Time management tips help you break time habits that hinder your progress. For example, think of habitual perfectionism as the ultimate time goblin. The more of your time you feed it, the larger and more tyrannical it becomes.
Fortunately, perfectionism is a learned behavior that you can unlearn. You were not born a perfectionist. So commit to understanding and overcoming perfectionism. Learn first-hand how much more pleasurable and productive your life can become!
Three Strategies to Overcome Perfectionism:
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Identify the source of your perfectionist voice.
Sit back and relax, closing your eyes. Tune into the voice of your perfectionist as if you were tuning in to a radio station from long ago. Whose voices do you hear? Perhaps members of your family urged you to perform. Maybe teachers imposed unrealistic demands upon you. Then again, you may have modeled yourself upon someone who seemed larger-than-life, or whose standards were extreme.
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Write down perfectionist messages you give yourself.
By writing down these messages, you can immediately identify the expectations that aren't realistic. This is an important accomplishment in itself!
Don't bother trying to defend yourself. The perfectionist time goblin isn't listening to you. Instead, envision yourself placing each message into a burlap sack, tying it securely, and burying it in a deep hole. Now, consciously replace each message with a realistic goal.
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Identify the underlying fear.
You empower yourself every time you identify the source of your fear. Do you fear failure, fear success, or are you apprehensive about what will happen if you do succeed?
Whatever your fear may be, the promise that perfectionism can "fix it" is illusory. Do you hope that being "perfect" will provide you with a measure of control over your environment that is impossible to attain? It is both compassionate and realistic to let that go.
And then, exercise your genuine power to replace perfectionism with realism. Validate that your best is good enough. And make your peace with what lies beyond your ability to fix. Fully appreciating your genuine efforts and allowing yourself room to grow, empowers you and helps you experience the world as a safer place.
Reducing your perfectionism is both courageous and sensible. Living more realistically makes your time more enjoyable, and more productive, as well.
Now ask yourself: How can you replace perfectionism with productivity today to make the best use of your time?
