Perfectionism
I really need to get off LinkedIn (put down the iPhone, pick up a book… or Kindle. But I have someone in my feed that always supplies target rich postings. Good to hear from someone with whom you consistently disagree:
“There are two ways to do something… the right way or again.. Cutting corners in life will always end in failure. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Do it right or do it again.”
Based on this, and other postings, he is a proud, sleep deprived perfectionist. Sure, there are many times when you want to do something perfectly… with bad consequences for being less than perfect. But in day-to-day tasks, we have created a sickness called perfectionism. Picture your front yard. If you could mow it so every single blade of grass was cut at exactly the same height… would you? My perfectionist friends say “Yes!” Then I ask, but what if it took twice as long to achieve? Most still say “Yes!” Ten times longer? The less ill among the perfectionists finally waver.
Many things worth doing, are only worth doing “good enough”. If you are investing huge additional time to do every single task perfectly… you have an illness. Don’t be that guy! There is help out there.