4/4/2024, 3:00:50 AM
I struggle with the same problem. My strategy is to wake up early and get at least 10 minutes of creative productivity done in the morning.
Sometimes this is just 10 minutes and I move on.
Sometimes I get in the flow and work for a few hours.
I tell myself to embrace my mediocrity and just produce, in spite of the fact that this probably isn’t the best piece of work out there.
As long as I actually do a bit everyday (writing, coding a side project) I’m satisfied.
As a semi-related aside, one of my favorite poems is by Charles Bukowski. Try not to fall into the trap of “Air, Light, Time, and Space”: https://wordsfortheyear.com/2014/10/15/air-and-light-and-tim...
Good luck!
by bartonfink on 4/4/2024, 6:01:10 AM
Take your perfectionism to its conclusion.
Assume your current work isn't good enough to submit or publish.
Spend time addressing real or imagined defects.
Current work becomes late work. Consequences ensue.
Realize that the consequences are entirely your fault.
Realize that step one applies to your life as a project. Deal according to your emotional constitution (suicide, begging strangers for help, hoping you can get a breakthrough with drugs or therapy).
by surprisetalk on 4/4/2024, 10:34:36 AM
> P**fectionists have tastes that exceed their skills. You can’t control your taste, but you can control your skill-level.
by reify on 4/4/2024, 9:04:43 AM
Far too much competition in perfectionism. Too many opportunities to set yourself up to fail.
I have always strove to be "good enough".
Good enough, now there is a thing.
You can never be better or worse than being good enough. No winners or losers. Just perfectly human
spread the word its catchy
by Terr_ on 4/4/2024, 3:28:14 AM
1. My own "perfectionism" is really a fear of being negatively judged or shamed, not any kind of measurable quality in the output. This means the issue is my own emotional state, which can't be changed by any amount of dithering over the work-product itself.
2. Deliberately set out to write a draft or prototype with the intent that you throw it away. (If future-you decides to publish it instead, that's their problem, now-you just has to start.)
3. Ask yourself what the minimum-viable-product is for your message or set of findings, and remind yourself that you're allowed to make edits or revisions or footnotes later if people express interest.
4. [More generally for procrastination] Set an alarm to work on some task for just 5 minutes. Future-you might discover they have more traction than predicted and work past the alarm, but now-you just hsa to start.