Perfectionism
24 September 2020
I decided to sit down and write this blog post about perfectionism — an idea I had jotted down in my 'Blog Post Ideas' document — precisely because I found myself tormented by my inner perfectionist all day. This seemed like a good mindset to be in to write this. I often get into a stagnant mental state where I'm stunted by perfectionism, which prevents me from doing the work I know I need to do. To give you a small example, I got hung up on thinking of a name for this blog post for a few minutes. I shouldn't be spending more than ten seconds thinking of a name for a post in a blog that nobody reads anyway. (Or do they?)
My point is not to bash myself though. Let me get to what I really want to convey about perfectionism, because I don't think I'm alone on this front. You can probably guess what I'm ultimately going to conclude about it, so here is the thesis statement: Perfectionism is only helpful in moderation. First, let's look at an example that might illustrate the utility of perfectionism:
You are a freelance woodworker who makes and sells rocking chairs. Most local rocking chair makers create rocking chairs that offer a bumpy rocking experience. Thankfully, you have an attention to detail and obsession with making sure the 'rocker' part of the rocking chair works smoothly with no bumpiness. You shape, sand, and polish incessantly. As a result, you get the most business, and people recommend your services to other rocking chair enthusiasts. Thanks, perfectionism!
On the other hand, when you have work to do (especially if it's creative work, I think) and you find yourself putting it off day after day because you fear that the finished product won't be up to par with what you envision, perfectionism is hurting you more than it's helping you. It's preventing you from even getting started, practicing, using your creative energy, and being productive.
This is something I experience regularly. In the topical case of writing this blog post, some of the excuses I came up with are along the lines of: "But I don't have as much to say about this topic… what if it's not as long as my last two posts?" or "I don't want to write a whole blog post following my not-yet-overhauled blog system. Then I'll have to go back and update it later!" or "Why would I use my energy on this task? Then I won't be able to use that energy on all the other things I want to do!" (And then, of course, I wouldn't use it on those things either.)
Though, one thing I can say now after starting to write this post, is that the initial blocks to starting a project or task quickly subside once you actually get started. Deep down, I think I knew this. But writing this is a way that works for me in terms of expressing this feeling while at the same time, putting it into practice.
For me, there's another flavor of the blocking effect that perfectionism can have on my productivity. In addition to preventing me from getting started, it oftentimes prevents me from stopping something. This website is the best example I can think of in recent history. If, for example, I implement a new feature or style choice on the site, I find myself fiddling with and tweaking the CSS values for hours, instead of moving onto the next to-do item or simply calling it a day and pushing the changes to my webserver.
I need to learn that there's always going to be time for me to go back and make minor tweaks if it really ends up bothering me. What's more important is moving on to the next thing. Stagnation gets us nowhere (by definition).
— Derek Andersen