We’ve all complained that there’s not enough time for the things we have to do and even less for the things we enjoy doing.

But how many of us are guilty of wasting our time? Well I know it’s pretty ironic for someone considered as an expert in time management to admit this, but I am… I am the victim of my self-inflicted perfectionism.

It’s taken me a very long time to realise that no matter how big my achievement was, the satisfaction I was deriving from it was very short lived. In the meantime, in my quest for perfection, I had sacrificed sleep, family time and personal time – maybe some would add sanity!

But I’m not here to talk about myself, but rather to make you appreciate the amount of time that your perfectionist side may be costing you and also share the strategies I’m personally using to deal with it.

Indeed while having high standards of excellence undoubtedly help achieve great results, perfectionism also costs you a lot because…

You spend countless hours working at improving a project you’ve theoretically completed, undertaking tasks that don’t necessarily add more value to it.

You do things that could be delegated to others but either you don’t trust them to do them as well as you would or they’re unwilling to help you because they know you’re very difficult to please.

You procrastinate because you doubt your ability to handle a new project and you worry about making mistakes. Sometimes it paralyses you so much that you never get started.

You have to manage your stress and anxiety caused by the fact that you don’t feel capable and you’re never satisfied with what you do.

So how to break this mindset? Well, let’s face it, I don’t think that someone who has been a perfectionist all her life can suddenly completely let go of this mindset. But talking from personal experience, I think it’s completely possible for a perfectionist to accept that her perfectionist behaviour is best reserved for a few important things in life.

In order to achieve this, you need, before jumping into a new project, to look at the big picture and evaluate whether this project is worth your perfectionism. Ask yourself the following type of questions:

• What is it that I’m expected to deliver?
• Does it help me meet one of my professional goals or personal aspirations?
• What is the real impact of this project on my work or personal life?
• What would be the worst possible consequences if I was not doing it perfectly?
• What would I have to sacrifice if I wanted to deliver the perfect outcome?

Then set a performance standard for this project, using one or a mix of the following strategies:

Strategy 1 | Use The Minimum / Intermediate / Maximum Approach

Ask yourself what is the minimum you can put in to deliver against the expectations of the project and what is the maximum you’d like to put in that would make you satisfied.

Settle for something in between.

Perfectionists tend to see things in black or white, while there are multiple shades of grey in between. Once you’ve delivered against your intermediate expectation, evaluate whether you have more time available to work towards achieving your maximum expectations.

Strategy 2 | Ask Yourself Which Outcome You Would Expect Of Someone If You Were Assigning The Task

Perfectionists often ask less of others than of themselves, so it can help you set a more reasonable target.

Strategy 3 | Look At It From Someone Else Perspective

If you’re unable to set a reasonable standard on your own, seek someone’s input. Your boss, for example, is likely to want you to spend your time on tasks and projects that bring value to the company instead of dwelling on details.

Strategy 4 | Set A Time Limit

For many people, if they’re given one hour to complete a task, they’ll finish it in one hour; similarly, if they’re given two hours, they’ll make use of these two hours.

Imagine a perfectionist to whom you give a task without any time limit. You can be sure she’ll be relentlessly working on it until she achieves her desired outcome.

Alternatively or in addition to setting up a performance standard, give yourself a finite time to complete a task or project.

Again, it’s not easy to change a perfectionist mindset, but by being more aware of your own tendency and taking the time to evaluate the criticality of a project before jumping in, you can be more selective on where you really need (or want) to give your best and save considerable amounts of time.

Like with plenty of other things, practice makes perfect. No, no, let me take this back, practice… helps make progress!

Check my Time Management Coaching programme or contact me if you need help getting back in control of your time.

Work with Nathalie

Check my Time Management Coaching programme or contact me if you need help getting back in control of your time!