I would describe myself as somewhat of a perfectionist. I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing well. When I undertake a task, I want to excel and be the best at it. Even if I finish writing a paper before the deadline, I get anxious about submitting it early, because I know that when I read it again a couple of days later, I will find something I can improve on.

Unfortunately, being a perfectionist means that you second-guess yourself a lot. You might never release the projects you worked on because you think they’re not good enough. Or maybe they’re good – but not perfect.

And of course they’re not perfect, because nothing is objectively perfect. There will always be room for improvement. The problem with perfectionists is that we are trying to reach an unattainable standard of perfection. Even if you revise your paper up to ten times after it’s finished, you will most likely find something new to change or improve every single time. It’s an endless journey of improvement trying to reach an elusive “perfect” ideal.

Nothing is objectively perfect. The problem with perfectionists is that we are trying to reach an unattainable standard of perfection.

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The inevitable consequence of this never-ending journey of improvement is that productivity is reduced. Perfectionists often miss deadlines, indulge in procrastination, and allocate more time than necessary to their projects.

Perfectionists can also be their own worst enemy, with their constant self-criticism. They are hesitant to pat themselves on the back for a job well done. It’s like they say to themselves, “Yes, I’m good, but I’m not perfect”. Many perfectionists can relate to feeling bad about getting a B instead of an A, or even about getting an A instead of an A+. They put an insane amount of pressure on themselves, and even when they do well, they cannot bask in their own achievements because they’re always trying to one-up themselves.

At this point, I must clarify that I’m not trying to justify mediocrity. I hate mediocrity. If I read an article where the author cites a paper within the text but forgets to provide the full reference at the end, the article automatically loses all credibility to me. I feel the same way when I read an article filled with typos. I know the occasional typo is inevitable; we’re humans, and we all make mistakes. Even the strictest editing eye will miss a few typos every now and then. But when you spot up to ten typos within one paragraph, you know that something is clearly wrong.

So, I’m not suggesting that perfectionists should settle for mediocrity. What I’m trying to say to my fellow perfectionists is that we should try to be more expansive in our notion of “perfect”. Your work might not be objectively perfect (because nothing is objectively perfect), but it may be perfect for your purpose and target audience – based on the value you are expecting to add. There will always be room for improvement, but the key is knowing when to stop and consider your work good enough to be released.

Are you a perfectionist? How do you deal with perfectionism? Let me know in the comment section!

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