Procrastination sucks. Plain and simple. Now add the loop of perfectionism and procrastination in it, and it becomes its own kind of hell. For someone who has been dealing with procrastination for a while, I can’t even begin to explain how awful it is. You probably have no idea how long it took me to actually sit down and write about this particular topic because guess what?
I have been procrastinating.
So, what is procrastination?
Let me paint you a simple picture of what goes on in the mind of one who procrastinates. Let’s say you have a list on your mind, a timetable of sorts, of what you will be doing for the coming week.
You are excited about the list, you feel energized with ideas and thoughts of getting things done, already feeling accomplished for how organized you are.
Then you decide to commit yourself to a deadline, a date by which you will be done with the list. At this point, you are absolutely clear on what you have to do and how you are going to do it.
But as the week begins, you think of the list and the deadline you set up. A feeling of dread starts to surface in you, but you push it aside and go on Netflix to distract yourself.
But as you are watching your series for the umpteenth time, in the back of your mind you keep thinking about the list. You still tell yourself that you are going to get it done. In fact, the idea of getting it done fills you with elation and motivation, yet you still haven’t done anything about it.
Enter delays.
That’s right, you do everything and anything but the thing you are really meant to do: tackle the list. You keep on delaying it. That elation and joy that you felt earlier turn into anxiety and dread.
You keep saying to yourself, “I’ll start tomorrow, I still got time.” Then you wake up one morning and realize the due date is tomorrow. You are filled with regret and you are kicking yourself for not getting to the list sooner.
But you are still not motivated to actually do it.
And suddenly it is The Day. The due date literally feels like Judgement Day to you. Because all you feel is anger and a sense of self-loathing. Now you have to practically force yourself to get things done, all the while stressing about not finishing on time.
If this sounds relatable to you, I want you to know you are not alone.
The vicious loop that we fall into is brought to you by the evil twins: perfectionism and procrastination.
You might be thinking what does perfectionism have to do with it? It has everything to do with it but not in the way you think.
Perfectionism: Is it good?
Perfectionism is often hailed as being good and admirable, but it is indeed harmful, like procrastination. Fighting procrastination is one thing but if it’s blended with perfectionism, then you are stuck in a loop that can ruin your mental peace and productivity.
Even though procrastination is easy to identify, perfectionism is subtle. How do you know if you are in the clutches of both?
If you are a perfectionist, then you are almost always focused on the end result being 100% perfect, but not on the process.
Perfectionists are known as high achievers. But they are hardly ever content with their accomplishments because they think there is always more to achieve and succeed in.
Everything needs to be done perfectly and if they mess up a little, their harshest critic is nobody but themselves. Also, perfectionists end up doing tasks when they are hit by sudden bursts of energy and motivation which often ends in total exhaustion.
The need to achieve perfection in every single thing they do is rooted in their attempt to hold on to self-worth that is defined by the expectations of other people.
Perfectionism is unnecessary. You don’t need to be a perfectionist, especially in your daily routine or work life. And it becomes highly destructive when you are a perfectionist who procrastinates.
Perfectionism and Procrastination
One of the symptoms of being a perfectionist is procrastination. The biggest fear for a perfectionist is not being able to do a task perfectly hence they keep delaying it as long as they can.
For them, if they don’t meet their unrealistic standards then they consider themselves unworthy and a failure. They also worry about being ridiculed and criticized by themselves and others if they don’t do a task properly.
Hence, the reason for procrastination.
Many people think procrastinators are just lazy. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. It is only that they perceive every task or challenge to be gigantic (even though it isn’t). And for this reason, they put it off by distracting themselves.
How to Break the Loop?
It is crucial to break the loop of perfectionism and procrastination because frankly, it is destroying your sanity, productivity, and creativity. So, how do you beat procrastination that is rooted in perfectionism?
1. Become strictly aware of the unrealistic standard you have set up for yourself. It doesn’t always have to be an all-in or all-out goal. Whatever tasks you have on the list that you feel compelled to do meticulously and keep procrastinating on, ask yourself what the best, worst, and neutral case scenario is for each of them.
2. Dig deep to find out the value of every task that you need to complete. When you find yourself browsing one app after the other, stop for a moment and ask yourself, the tasks you keep putting off, how do they fit in the bigger picture? Do they have an impact on your life, moving forward? If yes, then there is a good chance you won’t procrastinate as much.
3. Do not confuse excellence with perfection. “I won’t do it until I do it well” is not a sign of excellence. While excellence comes from learning from an experienced and gaining enjoyment and confidence from it, perfection is volatile and causes you to self-criticize even if you have performed excellently.
4. Understand that no one cares how well you are doing or not doing something. Also what other people think doesn’t matter. So stop beating yourself up about what they might think of you because frankly, everyone is pretty much wrapped up in their own lives. Instead, get to the root of your fear of others and focus on your self-worth.
Bottom Line
You can’t solve a problem until you accept that it exists. While the loop of perfectionism and procrastination may have tormented you and probably still is, know that there are tools you can implement to eradicate it.
Not tomorrow, but today.
