Don't View Everything In Catastrophic Terms

The consequences of not being perfect aren't as catastrophic as we sometimes make them. Perfectionists see only the worst case scenarios. If they fail to meet the mark, they are completely devastated. They see the world coming to an end. 

This thought process is called "probability overestimation". It means overplaying your odds of failure or of negative consequences. 

When this happens, try balancing your thoughts by considering the whole spectrum from best case to worst case scenarios.  Look at the whole range of possible outcomes. You might fall somewhere in the middle. 

Stop Using Black-and-White Language

Perfectionists tend to see things as either "perfection" or "failure", with no middle ground. This makes it impossible to achieve a goal with a few flaws. Those flaws makes them feel like a failure. 

If you are in this situation, start to look for the middle ground. As I said earlier, there is a wide range from best case to worst case. Look for something in that middle range. 

Add words to your vocabulary like "acceptable" and "good enough" to evaluate your efforts. No one is perfect but your effort can certainly be acceptable for the moment. 

Remove "Should" From Your Vocabulary

Speaking of vocabulary, remove the word "should" from your vocabulary. Perfectionists think and talk about what they "should" be doing instead of what they are doing. Or they may talk about what they "should" do or never do. These are absolutes. They just set you up for failure. 

Replace the word "should" with the word "want" and see how the intensity drops. This allows you to have more control of your schedule and work at your convenience without the added pressure. 

Wanting to do something leaves you room for alterations and changes to your plan. In other words, allows you to do your best while being flexible. 

Forgive Yourself For Your Shortcomings

If you ever feel like you've missed the mark, forgive yourself for your shortcoming. Nobody is perfect, and everybody makes mistakes. 

Of course everyone wants to do their absolute best, but everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Those are opportunities for you to grow and become better at each attempt. 

Learning opportunities can disguise themselves as little imperfections. Every time you master that imperfection, other ones will pop up. With each iteration, you are getting better and better. 

Make A Goal For Each Task

Make a goal for each task but keep this in mind. Is the goal to be perfect or to get something significant done? 

Outline what it will take to achieve the results you want, and focus on completing those tasks. Make sure your tasks are manageable to avoid overwhelming yourself. 

Knowing what you want to achieve just keeps you heading in the right direction. 

Finally, know what constitutes finished. If not, you can tweak something for days that doesn't really matter. 

Strive For Results That Are Best For You

As mentioned before, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. You know your own potential. Strive for the results that will exemplify your abilities. 

Don't fall captive to caring too much about the opinions of others. Strive for results that are best for you. 

Perfectionism can become self-destructive when you're too concerned about how others view your imperfections. 

Instead of focusing on doing things perfectly for others, set your own standard of excellence that's acceptable to you. 

Don't Wait For Certainty - Get Started Now

Perfectionists wait for just the right set of circumstances to get started doing anything. Even if you don't know everything for certain, get started now. 

The perfect circumstance will never come. Just start anyway. You may find that the task you're trying to tackle is easier than you think. 

Even if you were to fail at your first attempt, at least you've done something. Now you know what and what not to do in the future. 

Most of the time you'll discover the barriers you've imagined are not really there at all. 

Set A Time Limit For The Task

Sometimes the creative perfectionist can think up a hundred ways to do something, and keep adding and adding with no end in sight. 

To break out of that habit, set a time limit for each task. When you reach the limit, stop. Otherwise, the creative perfectionist will go on forever. 

If you have to, get a timer with a loud buzzer and set it. When it goes off, you are done. Be disciplined about it. You'll find that your work may not need all the polish you think. It's probably good enough just the way it is. 

Do Things "Your" Way Instead Of The "Right" Way

There are two ways of doing things; "your way" and the "right way". They don't need to be mutually exclusive either.

There is no one "right way" to accomplish anything. The best thing you can do is to do it "your way". Add your special unique touch to anything you do. Not everyone will like it, but it's all subjective anyway. 

Keep others in mind when you do things, but don't let that alone dictate your behavior. Allow the expression of your personality and style to shine through. 

List Your Accomplishments And Review Them Often

If you are really being hard on yourself, and need a boost, make a list of your accomplishments every day, week, month, and year. 

Start by writing down at least one thing you've accomplished that day, no matter how small. Do this for a week, a month, a year, and you will begin to get a picture of how many things you actually accomplished. 

Don't concentrate on how perfectly things were done, but focus on how much you've done. You'll probably be amazed, and pleased with yourself. 

"Your Time Is Now"

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